Job summary
The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust's (EEAST) communications and engagement work combines internal communications and engagement, public affairs, media communications, issue management, corporate and social responsibility, information dissemination and strategic communications advice.
This post supports the Corporate Affairs and Performance Directorate and contributes to the development and implementation of proactive internal communications and engagement processes for EEAST.
Main duties of the job
Ensure that staff and volunteers have the information and resources to communicate and engage effectively.
Leading the development, implementation and evaluation of the Trust's internal communications and engagement as part of the wider Communications and Engagement Improvement Plan to support the Trust's aim of improving internal communication and engagement with its people. Close working relationships with Senior Managers across the Trust, as well as within the Communications Team, will be required.
Contribute to the successful overall performance of EEAST by strategically managing internal communications channels, overseeing the output of the Internal Communications Team and supporting Trust Corporate Planning.
Leading on progress and performance reporting and interpreting data and analytics from internal communications channels to further improve communications with our people.
Responsibility for specific support developing relationships with stakeholders, defining common priority audiences and messages, updating resources, and identifying core competencies for staff, to reflect both internal and external priorities.
About us
You'll be part of a busy creative communications and engagement team that deliver the full spectrum of communications support - from media management and public affairs, digital communications and internal campaigns and communication planning.
The team work on a hybrid basis with monthly face to face meetings to drive team building opportunities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key Responsibilities of the Role
Reporting to the Head of Communications
- Lead the development of the internal communications and engagement as part of the Communications and Engagement Improvement Plan.
- Work with the Executive Team, Senior Managers and Heads of Departments across the Trust, providing specialist internal communications expertise and advice.
- To develop, lead, and evaluate internal communication campaigns, projects and channels.
- Responsibility for the internal communications planner, creating content for the intranet, internal news site, email bulletins.
- Maintain and improve internal communication channels, evaluating effectiveness, providing evaluation and evidence of impact.
- Lead in the delivery of various internal communication activities and campaigns. Implementing new ideas from concept to delivery.
- Ability to deliver against tight deadlines with competing and changing priorities.
- Lead high profile internal communication projects including the national staff survey, national quarterly pulse surveys, national flu campaign, staff recognition and staff awards, maintaining a high standard.
- Promote the Trusts values and behaviours to embed them across the Trust.
- Excellent people management skills with direct line management for the Internal Communications Team. Making decisions on allocating work, directing and advising on project.
- Financial and supplier management skills, to ensure projects are managed to budget and value for money.
Communications and Stakeholder Engagement
- Provide internal communications expertise to colleagues (at all levels), as appropriate.
- Create awareness in senior managers, frontline managers and staff, of the role of internal communications and the advice and assistance available through the Communications Department by establishing and developing effective relationships throughout the Trust.
- The post holder will need to engage with senior colleagues within the Trust, when required, and advise on complex and sensitive communications issues.
- Manage and oversee the production and distribution of internal communications such as Need to Know, Executive Messages, Manager Briefings, and Executive Q&As.
- Oversee the production of the weekly email newsletter to all staff, ensuring it is accurate and consistent in style.
- Coordinate and manage the fortnightly Executive Q&A Briefings.
- Working alongside Digital Managers, have a lead role in shaping the development of the Trusts intranet and social media channels.
- Manage a portfolio of high-profile internal communications projects including, but not limited to, the National Staff Surveys, flu and immunisation campaigns, staff recognition and awards, improvement programmes and thank you weeks. Delivering these projects against the communications and engagement strategy and evaluating, revising and improving activities.
- Manage the organisation of events including the Annual Stars of EEAST Awards to acknowledge staff and volunteers long service, plus recognition awards.
- Ensure a consistent style and identity is used appropriately throughout the Trust.
- Working under pressure to provide factually correct and timely information to the internal audience, when necessary.
- To manage the internal communications input to major Trust projects, providing advice and support.
- Handling complex and sensitive information, often in a contentious atmosphere relating, for example, to different staff groups undergoing change.
- To support the organisation in managing the communications associated with major incidents and in particular providing internal communication support and direction.
- To establish effective relationships with other NHS and external organisations.
- To work with the Digital Communications Team on the strategic development of the Trust intranet.
Strategic Leadership and Service Development
- Leading and designing key strategic internal communication campaigns, as required, to achieve the aims of the Communications and Engagement Improvement Plan and overall Trust objectives.
- Protect the reputation of the Trust by working closely with the Director of Communications and Engagement, and the Head of Communications, Media Team, and Digital Communications Team.
- Responsibility for assisting with the delivery of the Internal Communications part of the Communications and Engagement Strategy.
- Ensure consistent messaging across internal communications channels.
- To oversee key communication policies, contributing to the development and implementation, and proposing changes in line with communications best practice and developments in technology and legislation. To develop guidance and training to support these policies.
- To undertake research among key audiences, to evaluate and analyse the information received, to make recommendations for improving Trust communications further, in response to these findings.
- To research national and international best practice, identifying innovative communications from other organisations and making recommendations for improving Trust communications further, in response to these findings.
Analytical, Judgmental, and Decision Making
- Maintain, review and improve the internal communications channels and processes, making decisions on improvement to maximise engagement. This includes undertaking audits and gathering feedback via surveys.
- Evaluate, assess, and improve communication campaigns.
- To manage complex internal issues where there may be a range of complex factors to take into account, to make effective judgements on briefing senior internal and external stakeholders.
