Job summary
Are you a committed and enthusiastic individual with great communication skills, an eye for detail and a head full of interesting ideas? If you're a brilliant team player and like the idea of writing and creating pictures to produce content for social media, websites and intranets then this job is for you.
The role is very varied - you could be helping to produce a video one day, and the next, posting stories on our intranet. You might find yourself helping to organise one of the Trust's many events as well as supporting the team with general administration such as organising meetings and updating the events calendar. No two days are the same.
We'll help you develop your writing skills, knowledge and experience in all aspects of communications and engagement. If you're excited by the opportunity to produce interesting written and visual content and be part of a fast-paced team at an exciting time in the organisation, this could be the next step for you.
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust is a leading provider of mental health, learning disability and autism services. The Trust's values are at the heart of everything it does, and the Trust offers an inclusive and learning environment to its employees. The communications team works across all of the Trust's activities. No two days are the same, and the team is always busy and responding to needs and requests.
Main duties of the job
With a wide range of services, a diverse workforce spread across Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Norfolk and a number of strategic partners, effective communications is a key part of the Trust's infrastructure and helps shape and promote its reputation. The Communications Assistant plays an important part in helping the Communications Team to support the Trust's aims and objectives, by providing a range of general communications and administrative support.
This is an ideal opportunity for someone with existing experience of working in a communications team to learn and develop their skills in a busy and friendly working environment.
The post holder provides general communications and administrative assistance to the Communications Team, helping organise events, supporting the team's activity plans, helping ensure the team's tasks and actions are completed to agreed deadlines and taking leading lead responsibility for tasks such as checking and updating the Trust's intranet, public websites and screensavers.
About us
We provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Norfolk and North Essex. We employ around 4,000 people who deliver these services within the community and in inpatient settings.
We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services and medium and low secure learning disabilities services.
We have consistently been in the top 5 MH & LD trusts to work in according to our staff survey, where an overwhelming majority of our people would recommend us as a place to work.
We have operated as NHS Foundation Trust since our authorization in August 2007 and received an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission in May 2019.
The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:
Our Trust values are:
Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.
These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Provide general communications and administrative support to the Communications Team.
- Assist in maintaining and developing The Hive (staff intranet) - including researching, writing and uploading content and supporting editors and contributors from departments and services across the Trust. Carrying out regular audits of expired documents and other content, contacting authors to ensure information is updated or removed.
- Assist in maintaining and developing the Trusts websites (public, careers and CAMHS) including researching, writing and uploading content and supporting editors and contributors from departments and services across the Trust. Carrying out regular audits of pages and links.
- Support the Internal Communications Officers with the production and development of the weekly staff newsletter.
- Support the Communications Officer and External Communications Manager in monitoring the Trusts social media channels the main HPFT Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, staff Facebook group, LinkedIn account and other accounts as required. Researching information specific campaigns and awareness events; scheduling posts in advance of agreed campaign dates.
- Regularly updating address lists and managing key contact and stakeholder databases.
- Assisting with the communications and engagement activity planner, ensuring team members are managing and delivering agreed actions and taking lead responsibility for some activities including screensavers.
- Make arrangements for team meetings, produce agenda and distribute relevant papers, provide note taking and action planning.
- Taking lead responsibility, working with other team members, to ensure the teams generic email inbox (hpft.comms@nhs.net) is reviewed regularly throughout the day and messages are managed and responded to in a timely manner.
- Manage the stationary/purchase order request/invoices etc for the department using the Trusts procurement system.
- Collate and record media coverage, produce a monthly report to share with the team.
- Help produce communications activity reports, collating information and statistics to produce regular update reports on activities and impact.
- Support the planning and organising of key events in particular the staff awards and the Annual General Meeting.
- Develop and maintain electronic filing systems ensuring digital assets including written information and branded materials (e.g. Powerpoint, letter and poster templates) can be easily found on shared drives.
- Assist in the management and development of the online communications photo library.
- Positively contribute to the delivery of the Communications Teams objectives.
For a more detailed description, please see attached JD and PS.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- Provide general communications and administrative support to the Communications Team.
- Assist in maintaining and developing The Hive (staff intranet) - including researching, writing and uploading content and supporting editors and contributors from departments and services across the Trust. Carrying out regular audits of expired documents and other content, contacting authors to ensure information is updated or removed.
- Assist in maintaining and developing the Trusts websites (public, careers and CAMHS) including researching, writing and uploading content and supporting editors and contributors from departments and services across the Trust. Carrying out regular audits of pages and links.
- Support the Internal Communications Officers with the production and development of the weekly staff newsletter.
- Support the Communications Officer and External Communications Manager in monitoring the Trusts social media channels the main HPFT Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, staff Facebook group, LinkedIn account and other accounts as required. Researching information specific campaigns and awareness events; scheduling posts in advance of agreed campaign dates.
- Regularly updating address lists and managing key contact and stakeholder databases.
- Assisting with the communications and engagement activity planner, ensuring team members are managing and delivering agreed actions and taking lead responsibility for some activities including screensavers.
- Make arrangements for team meetings, produce agenda and distribute relevant papers, provide note taking and action planning.
- Taking lead responsibility, working with other team members, to ensure the teams generic email inbox (hpft.comms@nhs.net) is reviewed regularly throughout the day and messages are managed and responded to in a timely manner.
- Manage the stationary/purchase order request/invoices etc for the department using the Trusts procurement system.
- Collate and record media coverage, produce a monthly report to share with the team.
- Help produce communications activity reports, collating information and statistics to produce regular update reports on activities and impact.
- Support the planning and organising of key events in particular the staff awards and the Annual General Meeting.
- Develop and maintain electronic filing systems ensuring digital assets including written information and branded materials (e.g. Powerpoint, letter and poster templates) can be easily found on shared drives.
- Assist in the management and development of the online communications photo library.
- Positively contribute to the delivery of the Communications Teams objectives.
For a more detailed description, please see attached JD and PS.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Education
Essential
- At least five GCSEs in grades A - C including English and Mathematics.
Desirable
- A level English, NVQ/SVQ Level 3, or a BTEC National qualification relating to public relations/communications, marketing, journalism or digital communications.
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Experience of a range of IT software packages including Microsoft office
- Experience of social media channels and their usage with different audiences.
- Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines
Desirable
- Demonstrable interest in content creation
- Moderate experience of office administration
- Experience of using equipment to capture video and audio content
- Awareness of media and PR techniques
Person Specification
Qualifications and Education
Essential
- At least five GCSEs in grades A - C including English and Mathematics.
Desirable
- A level English, NVQ/SVQ Level 3, or a BTEC National qualification relating to public relations/communications, marketing, journalism or digital communications.
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Experience of a range of IT software packages including Microsoft office
- Experience of social media channels and their usage with different audiences.
- Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines
Desirable
- Demonstrable interest in content creation
- Moderate experience of office administration
- Experience of using equipment to capture video and audio content
- Awareness of media and PR techniques
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.
