Communications and Engagement Manager in London

The Communications and Engagement Manager plays a key role in delivering high-quality, professional and responsive communications and engagement activity for Whittington Health to support the Trust's ambitions. The post-holder leads on and supports a range of internal and external communications projects and campaigns, providing expert advice and support, shaping and delivering strategic communications and engagement activity and ensuring that all the materials the team produces is of a high standard.

The post holder will work in a dynamic and fast-paced environment, enjoying working at the heart of a busy NHS organisation, where no two days are the same. The role features the opportunity to make a real impact by helping to protect and enhance the Trust's reputation while communicating and engaging with patients, local communities, and colleagues across the Trust and wider health and care system.

The Communications and Engagement Manager is a key member of the Communications and Engagement Team. They will support a number of significant programmes, depending on the needs of the Team and the Trust, which may include the procurement of an electronic patient record, potential expansion of a Community Diagnostic Centre, a systemwide transformation of maternity and neonatal services, plus the rollout of a new clinical strategy and the Trust's ambitions as a leader in Neighbourhood Working.

Main duties of the job

• The post holder will own the planning delivery and evaluation of individual projects across a diverse brief.
• Delivery of projects and campaigns will include the design, creation and publication of a wide range of materials to execute them. This includes social and digital resources, physical assets, engagement materials and other tactical products such as proactive media releases and reactive statements.
• Managed by the Head of Communications and Engagement, the post holder will support the day-to-day running of the team, ensuring the delivery of regular communications activities, including populating and critically examining the planning grid, creating and/or supervising internal and external newsletters, webinars and town halls.
• They will lead or support on identifying and delivering engagement in the communities we serve, placing listening and involvement at the heart of developing our plans.
• The post-holder will regularly generate proactive media opportunities, and will develop plans to ensure that generated media opportunities support the strategic ambitions of the Trust, ensuring our vision, values and other key messages are clearly articulated.
• The communications team may flex over time depending on organisational need, but at the point of recruitment the post holder will line-manage two Communications and Engagement Officers, ensuring that they are supported to thrive in their role, and that their work is timely and of high quality.

About us

The Communications and Engagement Team operates in a demanding and busy environment. The team has a wide range of stakeholders including 5,000 staff and the 500,000 people the Trust cares for and supports at our hospital site and across the community. The team also builds and maintains positive relationships with regional and national health and care organisations and commissioners, local authorities, councillors and MPs, other local partner organisations, and local, regional and national media.

The Team plays a key role in managing and enhancing the reputation of the organisation. It leads and/or contributes towards campaigns, media management, communications with staff and external stakeholders, community engagement, corporate publications, patient information, service changes and major incidents.

The members of the Communications and Engagement Team also exemplars of the best of the Trust's culture, living the organisation's ICARE values, underpinning all their work with Equity. The team works innovatively, and team members are encouraged to keep building their knowledge within their roles and stay abreast of the leading edge of communications practice. The team is small and collaborative, and team members step in to support one another when necessary as priorities and capacities shift in the context of constant change across the NHS.

Person Specification

Education and qualifications

• Essential: Master's degree, specialist communication postgraduate qualification, or equivalent experience.
• Evidence of continued learning and development in communications and engagement.
• Desirable: Project Management qualification or equivalent experience; Membership of a professional body such as the CIPR or PRCA.

Experience

• Essential: Experience of complex communications and engagement activity; Experience of issues management, including crisis management and confident handling of stakeholders and media on contentious subjects; Experience of line management within a complex organisation; Experience of creating opportunities and working collaboratively with internal and external partners; Experience of using digital channels including social media to communicate with key audiences; Experience of project ownership, including planning, delivery and evaluation; Experience managing a budget for projects or campaigns.
• Desirable: Experience of engagement with a diverse range of stakeholders; Experience in the NHS, or another politically high-profile setting; Experience of working innovatively, using new and emerging tools to improve impact; Experience of developing and delivering business cases.

Skills

• Essential: Ability to command the confidence of colleagues, staff, Directors and Board members; Knowledge of myriad communication channels, their strengths and weaknesses; Politically astute with proven track record of developing networks; Proven ability to manage and deliver to deadlines and within resources; Proven ability to think and plan strategically and prioritise work programmes in the face of competing demands; Excellent written, and verbal/oral communication skills; Excellent numerical, critical reasoning skills; Effective negotiation and influencing skills; Ability to deal with highly complex or highly sensitive information; Ability to communicate effectively to a range of audiences, including those with significant barriers to understanding or acceptance or in a hostile or emotive environment; Ability to identify, lead and facilitate new initiatives; Ability to build relationships with key internal and external stakeholders, partners and interested parties; Significant influencing and persuasion skills.
• Desirable: A good understanding of the NHS and the changing environment, including awareness and understanding of current and impending health policy developments; Understanding of current data protection and freedom of information legislation; Understanding of impact of current health policy developments on provider organisations.

Personal qualities

• Essential: Excellent interpersonal skills; Excellent political awareness and sensitivity; Excellent team player; Emotionally resilient and able to work to demanding timetables; Positive, and curious with creative energy and a bias to action.