Head of Communications and Engagement

NHS Devon Integrated Care Board

The closing date is 06 January 2025

Job summary

Are you an experienced communications and engagement whizz with a knack for inspiring people?

NHS Devon is recruiting a Head of Communications and Engagement to lead an award-winning team in connecting with Devon communities, sharing key messages, and shaping the future of healthcare across the county.

If you're a creative, strategic thinker who thrives in a fast-paced environment and loves making a real impact, we want to hear from you.

We welcome applications from inspiring and compassionate leaders, with strong moral values and attention to detail.

As the Head of Communications and Engagement, you'll work under the Deputy Director of Communications and Engagement to drive our strategic communications and engagement approach, leading a passionate team to offer expert advice to senior leaders, deliver impactful messages, and involve local communities and stakeholders. We're looking for someone who has:

Significant experience in senior communications or engagement roles
Compassionate leadership skills with a talent for inspiring your team and getting things done
A good understanding of diverse communities - and how to engage them
Excellent writing, media, and digital skills - you know how to craft a message that resonates
A passion for the NHS and a real drive to make a difference.

If you're a communications and engagement pro who wants to make a difference in the NHS in Devon, this is an amazing opportunity to help to shape the future of the Devon's NHS.

Main duties of the job

Be an inspirational leader and nurture the development of the communications and engagement team.
Create and implement an NHS Devon communications strategy, working with the Deputy Director of Communications and Engagement to engage stakeholders, including members of the NHS Devon Board, staff and system stakeholders
Support NHS Devon and the wider system to deliver on strategic objectives.
Work closely with One Devon communications leads to create a high performing network with a shared purpose and agreed work plan, ensuring that both system and placed based work is well aligned and supported.
Provide strategic communications and involvement support for the successful implementation of service transformation and change programmes; ensuring a robust programme of involvement and consultation in light with NHS Devon duties, adhering to current legislation and ensuring the ICB meets its statutory obligations.
Ensure local and national stakeholders are identified and strategic plans are in place to maintain good relationships.
Participate in executive meetings (when required), developing and agreeing key consistent and co-ordinated messaging including core briefings internally and external handling of corporate decisions and responses.
Undertake complex and detailed information analysis of specific projects/reports requiring high levels of concentration and for a range of audiences.
Deputise for the Deputy Director of Communications and Engagement, as required.

About us

NHS Devon Integrated Care System

As an Integrated Care System (ICS), we recognise now more than ever that we can only provide the care that people really need by working together. Together for Devon therefore represents a partnership where health and care services work together with local communities to improve peoples health, wellbeing and care. It aims to transform health and care services so they are clinically, socially and financially sustainable.

Our vision is simple: equal chances for everyone in Devon to lead long, happy and healthy lives. To achieve this, we have set out six ambitions for the next five years that will help us transform services including: Effective and efficient care, embedding the Integrated Care Model, the Devon deal (a citizen-led approach to health and care), Children and young people, Digital Devon and ensuring Equality.

About NHS Devon

As part of the Devon ICS, NHS Devon Integrated Care Board is responsible for the majority of county's NHS budget, and develops a plan to improve peoples health, deliver high-quality care and better value for money. The organisation is led by a diverse board, with an aim to improve peoples lives in Devon wherever they live, to reduce health inequalities and make sure we can deliver these services for the long term.

For more information, visit our website www.onedevon.org.uk

Date posted

12 December 2024

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8c

Salary

£74,290 to £85,601 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

144-KJ057-CCACO-24

Job locations

Aperture House

Pynes Hill

Exeter

EX2 5AZ

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for full details of the role and responsibilities.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification for full details of the role and responsibilities.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Educated to masters' level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area.
Extensive knowledge of specialist areas, acquired through a post graduate qualification or equivalent experience or training.
Ability to oversee and be responsible for the budget setting for a number of teams/services across a directorate and understand the interdependencies.
Must have a strong understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and how these impact on the overall strategic objectives; implementing and adapting as required.
Ability to support the budget setting for a number of teams/services across a directorate.
Possess a very strong understanding of, and the ability to navigate, the relationships between NHS organisations and wider system, regional and national organisations.
Significant experience of successfully operating in a highly politically sensitive environment.
Significant experience of co-ordinating strategies in complex and challenging environments.

