HealthJobsUK

This senior role leads a dynamic and innovative team with a wide and challenging portfolio, responsible for developing and delivering the regional internal and external engagement and communications strategy.

A major part of this role is providing professional leadership to some of the most experienced communicators in Britain, and part of their trust, commissioner and ICS leadership teams, providing strategic expert advice in times of intense scrutiny.

Providing strategic counsel to the Regional Director and their senior leadership team is an integral part of the role.

The post-holder will support and advise on the delivery of the regional strategy, building relationships with senior colleagues in a range of stakeholders and partners. 

They will therefore need to demonstrate exceptional leadership and vision, with a focus on strategic thinking, planning and delivery. They will need to have highly developed political skills and understanding and significant media relations and crisis communications experience, knowledge and skills.

Key aspects of this role are:

·         Reporting directly to both the Director of Engagement and Communications (Directorates and Regions) and the Regional Director, the regional deputy director of communications will provide the senior professional leadership for NHS communications within and across the region.

·         This is a leadership role helping shape the region’s strategy and lead implementation of multiple elements across engagement and communications, and deputising for ESM regional leads where required.

·         Working closely with the regional Senior Leadership Team to design and deliver the regional strategy and annual business plan, this postholder will agree an annual regional engagement and communications strategy for the region informed by insight, agreeing prioritisation of communications resource to deliver maximum impact.

·         The postholder is part of the wider regional leadership community and the wider national NHSE engagement and communications leadership team, as well as being integrated into the regional Executive team.

·         As a member of the multi-disciplinary regional leadership team, they will lead on other work programmes/regional strategic priorities outside of the comms function as required, for example overseeing patient and stakeholder involvement in service reconfiguration including 13Q.

·         They will also help to shape the engagement and communications strategy at a national level as part of the wider senior management team for communications.

·         Acting as the “first among equals”, the postholder provides professional leadership to all communicators in all ICBs and providers in the region, many of whom operate at Band 9 or VSM level, leading communications in some of the most challenged organisations and systems across the NHS.

·         The role will provide expert strategic counsel to the most senior communicators and provider/ ICB CEOs, Chairs and Exec teams in times of intense scrutiny, navigating effectively the different roles of NHS England (professional leadership/ assurance/ regulation).

·         The postholder will provide highly effective management of the reputation and profile of the NHS in the region. This includes providing and receiving highly complex, sensitive or highly contentious information where there are significant barriers to acceptance which need to be overcome using the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills, such as would be required when communicating in a hostile, antagonistic or highly emotive atmosphere i.e. New Hospital Programme Management and material service reconfigurations.

·         The postholder is required to be geographically mobile in the [INSERT] region. This means the postholder should routinely and regularly be able to travel around the region within normal working hours.

·         In collaboration with ICB Directors of Communication, the role will design and embed ways of working for engagement and communications across the region that reflect roles and responsibilities of a ‘system first’ operating mode.

It will also:

·         provide exceptional leadership and build a positive culture and sense of one team, with continuous improvement at the centre of everything it does

·         lead the development and implementation of the region’s engagement and communications strategy, working with the regional director and senior team to agree the priorities to inform the strategy

·         be expert in the development and delivery of tactical, operational and engagement and communications plans, in particular to support delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan.

·         engage with senior leaders, internally and externally, to co-ordinate joined-up responses to major media issues affecting the NHS

·         show consistent support and commitment to the development and implementation of key engagement and retention practices, policies and processes which underpin the themes within the NHS People Plan, and promote, and pledge to deliver, the People promises.

·         contribute to the development of the national Public Accountability, Engagement and Communications strategy

·         plan over the short, medium and long-term, and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly

·         lead the regional engagement and communications team, responsible for developing an effective strategy.

·         commission and use high quality research and insight to inform the engagement and communications strategy and associated campaign activity for the region

·         evaluate and evidence the impact of their team’s contribution to the delivery of regional objectives, regularly reporting progress to the regional senior team and sharing insight with them

·         drive reform and support organisational change and uptake of initiatives that support excellence

·         engage with key strategic regional and national policy makers to inform development of strategy and policies

·         develop and champion new initiatives or projects as necessary

·         working with colleagues and partners across the sector, ensure the region, and the wider communications community in NHS England, benefit from the latest engagement and communications best practice

·         play a significant role in the work to improve engagement and communications expertise across the wider NHS

If you like what you have read and think you have the skills and experience, we need then don't delay, apply today! We get lots of applications for our roles and so we sometimes have to close our posts early. Don't miss out!