Job summary
We're looking for a dynamic and experienced comms pro to manage our Communications Team and help us achieve our vision of providing "outstanding mental health and learning disability services as an employer of choice".
In mental health, learning disability and autism services, we strive for parity of esteem with other more high-profile health services. So you will be committed to telling the stories of the Trust, our people and our service users and carers to improve the health and lives of the communities we serve.
You'll be at the heart of the Trust's communications service; handling multiple projects with a passion for supporting the needs of NHS staff, service users and carers, and our partners, through effective communications, engagement and marketing.
Supporting the Head of Communications in delivering a comprehensive comms service to the Trust. This includes supporting staff, stakeholder, service user and public engagement through outstanding written, face-to-face and digital communications.
Managing our close-knit Communications Team; motivating and inspiring them to be the best they can be. You'll oversee the provision of excellent design, print and digital communications products and channels, as well as managing your own caseload of work which will include leading the communications for exciting projects across our patch.
Main duties of the job
You will be an excellent practitioner of written, face-to-face and digital communications, taking a lead on staff, stakeholder and public communications. This includes leading on communications for high profile projects and campaigns, working alongside key internal and external partners.
You will manage the Communications Team, overseeing our operational communications staff and specialist practitioners in graphic design and digital communications. You will ensure our communications products, channels and outputs are of high quality, and you'll be looking for ways to continuously improve them based on insight and feedback.
You'll act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership colleagues and make recommendations on communicating complex and sensitive information to a diverse range of audiences. You'll work closely with other key internal stakeholders such as colleagues in the People and Organisational Development directorate (including staff engagement), clinical services, corporate governance, patient experience and the project management office to name a few.
You will manage your own portfolio of work including delivering exciting projects across a complex network of internal and external stakeholders, including the Leeds Health Partnerships Team, the West Yorkshire Mental Health Collaborative, and the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership.
About us
We are a high quality, high performing NHS foundation trust. We are the main provider of specialist mental health and learning disability services in Leeds. We also provide specialist inpatient services in York as well as some highly specialised services across the country.We employ around 3,000 staff and every year we have contact with over 25,000 service users. Our vision is to provide outstanding mental health and learning disability services as an employer of choice. Our ambition is to support our service users and carers, our staff and the communities we serve to live healthy and fulfilling lives. We need people like you to help us achieve our goals; to live our lives free from stigma and discrimination; and to improve the lives of people with a learning disability and mental ill health. We perform well againstlocal and national targetsand inour most recent CQC inspection, 85% of our services were rated good or outstanding.As a teaching trust with strong links to local universities, we are a centre of excellence for teaching,research and development.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main duties include:
- Ability to write excellent and engaging content for a variety of diverse audiences across various communications channels
- Develop communications plans to support key programmes of work and projects
- Effectively handle complex and sensitive information on a range of issues and make recommendations to senior managers on how to present it to relevant audiences
- Establish and maintain excellent working relationships across a complex network of internal and external stakeholders
- Engage effectively with a range of audiences including staff, senior leaders, partner agencies, governors, service users and carers etc. to support them to communicate key messages and/or tell their stories
- Ensure high quality communications products and channels are in place to support outputs and improve outtakes and outcomes amongst key target audiences and therefore to enhance/protect the reputation of the Trust
- Lead or oversee the delivery of campaigns and projects to support key Trust business, including service change, management of change, system wide reconfiguration etc.
- Manage and participate in the duty communications officer rota; managing our press office function, media and social media monitoring, e-bulletin production, web updates etc.
- Manage relationships with specialist external agencies for the production of publications, digital content and specialist communications services (i.e. video production) following established Trust and NHS brand and accessibility guidelines.
- Youll be committed to best practice in communications, investing in your own personal development and the personal development and continuous improvement of the team and service.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main duties include:
- Ability to write excellent and engaging content for a variety of diverse audiences across various communications channels
- Develop communications plans to support key programmes of work and projects
- Effectively handle complex and sensitive information on a range of issues and make recommendations to senior managers on how to present it to relevant audiences
- Establish and maintain excellent working relationships across a complex network of internal and external stakeholders
- Engage effectively with a range of audiences including staff, senior leaders, partner agencies, governors, service users and carers etc. to support them to communicate key messages and/or tell their stories
- Ensure high quality communications products and channels are in place to support outputs and improve outtakes and outcomes amongst key target audiences and therefore to enhance/protect the reputation of the Trust
- Lead or oversee the delivery of campaigns and projects to support key Trust business, including service change, management of change, system wide reconfiguration etc.
- Manage and participate in the duty communications officer rota; managing our press office function, media and social media monitoring, e-bulletin production, web updates etc.
- Manage relationships with specialist external agencies for the production of publications, digital content and specialist communications services (i.e. video production) following established Trust and NHS brand and accessibility guidelines.
- Youll be committed to best practice in communications, investing in your own personal development and the personal development and continuous improvement of the team and service.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- 1.Qualified to degree level AND/OR with sufficient experience to demonstrate required knowledge in a relevant professional area such as marketing, communications or public relations.
Skills
Essential
- 2.Demonstrable leadership skills; including the ability to provide clear direction to a team around complex issues, prioritisation of competing demands, and experience of line management.
Experience
Essential
- 3.Experience of writing engaging content and managing high quality communications products and channels e.g. publications, websites, social media, blogs etc. as well as excellent attention to detail and proofreading skills.
- 4.Experience of successfully engaging with a range of people including staff, stakeholders and client groups/customers to tell their stories
- 5.Experience of developing successful communications plans to support key programmes and projects.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- 1.Qualified to degree level AND/OR with sufficient experience to demonstrate required knowledge in a relevant professional area such as marketing, communications or public relations.
Skills
Essential
- 2.Demonstrable leadership skills; including the ability to provide clear direction to a team around complex issues, prioritisation of competing demands, and experience of line management.
Experience
Essential
- 3.Experience of writing engaging content and managing high quality communications products and channels e.g. publications, websites, social media, blogs etc. as well as excellent attention to detail and proofreading skills.
- 4.Experience of successfully engaging with a range of people including staff, stakeholders and client groups/customers to tell their stories
- 5.Experience of developing successful communications plans to support key programmes and projects.
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.