Staff Management Responsibility
- To line manage the Internal Communications Officers. Responsible for leading, motivating, developing and managing Team members to deliver required objectives to high quality standards. This includes setting individual objectives and monitoring progress towards these objectives through regular 1:1 reviews and appraisals.
Finance and Budget Management
- Manage external suppliers to deliver required products on time and on budget.
- Authorised signatory for the Communications Team.
- To develop, manage department budget and external suppliers, to deliver required products on time and on budget.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key Responsibilities of the Role
Reporting to the Head of Communications
- Lead the development of the internal communications and engagement as part of the Communications and Engagement Improvement Plan.
- Work with the Executive Team, Senior Managers and Heads of Departments across the Trust, providing specialist internal communications expertise and advice.
- To develop, lead, and evaluate internal communication campaigns, projects and channels.
- Responsibility for the internal communications planner, creating content for the intranet, internal news site, email bulletins.
- Maintain and improve internal communication channels, evaluating effectiveness, providing evaluation and evidence of impact.
- Lead in the delivery of various internal communication activities and campaigns. Implementing new ideas from concept to delivery.
- Ability to deliver against tight deadlines with competing and changing priorities.
- Lead high profile internal communication projects including the national staff survey, national quarterly pulse surveys, national flu campaign, staff recognition and staff awards, maintaining a high standard.
- Promote the Trusts values and behaviours to embed them across the Trust.
- Excellent people management skills with direct line management for the Internal Communications Team. Making decisions on allocating work, directing and advising on project.
- Financial and supplier management skills, to ensure projects are managed to budget and value for money.
Communications and Stakeholder Engagement
- Provide internal communications expertise to colleagues (at all levels), as appropriate.
- Create awareness in senior managers, frontline managers and staff, of the role of internal communications and the advice and assistance available through the Communications Department by establishing and developing effective relationships throughout the Trust.
- The post holder will need to engage with senior colleagues within the Trust, when required, and advise on complex and sensitive communications issues.
- Manage and oversee the production and distribution of internal communications such as Need to Know, Executive Messages, Manager Briefings, and Executive Q&As.
- Oversee the production of the weekly email newsletter to all staff, ensuring it is accurate and consistent in style.
- Coordinate and manage the fortnightly Executive Q&A Briefings.
- Working alongside Digital Managers, have a lead role in shaping the development of the Trusts intranet and social media channels.
- Manage a portfolio of high-profile internal communications projects including, but not limited to, the National Staff Surveys, flu and immunisation campaigns, staff recognition and awards, improvement programmes and thank you weeks. Delivering these projects against the communications and engagement strategy and evaluating, revising and improving activities.
- Manage the organisation of events including the Annual Stars of EEAST Awards to acknowledge staff and volunteers long service, plus recognition awards.
- Ensure a consistent style and identity is used appropriately throughout the Trust.
- Working under pressure to provide factually correct and timely information to the internal audience, when necessary.
- To manage the internal communications input to major Trust projects, providing advice and support.
- Handling complex and sensitive information, often in a contentious atmosphere relating, for example, to different staff groups undergoing change.
- To support the organisation in managing the communications associated with major incidents and in particular providing internal communication support and direction.
- To establish effective relationships with other NHS and external organisations.
- To work with the Digital Communications Team on the strategic development of the Trust intranet.
Strategic Leadership and Service Development
- Leading and designing key strategic internal communication campaigns, as required, to achieve the aims of the Communications and Engagement Improvement Plan and overall Trust objectives.
- Protect the reputation of the Trust by working closely with the Director of Communications and Engagement, and the Head of Communications, Media Team, and Digital Communications Team.
- Responsibility for assisting with the delivery of the Internal Communications part of the Communications and Engagement Strategy.
- Ensure consistent messaging across internal communications channels.
- To oversee key communication policies, contributing to the development and implementation, and proposing changes in line with communications best practice and developments in technology and legislation. To develop guidance and training to support these policies.
- To undertake research among key audiences, to evaluate and analyse the information received, to make recommendations for improving Trust communications further, in response to these findings.
- To research national and international best practice, identifying innovative communications from other organisations and making recommendations for improving Trust communications further, in response to these findings.
Analytical, Judgmental, and Decision Making
- Maintain, review and improve the internal communications channels and processes, making decisions on improvement to maximise engagement. This includes undertaking audits and gathering feedback via surveys.
- Evaluate, assess, and improve communication campaigns.
- To manage complex internal issues where there may be a range of complex factors to take into account, to make effective judgements on briefing senior internal and external stakeholders.
Staff Management Responsibility
- To line manage the Internal Communications Officers. Responsible for leading, motivating, developing and managing Team members to deliver required objectives to high quality standards. This includes setting individual objectives and monitoring progress towards these objectives through regular 1:1 reviews and appraisals.
Finance and Budget Management
- Manage external suppliers to deliver required products on time and on budget.
- Authorised signatory for the Communications Team.
- To develop, manage department budget and external suppliers, to deliver required products on time and on budget.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Degree in communications/media or equivalent communications experience
- Experience of delivering internal communications campaigns
Desirable
- Direct line management experience
Experience
Essential
- Understanding and experience of strategic integrated communications functions
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Degree in communications/media or equivalent communications experience
- Experience of delivering internal communications campaigns
Desirable
- Direct line management experience
Experience
Essential
- Understanding and experience of strategic integrated communications functions
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.
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. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
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.
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. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
