Coastal Engagement Officer

• East Suffolk Council
• Location: East Suffolk House Melton Woodbridge IP12 1RT and Riverside Lowestoft Suffolk NR33 0EQ
• Salary: 32578 - 35570 per annum (pro rata)
• Hours: 29.6 hours per week
• Contract: Permanent

East Suffolk Council is an exciting place to work and a great place to make a real difference to peoples lives delivering vital services to a quarter of a million people across East Suffolk.

We currently have an exciting opportunity to join the East Suffolk Councils Coastal Management and Adaptation team as a Coastal Engagement Officer.

Your role

You will support the Operational Lead for Engagement in the planning and delivery of engagement strategies that increase awareness and understanding of coastal erosion and flood risk.

Working across a range of projects and programmes you will provide expert communications and engagement advice ensuring that approaches are evidence-based targeted and effective. You will undertake detailed analysis and evaluation to inform recommendations and ensure the most appropriate communications and engagement support is delivered.

You will also work closely with the Senior Coastal Engagement Advisor to identify opportunities for continuous improvement helping to strengthen communications and engagement planning coordination and delivery across the service.

What you will need

With experience working in a busy office environment you will be an excellent communicator and have strong interpersonal and customer service skills with the ability to build and maintain good working relationships.

You will have a Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Foundation certificate or equivalent relevant experience along with a strong track record of producing public facing materials and supporting the planning design and delivery of events.

You will be able to work effectively under pressure managing sometimes conflicting priorities to meet deadlines and possess strong analytical skills with the ability to compile interpret and present statistical information to support decision-making.

A self-motivated approach and the confidence to use initiative are essential alongside a commitment to maintaining the highest standards of confidentiality and handling sensitive information in accordance with data protection guidelines.

If you think you have what it takes to be successful in this role even if you dont meet all of the essential requirements please apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

Why work for us

East Suffolk Council is a great place to work and there are lots of benefits our employees can access.

To find out more about why we are so proud of East Suffolk Counciltake a look at our video and hear why our employees think it is such a great place to work (YouTube).

Here are some of the main benefits:

• Generous leave entitlement (equivalent to 25 days a year increasing to 31 days after 5 years service plus bank holidays)
• Local government pension scheme
• Flexible working arrangements
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• A wide variety of staff support networks including access to health and wellbeing initiatives and programmes.
• Discounts on mobile phones computers holiday and travel fashion and clothing health and beauty and many other products and services.

For more information please read our benefits brochure (pdf).

The majority of our teams are working in an agile way with a mixture of home and office working depending on individual preferences and service requirements. If you wish to discuss how that might impact your working arrangements if you were the successful candidate please contact the recruiting manager listed at the bottom of this advert.

To find out more

For an informal discussion regarding this post please contact Sharon Richardson Operational Lead for Engagement by emailing

Closing date: 11.30 pm 13 October 2026.

Interview date: 26 October 2026 at East Suffolk House Melton.

How to apply

Step 1 - Read the advert and the Job Description and Person Specification (Word).

Step 2 - Complete the Supporting Statement template (Word). Your statement needs to indicate how you meet each of the criteria contained within the Person Specification. Please use the template provided (other formats will not be accepted).

Step 3 - Complete the online application and upload your statement. Please note CVs are not accepted.

For more information visit the How to Apply section of our Career Site.