Senior Communications and Engagement Specialist

Job description

Job responsibilities

The Senior Communications and Engagement Specialist is a key role within the Communications and Engagement Team, contributing to the delivery and co-ordination of all internal and external communications activity as well as having oversight of public and stakeholder engagement activity for the Trust.

The role is central to the delivery of a high quality proactive and reactive integrated communications service which is managed effectively by working collaboratively with members of the communications and engagement team.

Working to the Head of Communications and Engagement, the postholder will lead the development of communications and engagement plans for key programmes and areas of work and co-ordinate the delivery of these plans.

The Senior Communications and Engagement Specialist will also deputise for the Head of Communications and Engagement as needed.

Full Job Description Attached

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to degree level plus training and/or experience in communications field to masters level or equivalent
• Demonstrable evidence of continuing professional development

Desirable

• Membership of a recognised professional communications or marketing institution/body.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working for a large and complex organisation
• Ability to work on own initiative and organise own workload without supervision and to prioritise work of self and others where appropriate
• Demonstrates sound judgement in the absence of clear guidelines, seeking advice as necessary from more senior managers where required
• Ability to recognise the limits of own authority within the role and seeks and uses professional support appropriately
• Ability to identify current costs and cost saving opportunities as part of working activities
• Good skills for negotiating and influencing external stakeholders (including local, regional and national media) and the public
• Ability to develop novel, creative and innovative solutions to problems
• Ability to form constructive, credible, strategic and operational relationships with a range of health and social care professionals at all levels including local, regional and national media through high professional credibility
• Understanding of and adhering to the requirement for confidentiality
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills and presentation skills
• Strategic thinking and the ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise
• Ability to take decisions on difficult and contentious issues where there may be a number of courses of action
• Ability to train, coach and support others in communications and engagement approaches, tools and techniques
• Excellent understanding of the key issues facing the NHS and social care and appreciation of the implications of these on engagement and communication
• Ability to deliver on commitments in a timely way, meeting deadlines
• Is open to constructive challenge and looks for ways to continually improve
• Ability to understand a broad range of complex information quickly and distil it into an acceptable format, making decisions where opinions differ or there is no obvious solution
• Proven ability to analyse and interpret information and evaluate sensitive issues and recommend an appropriate course of action to manage them with external stakeholders
• Ability to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information and work with senior leaders on difficult and controversial issues
• Ability to present complex and sensitive information to a range of stakeholders, requiring highly developed interpersonal and oral/ written communication skills, meeting the needs of different audiences
• Ability to build trust and rapport with people from diverse backgrounds and sustain relationships at all levels, actively involving stakeholders where appropriate
• Strong skills in digital media and IT, confident working on digital first communications and engagement projects
• Strong facilitation skills, able to work effectively with different stakeholder groups
• Ability to communicate without using jargon and an understanding of accessible formats, including easy read
• Experience in making the best use of technologies that support communications and engagement
• Experience of managing and coordinating events
• Experience of building effective networks including across organisational boundaries

Desirable

• Experience working for a healthcare organisation
• Experience of working in the public sector
• Ability to develop novel, creative and innovative solutions to problems and issues

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

• Significant experience of working in the communications and engagement field and proven track record of delivery
• Proven experience of developing and delivering public facing communications across all channels including news and media, social media, events, focus groups, marketing and online engagement
• Specialist knowledge of communications and engagement techniques and approaches
• High levels of skills in using web-based communications, including content management systems, social media and new/emerging digital communication and engagement technologies
• Knowledge and practical experience of developing communications and engagement plans for the implementation of large-scale organisational change/transformation programmes
• Experience of writing and producing literature mapped to key organisational messages and strategy
• Knowledge of how the media works and experience of working with the news media
• Experience of working with designers and photographers
• Experience of working with senior level staff
• Experience of delivering presentations to large groups of stakeholders/customers in often pressured and politically sensitive environments and facilitating meetings
• Experience of managing and protecting house/organisation style and corporate identity/image

Desirable

• Experience in leading meetings or working groups
• Able to identify themes and trends in issues being highlighted through engagement activity

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

• Significant experience of working in the communications and engagement field and proven track record of delivery
• Proven experience of developing and delivering public facing communications across all channels including news and media, social media, events, focus groups, marketing and online engagement
• Specialist knowledge of communications and engagement techniques and approaches
• High levels of skills in using web-based communications, including content management systems, social media and new/emerging digital communication and engagement technologies
• Knowledge and practical experience of developing communications and engagement plans for the implementation of large-scale organisational change/transformation programmes
• Experience of writing and producing literature mapped to key organisational messages and strategy
• Knowledge of how the media works and experience of working with the news media
• Experience of working with designers and photographers
• Experience of working with senior level staff
• Experience of delivering presentations to large groups of stakeholders/customers in often pressured and politically sensitive environments and facilitating meetings
• Experience of managing and protecting house/organisation style and corporate identity/image

Desirable

• Experience in leading meetings or working groups
• Able to identify themes and trends in issues being highlighted through engagement activity

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHSFT

Address

Warrington Hospital

Lovely Lane

Warrington

Cheshire

WA5 1QG

Employer's website

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