Job Description
About Us
Cottsway is a registered housing provider working in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire. We are the largest affordable housing provider in the district of West Oxfordshire.
We own and manage over 5,800 homes ranging from flats and bungalows to family homes, for rent and Low-Cost Home Ownership (LCHO). We have over 12,000 customers.
We have some of the strongest financial and governance ratings in the sector and we are committed to doing more to help people in housing need, with a robust development programme.
We are proud to:
• Reinvest our profits every year, not only to create more homes, but also to ensure our existing customer’s homes are kept in great shape, with an in-house team of skilled tradespeople who carry out this work.
• Put our customers at the heart of everything we do, with a dedicated team of housing, neighbourhood, financial and welfare officers to provide support where needed.
• Be active in and bring social value to our local communities.
Working for us
Cottsway is a great place to work with a friendly, supportive and enthusiastic team dedicated to providing quality homes in thriving communities.
We support and develop our people because we know that it is through them that we deliver the high standards of service that our customers say we provide.
Based in the market town of Witney, we:
• Offer competitive salaries and a range of benefits.
• Support agile working.
• Guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for our vacancies. We are signed up to the Disability Confident Committed scheme.
• Value people from a wide range of backgrounds and experience – whether you are an experienced housing professional or simply have an interest in working in our sector.
About the role
Are you a communications professional who has a passion for storytelling and making an impact? We’re looking for a creative Communications Officer (Digital) to lead on developing and delivering digital content and support a high-quality external and internal communications function.
Working as part of a small, friendly team, you will lead and deliver digital content creation and manage our social media activity and website content. You will develop and deliver communications plans, produce well-crafted written content, help in the production of publications and publicity, and support with internal communications. You’ll assist with media and stakeholder relations, including working collaboratively to organise new development scheme opening events.
You’ll be responsible for ensuring accurate, timely and compelling messaging across all channels, supporting Cottsway to deliver against our Corporate Plan – putting people, homes and business strength at the heart of everything we do.
We are looking for a confident communicator with proven experience of producing dynamic digital content, as well as a track record in all-round communications planning and execution.
You’ll enjoy gathering, analysing and presenting information clearly and creatively, and you’ll be customer-focussed and motivated to make a positive impact. You will take pride in representing Cottsway as a trusted social housing landlord and be able to build strong working relationships with colleagues and external stakeholders, managing a busy workload and meeting deadlines.
Shortlisted candidates will be required to submit a short (no longer than one minute) video clip based on a relevant task for this role prior to interview. There will also be a short, written task on the day of interview.
A DBS check will be required for the successful applicant as part of our pre-employment checks.
In return, we provide:
• A generous pension scheme with an employer contribution of 2x employee’s, up to a maximum 10% employer contribution.
• Holiday entitlement starting at 25 days rising to 28 days after 2 years, plus bank holidays.
• A flexible working policy to support agile working.
• A discounted corporate gym and swimming membership, cycle to work scheme, electric car scheme and employee discounts including Costco membership.
• Private Medical Insurance
For an informal chat about this role, please contact Samantha Marlow, Head of Communications, on 01993 890031.