Job summary
Can you shape and deliver the communications we need to help 20,000 colleagues through a period of major change?
Do you have the skills and the focus to support our £100m IT programme, to transform patient care, and the working lives of Trust staff?
We need an excellent candidate to dedicate themselves to supporting IT colleagues through their most significant period of change and investment in years - developing the strategy and implementing plans, to sell the benefits of the IT programme, support behaviour change, and tell the story of how the Trust is making changes which will benefit both staff and patients alike.
The right candidate will not only be a skilled communicator, but also able to influence and negotiate, working directly with senior colleagues to shape the communications approach to have the maximum impact. You will also have experience of evaluating activity, to demonstrate the effect of your expertise.
This is a new role, initially for a 12-month period.
University Hospitals Sussex is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country providing acute services to patients across Brighton and Hove and East and West Sussex.
You will be a key member of the Trust's communications team, but working directly with colleagues in IT, dedicated to supporting them in their work to digitise systems across the Trust, and transform the way colleagues work and serve our patients.
Main duties of the job
Your absolute focus will be to work with IT colleagues to tell the story of their transformation work. This will involve significant involvement with internal communications, but also stakeholder and external communications activity as appropriate.
You will be guided by the existing communications strategy to support IT teams, but you will be expected to review and revise that strategy as appropriate, and deliver the objectives.
You will work alongside senior IT leaders, attending programme boards and steering groups, to ensure you are both fully informed and also able to influence discussions about how to communicate and engage with your key audiences.
It will be your job to ensure that colleagues are involved in the process of transforming the Trust's IT platforms, that they know what changes are coming, and that they know why those changes are taking place. You will be the key figure in agreeing what those messages should be, when they need to be communicated, and how to do so in a compelling way.
You will need to be able to liaise closely and continuously with the wider communications team to ensure that your activities are aligned with theirs. You will be expected to draw upon the skills and experience of those team colleagues, and also to contribute your own skills to their work as well, as required.
About us
Join us atUHSussex, every day is different, you can be the change, better neverstops
At UHSussex we're proud to be at the heart of the NHS. As one of the UK's largest acute Trusts, we're a leading example of the excellence, the ambition and the values that have embodied the NHS for over 70 years.
Improving lives:We are a vibrant and inclusive organisation, with hardworking, talented and dedicated individuals, who work together towards a common goal, to always put ourPatient First.Our mission is summed up by our 'where better never stops' motto and no matter the role atUHSussex, you will play a part in driving us forwards and in improving the lives of patients across Sussex.We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We're here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in ourwellbeing programmefor staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need itbecausewe know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.
Build a career with us:As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research, we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosingUHSussexyou are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that youdo.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main Duties and Responsibilities (also, see full Job Description and Person Specification)
Provide strategic leadership for the development, implementation and evaluation of integrated communications and engagement to support the delivery of the trusts IT development programmes
Ensure progress against the strategy using key performance metrics (including internal communications evaluation tools, media monitoring, website and intranet analytics, and campaign evaluation data
Support the delivery of the Trusts strategic narrative, messaging and brands and ensure that the values of the trust are reflected in all IT development communications and engagement
Lead the implementation of internal communications and engagement activities to support the trusts IT development objectives, in particular the implementation of the new electronic patient record system
Lead on service change communications associated with IT
Ensure NHS and social care partners are kept informed along with other key stakeholders on our IT developments
Support the implementation of the communications and engagement planning grid, providing the link between the communications team, and IT
Where appropriate, to agree with the communications team leadership how communications colleagues can support delivery of activity supporting IT development
Support the corporate and clinical divisions to communicate effectively with their teams about the change programme
Contribute to the development of metrics and qualitative reports on corporate communications activities and measure their impact and inform future activities, making reports available to the Trust Board and Trust Management Board
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main Duties and Responsibilities (also, see full Job Description and Person Specification)
Provide strategic leadership for the development, implementation and evaluation of integrated communications and engagement to support the delivery of the trusts IT development programmes
Ensure progress against the strategy using key performance metrics (including internal communications evaluation tools, media monitoring, website and intranet analytics, and campaign evaluation data
Support the delivery of the Trusts strategic narrative, messaging and brands and ensure that the values of the trust are reflected in all IT development communications and engagement
Lead the implementation of internal communications and engagement activities to support the trusts IT development objectives, in particular the implementation of the new electronic patient record system
Lead on service change communications associated with IT
Ensure NHS and social care partners are kept informed along with other key stakeholders on our IT developments
Support the implementation of the communications and engagement planning grid, providing the link between the communications team, and IT
Where appropriate, to agree with the communications team leadership how communications colleagues can support delivery of activity supporting IT development
Support the corporate and clinical divisions to communicate effectively with their teams about the change programme
Contribute to the development of metrics and qualitative reports on corporate communications activities and measure their impact and inform future activities, making reports available to the Trust Board and Trust Management Board
Person Specification
Relevant postgrad qualification, equivalent experience, or knowledge to Masters / equivalent level.
Essential
- Needs extensive qualifications, but also - crucially - experience
Desirable
- Experience in public sector, or complex organisations, is desirable
Extensive, senior experience within a communications function including stakeholder engagement
Essential
- Evidence of personal involvement in decision-making, and influence - not just 'doing', but 'influencing'
Ability to effectively communicate highly complex information to a wide range of audiences
Essential
- Can they demonstrate an ability to deliver effective communications, which had an impact?
Proven ability to interpret complex information and communicate clearly.
Essential
- Can they convince that they can make complicated issues accessible and easy to understand?
Person Specification
Relevant postgrad qualification, equivalent experience, or knowledge to Masters / equivalent level.
Essential
- Needs extensive qualifications, but also - crucially - experience
Desirable
- Experience in public sector, or complex organisations, is desirable
Extensive, senior experience within a communications function including stakeholder engagement
Essential
- Evidence of personal involvement in decision-making, and influence - not just 'doing', but 'influencing'
Ability to effectively communicate highly complex information to a wide range of audiences
Essential
- Can they demonstrate an ability to deliver effective communications, which had an impact?
Proven ability to interpret complex information and communicate clearly.
Essential
- Can they convince that they can make complicated issues accessible and easy to understand?
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).
