Digital Strategy & Internal Communications Manager

Job description

Job responsibilities

Digital communications planning

• Keep updated and deliver the annual Digital Communications Plan, reporting to the Digital DMT at agreed times and keeping them informed of issues when they arise
• Attend and contribute to key meetings identified with the Digital department to support and ensure delivery of the annual Digital Comms Plan and to promote Digital Department initiatives.
• Manage communication around issues arising from the work of the Digital Department
• Provide direct expert communications advice to the Chief Digital Officer and senior colleagues in ELFTs Digital Department, including providing content and communications management of the roll out of digital initiatives, especially the Trusts Digital First Strategy.
• Direct, produce, film, edit and post videos to support the roll out of key digital initiatives, software and hardware this may include educational material.

Stakeholder engagement

• Develop and maintain a stakeholder map and contents for the Digital First Strategy and be responsible for the delivery of the resultant stakeholder plan.

Managing communications channels

• Determine, develop and deliver the most effective channels of communications for digital initiatives and agree them with the client
• Measure the effectiveness of communications using structured surveys with targets agreed with the Digital Department
• Promote activity which has led to the successful resolution of issues raised by stakeholders ie You Said, We Did

Digital staff communications

• Keep staff in the Digital Department fully informed through execution of a departmental communication plan that may include a digital newsletter
• Develop two-way feedback for the Digital Department on its performance, issues important to stakeholders and to improve the perception of Digital execution within the Trust and externally eg staff focus groups.

Reactive and emergency communications

• Create and implement communication plans that redress misperceptions of digital issues and digital transformation.
• During significant (e.g. service outage) and major (e.g. widespread cyberattack), digital incidents proactively manage departmental communication and act at the link person with the Trust communications team.

Events & Campaigns

• Generate and post content for pre-existing channels, including the Trusts social media outlets, website and intranet and develop the ELFT digital intranet pages which will include real time information.
• Promote, assist in the organisation and running of digital events. This may include advising on content and producing materials, including PowerPoint presentations and management of in conference audience feedback (e.g. menti etc).
• Develop and execute any specific digital communications campaigns as required by the department Director and/or DMT.

Financial and Physical Resources

• Manage financial and staff resources for projects, manage budgets/ spend for projects and deliver projects within the agreed and allocated resources.
• Constantly strive for value for money and greater efficiency in the use of these budgets and to ensure that they operate in recurrent financial balance year on year.
• Responsibility for tracking expenditure on Digital Communications activities and provides reports to the Director of Communications, as required.

Key working relationships

• Develop and maintain effective, professional and productive relationships with all levels of staff throughout the Trust including senior management, Trust Board, frontline staff and own team.
• Develop and maintain effective, professional and productive relationships with NHS and partner organisations, commissioners, stakeholders, Foundation Trust members and Governors, MPs, patients and carers.
• To negotiate and work with suppliers to deliver communications products and activities.

Internal Communications support

• To provide extra capacity to a two-strong internal communications team when needed.
• As and when required, this includes supporting the production of the weekly staff e-bulletin, uploading to the Trust intranet, filming and editing the CEO video blog and involvement with various staff engagement events

Other responsibilities

• Support the Director of Communications and the wider Communications Team in the event of a major incident or other emergency.
• Perform other duties as directed by the Director of Communications, , which may occasionally include working during the evening or during the weekend.

Person Specification

Education/ Qualification/ Training

Essential

• Degree or equivalent experience
• Post graduate qualification in a marketing related subject

Experience

Essential

• Experience of marketing in an NHS, healthcare or public sector organisation, showing positive, measurable outcomes
• Successful experience of working in communications in the NHS or a relevant health-related or public sector environment
• Experience of managing or supervising staff to ensure their optimum performance and providing support for their development
• Experience of social media and digital communications management

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• A good knowledge of current public affairs, policy and operational issues within the NHS
• A proven knowledge of managing communications activities
• A proven knowledge of marketing tools, techniques and evaluation
• A proven knowledge of websites/ intranets and social media including tools available and ability to measure impacts
• Knowledge of marketing techniques, approaches, procedures, health service communications, organisation, project management, external political environment.
• Basic awareness of IT and IT skills, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and publishing tools such as InDesign
• A very high standard of oral and written communications skills with the ability to use different styles for different audiences
• Highly organised and able to plan the work of others, inspiring them to deliver to the highest possible outcomes
• The ability to assimilate highly complex, sensitive information and interpret it for different audiences through written or verbal communication
• The ability to work in a deadline-driven, high stressful situation, taking a cool, calm approach that reassures those around you, to provide the best possible advice based upon your assessment of risk
• To command the confidence and respect of colleagues, especially the trust senior leadership team
• Strong powers of persuasion and influence, especially with senior trust leaders, stakeholders and staff
• The ability to innovate and take imaginative, but appropriate solutions to complex issues
• Demonstrable proof of the ability to follow agreed policies and procedures
• Very strong presentation skills, including the ability to use tools such as PowerPoint to a high standard

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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).

Employer details

Employer name

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Alie Street

9 Alie Street

London

E1 8DE

Employer's website

https://www.elft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)