Engagement and Communications Officer

**About Us**

Since the 2022 natural disasters, the Council has continued to showcase our collective strength in partnership with the community to lead the recovery efforts. Our journey has taken us far; today, Lismore is starting to thrive again. It’s time for people who live, work, and play in the region to enjoy and celebrate all the things we love about Lismore, to Back Lismore. We are inspired by our community and motivated to continue our mission.
** Our Flood Restoration Portfolio (FRP)** is the principal delivery agency for restoring the Councils’ and Community assets. Over the coming months, the team will grow exponentially, offering exciting opportunities for personal and professional development as we deliver many rebuild and transformation projects for our community.

Our vision is powered by a deep commitment to enhancing the quality of services we offer to our community. Today, Lismore is flourishing, and it's the perfect time for those who live, work, and play here to embrace and celebrate everything that makes Lismore so unique.

We warmly welcome individuals who bring fresh perspectives and unique skills, helping to enrich our collective vision for a vibrant and thriving community.

**About this Position**:
We are looking for a storyteller, a collaborative and proactive person who is hands-on and keen to engage with our community and council as we restore our city. This is a unique opportunity to join a Portfolio with excellent culture and conditions.

**What We can offer you**:

- Are you seeking an opportunity to deliver tangible community impact and genuine purpose for Lismore.
- Attractive competitive salary.
- Fast-paced, diverse, and consultative team.

**What we trust you to deliver**:

- Develop and execute strategic communication plans tailored to project goals.
- Craft clear, concise project updates and public notifications.
- Lead and facilitate stakeholder engagement sessions, including presentations and community meetings.
- Address stakeholder inquiries and concerns promptly across multiple channels.
- Develop communications materials and campaigns to ensure key stakeholders are kept informed of project progress, including in emergency situations.
- Prepare materials for meetings and engagement events, ensuring all communications align with project objectives.
- Track and report on project communications, engagement activities, and stakeholder responses.
- Develop strong relationships with internal teams, government departments, and community organisations.
- Lead research and analysis activities and leverage data and analytics to identify changes in stakeholder and community attitudes to effectively target communications and influence the direction of current and future strategies and programs.
- Contribute to the development and implementation of appropriate systems, policies, processes, and procedures to support effective and efficient stakeholder engagement and communication activities

**What you will need to be successful**:

- A tertiary qualification in a relevant discipline (i.e., Communications, community engagement, or Project management) is desirable.
- Strong experience in communications and stakeholder engagement, especially in infrastructure or engineering contexts.
- Proven success in creating and delivering communication strategies that foster positive relationships.
- Expertise in handling issues with professionalism and clarity.
- Experience leading engagement sessions and crafting strategic communications.
- Excellent project management skills with a focus on detail and outcome-driven results.

**Additional Information**:

- **Full position description**: Click here
- **Term Contract**:contracted** **hours of work 35 hours a week/70 hours a fortnight up to 31 December 2026.
- **Contact**: If you want to know more about this opportunity, please get in touch with Jennifer McEwen, HR Business Partner, on 0428 522 907.
- **Conditions of Employment**:Conditions of employment are in the Local Government (State) Award and relevant Council policy, procedures, and agreements.
- **Pre-employment Screening**: Prior to employment, there may be a series of pre-employment checks that may include, health assessments, validation of right to work in Australia, validation of qualifications and licences, criminal history checks, psychometric assessments and referee checks.
- **Future Opportunities**: This recruitment exercise may be utilised for vacancies and the possible establishment of a merit list for future opportunities within six months.