Overview

External Communications Business Partner – Central Bedfordshire Council

Location: Bedfordshire

Salary: £51,471-£55,585 per year

Contract Type: Hybrid - Permanent

Hours: 37 hours per week

Posted: 14 hours ago

Team: People Team

Job Family: Advising M - CBG13

Closing Date: 10th October 2025

Interview Date: TBC

About the role

We are seeking a dynamic and driven external communications professional to lead our external communications team. The team promotes and explains our services, and we consult residents on changes to our services, some of which are sensitive and complex. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality, strategic communications that make a real difference to the lives of our residents and communities.

You will manage and lead a busy team to develop and implement effective communication strategies to support council priorities and services. You will also lead on high-profile media relations, crisis communications, and reputation management. As well as being an experienced communications professional, you will need excellent relationship management and interpersonal skills to work closely with councillors, senior officers, and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Manage and lead a busy external communications team to develop and implement effective communication strategies.
• Lead on high-profile media relations, crisis communications, and reputation management.
• Work closely with councillors, senior officers, and external partners to support council priorities and services.

Our Offer

We have a number of rewards and benefits available to our staff. Our aspiration is to be a truly flexible employer. We welcome discussion on location, hours, and working pattern as part of the application process. You will be expected to demonstrate how you meet the key accountabilities and competencies in this role.

This post is subject to the disclosure of criminal records. To maintain a fair and consistent approach for applicants, it is Central Bedfordshire Council's policy to only consider applications made via our online application system and we therefore thank you for not submitting your application offline.

Our National Careers Service team offers a free monthly workshop covering CV writing and how to complete the statement sections of the Central Bedfordshire Council online application form. This MS Teams workshop is open to anyone from the UK and lasts around 1.5 hours.

Central Bedfordshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all employees, volunteers, and contractors to share this commitment.