Associate Director of Communications & Engagement, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital

As a newly-formed Group of 18,000 colleagues and three NHS hospital trusts, we have an ambitious agenda to improve health and healthcare for people of Norfolk and Waveney. This requires improved performance, strengthened services and the delivery of good care now, and even better care in the future. Realising our ambition also requires significant transformation and change. The answer cannot be more of the same. It’s different. It’s innovative. It’s better. Success relies on the effective engagement and support of everyone who works in the Group as well as wider stakeholders, including patients, partners and communities.

This is not a role for someone looking for run‑of‑the‑mill. It’s a chance to do things differently, think boldly and help lead meaningful change at scale. If you are a strategic communicator with energy, judgement and purpose — someone who thrives in complexity, inspires confidence and can lead through change — we would love to hear from you. It won’t always be easy — and it would be very boring if it was. For the right person, this is a career-defining role with the chance to help shape the future of NHS acute services in Norfolk and Waveney.

Main duties of the job:

• The Associate Director will work alongside the Group Director and a second Associate Director.
• The role holder will be responsible for a portfolio that includes supporting the Group’s strategic projects (our recovery programme, the development of a Group strategy, our digital transformation, and two new hospital builds).
• This will require advising at very senior levels, working closely with partners elsewhere in the healthcare system, and ensuring that the communications and engagement requirements of these major projects are articulated, planned, understood and delivered.
• There will be a particular focus on employee engagement and supporting our 18,000 colleagues through an extended period of change while also ensuring our strategic engagement of partners and other external stakeholders is effective.
• You will need to work closely with the second Associate Director who leads on public affairs, media relations and managing the development and delivery of our digital channels, deputising for each other and the Group Director as required.
• You will lead a team including two Communications Managers, one with responsibility for engagement and one delivering our research and partnership communications, and a change management specialist supporting our Electronic Patient Record programme.
• Events, logistics and administrative support for the wider Communications and Engagement team will also be provided by members of your team.

About us:

The newly formed Norfolk & Waveney University Hospitals Group (NWUHG) is placing people and culture at the heart of its transformation. By working as one system, the Group is strengthening workforce development, improving staff experience and creating consistent, supportive leadership across all three hospitals. This unified approach enables better training, enhanced well‑being support, and a stronger culture rooted in compassion, flexibility and continuous learning.

Focusing on people also supports national priorities – ensuring the workforce is skilled, adaptable and ready for the future models of care – and strengthens NWUHG’s overall performance by improving quality, resilience and sustainability. Together, this creates a Groupwide commitment to making NWUHG a great place to work, with clear benefits for staff including:

• Flexible working hours
• Fast Track Staff Physiotherapy Service
• Multi Faith prayer room at NNUH Colney Lane site
• Discounted Gym memberships
• Generous pension scheme and annual leave entitlement
• Wagestream – access up to 40% of your pay as you earn it
• Free Park & Ride service direct to NNUH Colney Lane site
• Free 24 hour confidential counselling support
• On-site Nursery at NNUH Colney Lane
• On-site cafes offering staff discounts at NNUH Colney Lane
• Support in career development
• Flexible staff bank
• Salary sacrifice schemes including lease cars, Cycle to Work scheme and home electronics

Job responsibilities:

The Associate Director of Communications & Engagement are the senior professional leads for all aspects of internal and external communications, media relations, reputation management, stakeholder and political engagement across the Group. The postholder provides strategic leadership for both corporate and external affairs to protect and enhance the Group's reputation, delivering highly complex, sensitive and high‑risk communications and engagement strategies.

Operating with significant autonomy and judgement, working closely with the Group Director of Communications, these roles set and govern internal and external communications vision and standard, lead major Group campaigns, events and publications, oversee crisis and major incident communications, and provide expert counsel to Executive Directors and Board members on high‑profile and politically sensitive issues.

Person Specification:

Experience:

• Extensive senior leadership experience in media, public affairs or external relations
• Proven leadership of Group/enterprise-wide strategies, high-profile campaigns, and major events

Skills:

• Exceptional influencing skills.
• Strong planning, prioritisation, and evaluation skills.
• Requires expert knowledge of media strategy, political affairs, crisis communications and reputation management, acquired through master’s level study or equivalent senior experience in large, complex organisations.

Behaviours & Values:

• Positive, confident and collaborative approach.
• Commitment to the NHS and Group values.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.