A rare opportunity has arisen to join the Communications team at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, one of only a handful of Metropolitan Fire and Rescue Services in the UK.

Do you consider yourself to be a wordsmith, an ideas person and a great all-round communicator with an eye for detail?   Can you produce slick copy to tight deadlines? Could you think of innovative ways, not just to keep our 1,400 valued employees updated with brigade news, but also engaged with changes within the organisation, our vision for the future and our culture and values?  

Can you bring a Communications Plan into fruition, sustaining energy and determination?

If the answers are yes, then you’re the person we need to join the Corporate Communications team, as Internal Communications and Public Relations Officer.

In this role you will identify, write and issue appropriately targeted positive news stories and features for internal and sometimes external communications. This will involve interviewing fire officers and potentially members of the public to research and develop news stories, which you could confidently pitch to newsdesks, regionally or even nationally. 

You will enhance and develop the internal communications platforms already in place, and would be at home using social media and preferably content managements systems. 

Once a campaign or project was complete, you would have the know-how to effectively analyse its impact and report back on tangible change or outcomes.

Working alongside the PR and Internal Communications Manager, you should also be confident in dealing with reactive media enquiries and providing timely responses to Press.

With the flexibility to make it your own, this is an exciting prospect which would allow you to use your own initiative to find ways to champion the great work that the Service and its staff do - building relationships, pride and reputation.

Ideally you will have a background in public sector communications or journalism and will have a full UK Driving Licence.

And why are we great to work for? Because every day you can go home knowing you have played a part in helping keep the people of West Yorkshire safer; preventing harm by raising awareness of safety issues and highlighting the very varied work that firefighters do – ever ready to put their own lives in danger’s way to help others.   

As part of a small friendly team, which pulls together when the pressure is on, you will take pride in seeing your own creations come to life.

We offer an excellent package, including Local Government Pension Scheme, free parking, 37 hour flexible working week (plus standby 1 week in 5), an employee assistance programme, training and development, sports and social clubs with free use of a gym. 

For further details of this and all our vacancies and to apply online, please visit www.westyorksfire.gov.uk/careers/vacancies/.  Closing date for applications is (Sunday 23^rd September 2018). 

The Authority is an Equal Opportunities Employer.