Job summary
Are you a brilliant communications and external affairs leader looking for your next challenge?
The role
This is an exciting opportunity to join St Andrews Healthcare at a pivotal moment in our strategic journey.
Main duties of the job
The Director of Communications and External Affairs will play a central role in amplifying our charitable mission, reinforcing our values, and ensuring we are recognised by key audiences as a champion and enabler for people with complex mental health needs.
About us
St Andrews Healthcare is a leading mental health charity with a long and distinguished history, predating the NHS. As an independent charitable organisation, we hold a unique position within the mental healthcare system.
Our purpose is hope - hope for those living with complex mental health needs to be heard, valued, and to envision a better future. Our Hope Strategy (2023-28) positions us as a leader in helping individuals transform their lives through high quality care, research, education, and advocacy.
We specialise in working with people whose needs are highly complex, often involving severe mental health challenges combined with additional factors such as adverse childhood experiences, substance misuse, or forensic profiles.
By joining St Andrews you are joining an organisation of people that dedicate their working lives to helping some of the most vulnerable people in society. Helping them through some of their darkest moments so that they can reach their goals and live, as independently as possible, in a more inclusive society.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Reporting directly to the Director of Strategy and Transformation, you will lead the Communications and Events team, drive external affairs, and oversee the development and delivery of a comprehensive strategy that integrates internal communications, media relations and stakeholder engagement.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Reporting directly to the Director of Strategy and Transformation, you will lead the Communications and Events team, drive external affairs, and oversee the development and delivery of a comprehensive strategy that integrates internal communications, media relations and stakeholder engagement.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- You will be an experienced, inspiring and compassionate strategic leader with significant experience of Communications and External Affairs within large and complex organisations. You will have a strong track record of influencing public policy or working with government bodies and regulators.
- Able to craft compelling narratives and deliver impactful messaging that resonates with varied audiences across traditional and digital channels, you will use your strong media contacts to drive national and regional coverage.
- You will have extensive experience of establishing and nurturing relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including policymakers, media, patients, carers, and advocacy groups.
- You will be an outstanding communicator with strong influencing, persuasion and negotiation skills. You will have a strong track record of managing complex and sensitive communications crises while protecting organisational reputation.
- You will have both the breadth and depth of skills to fulfil the role described above and high levels of resilience to lead and embed significant change.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- You will be an experienced, inspiring and compassionate strategic leader with significant experience of Communications and External Affairs within large and complex organisations. You will have a strong track record of influencing public policy or working with government bodies and regulators.
- Able to craft compelling narratives and deliver impactful messaging that resonates with varied audiences across traditional and digital channels, you will use your strong media contacts to drive national and regional coverage.
- You will have extensive experience of establishing and nurturing relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including policymakers, media, patients, carers, and advocacy groups.
- You will be an outstanding communicator with strong influencing, persuasion and negotiation skills. You will have a strong track record of managing complex and sensitive communications crises while protecting organisational reputation.
- You will have both the breadth and depth of skills to fulfil the role described above and high levels of resilience to lead and embed significant change.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.
