Salford City Council is currently advertising for an Assistant Director for Communications and Marketing. We have looked at Salford Council's spec for the job and the Salford Star thought potential applicants might benefit from a realistic tweak or two on the job description…
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING £65,478 - £72,027
Things are happening in Salford - the BBC has moved into MediaCityUK and ITV completed the first phase of its move in March…er, that's about it. But don't mention there's no jobs at those places for Salford people.
The people of Salford elected their first-ever City Mayor in May 2012 with a whole new way of governing the City...to ignore and slur the city's independent community media.
As austerity bites, there are daily challenges in providing top quality services for local people…especially when we're spending lots of money on prestige bridges, fountains, MediaCityUK and a half empty rugby stadium!
We are looking for someone to lead our communications and marketing function. You will lead the development of strong external and internal communications strategies working closely with the City Mayor, Elected Members and the Chief Executive*…We're cutting everything and your job will be to put a positive spin on it, saying everything's great!
You will be the expert adviser on all strategic communications issues and will play a vital role in securing positive community engagement to deliver the ambitions of our City Plan….As long as that `positive community engagement' doesn't include the Salford Star – or anyone else for that matter who might want to question what we are doing. We're cutting everything and your job will be to put a positive spin on it, saying everything's great!
You'll need to be innovative, dynamic and tenacious, highly motivated and conscientious, flexible and able to work in a high profile political environment…You'll need have innovative, dynamic and tenacious ways of saying `We're cutting everything' and putting a positive spin on it, saying `Everything's great!'
In return, you'll be playing a key role in a city that's at the centre of the UK media scene at a time of major reform and transformation…that's the centre of the UK media scene which doesn't include independent community press unless it's run by muppets under our control.
Essential Criteria:
1) Demonstrate a thorough understanding of working within a mayoral model of governance and possess the ability to deliver in a highly charged political environment… Demonstrate a thorough understanding of working in a one party city state where there is no `highly charged political environment' because we have no opposition.
2) Proven ability to think strategically about the wider reform agenda for public services in relation to communication, including balancing competing needs and interests of partners, stakeholders and citizens…Proven ability to say `We're cutting everything, we're privatising everything but everything's great!'
3) Successful management of proactive and reactive media relations for a high profile organisation…slur the Salford Star in the hope that it will go away.
4) Successful delivery of major communications projects and playing a lead role on the communications aspects of corporate projects…Put a positive spin on the fact that we're spending loads on prestige projects while cutting services left, right and centre.
5) Experience of thinking creatively and practical delivery of imaginative results in response to challenges… Put a positive spin on the fact that we're spending loads on prestige projects while cutting services left, right and centre.
6) Knowledge and significant understanding of the key issues around communications in particular marketing and branding, reputation management, customer relations, media relations and employee relations… understanding key issues around ignoring and slurring the Salford Star in the hope that it might go away.
7) Ability to build positive relationships with the City Mayor and Elected Members, colleagues, partners and stakeholders which generate confidence, credibility and respect…did we mention the Salford community? Nope don't think we did!
8) Demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, including the ability to influence, persuade and negotiate…or, if all else fails, slur and ignore the buggers.
Primary Purpose of the job: To be responsible for promoting a positive image of Salford as a place to visit, live and work in the 21st century…To promote the fact that we're clearing out the working class to make Salford a Manchester yuppie paradise.
Reward: £65,478 - £72,027
* Question you might want to ask: If I'm expected to do all this why I am only the Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing? Who's the Director? And how much are they pulling in while I'm doing all the work?
For further details please see these essential articles… click here and click here and click here!
For the real Salford Council spec see the `fleece us in Salford' website - http://www.leadersinsalford.info/
Closing date: 3rd July
UPDATE: 4th July 2013:
Salford City UNISON Branch Secretary, Steve North, has issued the following statement:
"Following yesterday's revelations about senior officer pay rises, our members and no doubt the wider population of Salford will be astonished to hear that our local authority believes it is appropriate to spend £72k a year on a spin doctor. How can this be justified to the low-paid home care workers who found out last week that the Council could no longer afford to keep their service, or to the parents of disabled children who might lose respite care? It's shocking and the Council should change its mind. You don't improve your public image through spin – you do it by supporting the needs of the people who elected you."
For Salford Star article on the Fat Cat pay rises - click here
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