Salary: Grade 14 - £43,693 - £44,711

Hours: 37 hours per week

Location: Barrow

Contract: Fixed term for 18 months 

About this opportunity 

‘Team Barrow’ is a unique partnership between Westmorland and Furness Council, central Government and BAE Systems. Our vision is to enable Barrow to deliver its role in protecting our nation, expanding our national defence capability, supporting energy security and revitalising Barrow and Furness as a place where people choose to live, work and thrive.

Recently, we launched our 10-year Plan for Barrow, which describes how we will support a growing workforce, diversify and strengthen the town’s economy, and increase productivity. We are working to do this by delivering improvements to housing and the town centre, businesses and the local economy, education and skills, health and communities, and transport. Barrow now has a generational opportunity unlike anywhere else in the country via the Barrow Transformation Fund. The Fund is a long-term commitment of £200 million over the next 10 years to achieve our collective vision. For our story so far please see our Barrow Rising website.

We are looking for forward-thinkers to join us on this exciting journey. We need people who are passionate about delivering positive change. In return we’ll provide an ambitious and supportive working environment with collaborative partnership working opportunities.

About the role

Communications will play a key role in the success of the programme and we’re looking for someone with flair and creativity to help develop and deliver engaging campaigns, across a range of channels.

In this role, you’ll focus primarily on the programme to transform Barrow’s town centre, known as the ‘Heart of Barrow’, as well as support delivery of other Team Barrow activities and initiatives. 

Working as part of a team, you’ll engage with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders, to ensure communications plays a critical role in delivering strategic goals and objectives.        

Who we are looking for

We are looking for candidates who can provide strategic communication and reputation advice in support of people and initiatives relevant to Team Barrow.  This will include those inside and outside the partnership, such as the Team Barrow Programme Management Office, Barrow Delivery Board, local stakeholders, and senior officers & elected Members of the council.  The successful candidate will enable the council’s reputation to be protected and business to be transacted at minimal risk; to provide support on transformation in Barrow by providing advice and high quality communication support; undertaking of reputation risk and opportunity horizon scanning, research and analysis to enable the partnership to achieve its core aims.

In addition to the above, the successful candidate will also have:

• A degree or equivalent expertise
• Significant experience of working in public relations, communications or marketing at a senior level
• Excellent writing, creativity, newsletter, and campaign development and execution skills
• Political acumen and excellent judgment
• Design awareness
• An ability to work under pressure and to effectively manage competing priorities and deadlines
• An ability to assimilate large amounts of complex information, make sense of it and advise on communication and reputation management implications
• A strong grasp of the challenges facing local government and the public sector. 

Would you like more information?

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact:

• Neil Lauderdale, Head of Communications for Team Barrow, on 07525 391013, and/or
• Richard Machin, Communications Business Partner for Westmorland and Furness Council, on 01539 793326 

What we can offer you! 

• Excellent training and development offers
• Flexible working opportunities
• Opportunity to join the Local Government Pension Scheme
• Boost your pension with Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contributions (facilitated by AVC Wise)
• Various perks and discounts schemes, including money off your phone contract and local gyms
• Competitive rates of pay

Application and Interview information 

Interview date: w/c 22/09/2025

We are currently operating both in-person and virtual interviews. Options will be discussed with candidates once they have been invited to the interview stage of the process for this specific position, and if you have any concerns or adjustments are needed, we are happy to discuss.

If you are invited to a virtual interview, this will preferably be undertaken using the Microsoft Teams software, which is currently free for new users, however if there are any issues with accessing this technology, we are happy to discuss alternative arrangements prior to the interviews.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Westmorland and Furness Council is committed to improving the diversity of its workforce to better reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and work to promote an inclusive, supportive culture that values and celebrates our differences.

As a Disability Confident Employer, disabled applicants, who meet the essential criteria of this job, are guaranteed an interview.

Please see below the supporting information:

Post Specification

Role Profile