Social Media Officer

Organisation: London Borough of Waltham Forest

Salary: PO2 £44,184 -£47,262

Contract Type: Full-time/Permanent

Working hours per week: 36

Application Deadline: 06/11/2026

Proposed Interview Date(s): November 2026

Reference: 2335

About Us:

Bursting with culture, energy, and opportunity, the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a fantastic and exciting place to work.

We are a highly ambitious borough. Driven by culture and the innate creativity of our residents, we have developed new and innovative ways to build our communities. Our Council is relentlessly resident-focused, insight-led, digitally driven and commercially minded; a Council focused on meeting the needs of our existing and future residents.

London Borough of Waltham Forest is one of the Mayor of London’s Good Work Standard employers. This accreditation is a proof of our commitment to creating a healthy, fair and inclusive workplace. This includes fair pay and conditions, workplace well-being, skills and progression and diversity and recruitment.

The Council’s preference is for online application. However, if you have a disability and are unable to complete an online application, please email recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk so we can arrange an alternative application method.

About the role:

This is an opportunity to join our Social Media team, which sits within the Corporate Communications team. A relatively new function, this role will work to the Social Media and Channel Manager to improve output with high-quality multimedia content across social media channels including Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok and others. You will also contribute to channel growth and widening reach beyond traditional audiences.

>> Click here to download the Role Profile <<

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist with the delivery of social media content and digital communications to support council priorities.
• Provide practical support and advice to colleagues on the use of digital and social media tools.
• Support process improvements and content quality through regular feedback and learning.
• Contribute to a positive, collaborative team culture by supporting colleagues and sharing expertise.
• Use social media platforms and digital tools effectively to support content creation and monitoring.
• Prepare and present a full range of reports (both standard and non-standard) covering area of responsibility.
• Ensure the successful implementation of health and safety legislation, policies and practices.
• Act in accordance with all policies and procedures which apply to the job and understand the reasons for this.
• Support the delivery of the council's social media content across all key platforms.
• Draft, schedule and publish social media content in coordination with communications campaigns and service updates.
• To support the council's crisis management efforts and campaigns through effective communication and use of different channels.
• Monitor the council's social media channels and respond to queries or comments in line with agreed tone and response protocols.
• Use analytics tools to evaluate performance of content, channels and campaigns.
• Stay up to date with digital communications trends and tools, recommending opportunities for innovation.
• Work with communications colleagues to ensure alignment between digital, campaign and media activity.

Qualifications and Requirements:

To be considered for this position, you should meet the following requirements:

• Experience of proactive and reactive media management
• Ability to draft short, engaging, and accessible content for digital audiences.
• Awareness of brand and tone in communications.
• Familiarity with scheduling tools (e.g. Hootsuite) and basic analytics.
• Experience of paid social media campaigns
• Experience in supporting, planning and delivery of integrated communications strategies and activities
• Experience of providing direct advice and briefing to senior managers and/or elected members on reputation issues
• Experience in identifying target audiences and devising digital campaigns that engage, inform and motivate
• Experience in optimising landing pages and user funnels
• Knowledge of website analytics tools
• Experience in setting up and optimizing Google Adwords campaigns
• Experience of working across a wide range of communications projects including media, campaigns, marketing and events
• Experience of working in a highly pressured environment and delivering results to tight deadlines
• An understanding of local government, the services provided by local councils, and the responsibilities a council has to its residents
• Excellent writing skills with a clear, concise and lively prose style, and the ability to write for a range of different audiences
• Excellent oral communications skills and the ability to maintain effective relationships at every level of an organisation
• Ability to translate complex information into a clear and approachable format for a wide range of audiences
• Good attention to detail, strong organisational skills and the ability to operate to tight deadlines in highly pressured environments
• Willingness to learn and adapt in a fast-paced communications environment.
• Knowledge of digital accessibility standards and content design principles.
• Educated to degree level or equivalent standard or vocational qualification.

Terms and conditions:

The below terms and conditions apply to this role:

• Satisfactory employment references and CIFAS identity checks;
• Satisfactory declaration of interest.
  

How to Apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications online by pressing the ‘Apply’ button below. This includes a supporting statement that outlines to us how your skills and experience make you a good candidate for this vacancy.

We are a Home Office–licensed sponsor; however, for this specific role we are not able to provide Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. To be considered, you must already hold a form of UK work authorisation that does not require sponsorship.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Contact Information:

If you have any questions about this vacancy or the application process, please contact Nick Dovey at media@walthamforest.gov.uk.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Recruitment Team via email at recruitment@walthamforest.gov.uk.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value.

To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy.

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below or feel free to discuss this during your interview.

For more information on the benefits of working for the Council, please visit https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/jobs-and-training/find-jobs-and-other-opportunities/working-us.

Fraud Awareness Notice:

The London Borough of Waltham Forest only advertises vacancies via our official website and approved recruitment platforms (e.g. Jobsgopublic).

We will never ask for payment or request sensitive personal or financial information as part of our recruitment process.

If you are contacted by a third party claiming to represent the Council, please verify the vacancy via our official careers website before sharing any information.

If you have concerns about a job advert or communication, please report it to:
fraud@walthamforest.gov.uk

Click here for further information on the Human Resources recruitment privacy notice.