Desirable

Member of relevant professional body, e.g. CIPR, CIM

Experience

Essential

Experience of holding overall responsibility for identifying and managing high level risks.
Experience of leading the development of briefing papers and correspondence at chief officer and board level.
Experience of monitoring budgets and business planning processes.
Evidence of continued professional development.
Experience of identifying and interpreting National policy and leading implementation

Desirable

Significant demonstrated experience in a healthcare environment.
Very strong understanding of the public sector.
Experience of leading on significant service change and public consultation.

Skills and Attributes

Essential

Highly developed communication skills with the ability to communicate on highly complex matters and difficult situations.
Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive and contentious information, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups where there may difference of opinion, incomplete information, competing priorities and barriers to understanding.
Persuade board and senior managers of the respective merits of different options, innovation and strategic opportunities.
Use informed persuasion and negotiate on difficult and very complex/controversial and detailed issues including performance and change.
Ability to produce and present concise yet insightful communications for dissemination to a broad range of stakeholders, including senior and board level, as required.
Adept at nurturing key relationships and maintaining networks.
Employ effective communication, negotiation and influencing skills with staff and stakeholders at all levels (including senior management) who may hold differing and contentious views.
Strong oral and written communication skills with the ability to assimilate, analyse and disseminate highly complex, sensitive and/or contentious information and issues effectively with a range of stakeholders where there are significant barriers to acceptance which need to be overcome.
Devise, manage and execute highly sensitive or complex communications, in sometimes agnostic/hostile situations, in relation to leading organisation/transformation change.

Autonomy - Analytical Skills

Essential

Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands.
Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options.
Takes decisions on difficult and contentious issues where there may be a number of courses of action.
Strategic thinking - ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise.
Ability to carry out procurements for highly detailed, high value contracts that require analysis, comparison and assessment.
Demonstrates sound judgement in the absence of clear guidelines or precedent, seeking advice as necessary from more senior management when appropriate.
Experience of identifying, interpreting and locally implementing national policy.
Significant experience of researching best practice (globally, private and public sector), interpreting its relevance and how effective implementation of processes/ practices could successfully improve performance to achieve strategic objective.

Autonomy - Planning Skills

Essential

Plans and organises a broad range of complex activities, formulating and adjusting plans to reflect changing circumstances.
Works with stakeholders to develop performance improvement plans and to develop plans for innovation in order to meet strategic objectives.
Strong use of available information sources to enable efficient and effective planning.
Strong ability to work under pressure and to tight and often changing deadlines.
Evidence of planning and delivering programmes and projects and services on time.
Comprehensive experience of project principles techniques and managing successful projects.
Demonstrated capability to plan over short, medium and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly.
Comprehensive experience of project principles techniques and managing successful projects.
Leads on the formulation of strategic plans within own area of responsibility which may involve uncertainty and may impact across the whole organisation.

Autonomy - Management Skills

Essential

Skills for delivering results through managing through others and using a range of levers in the absence of direct line management responsibility.
Strong skills for managing relationships with a range of different stakeholders.
Strong ability to manage financial and staff resources.
Must be able to prioritise own work effectively and be able to direct activities of others, which may be across a number of workstreams.
Experience of managing often very complex situations and effectively motivating a team and reviewing performance against strategic objectives.

Other

Essential

Operate effectively in a highly demanding environment.
Adept at dealing with high uncertainty and frequent change, showing exceptional adaptability and flexibility.
Determination, perseverance, and resilience.
Strong ability to engage with, learn from and depart knowledge and experience to peers, other professionals and colleagues in the desire to provide or support the most appropriate interventions.
Strong ability to develop and maintain confidentiality and trust.
Highly professional calm and efficient manner.
Strongly effective organiser, influencer and networker.
Demonstrates a strong desire to improve performance and make a difference by focusing on goals.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Educated to masters' level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area.
Extensive knowledge of specialist areas, acquired through a post graduate qualification or equivalent experience or training.
Ability to oversee and be responsible for the budget setting for a number of teams/services across a directorate and understand the interdependencies.
Must have a strong understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and how these impact on the overall strategic objectives; implementing and adapting as required.
Ability to support the budget setting for a number of teams/services across a directorate.
Possess a very strong understanding of, and the ability to navigate, the relationships between NHS organisations and wider system, regional and national organisations.
Significant experience of successfully operating in a highly politically sensitive environment.
Significant experience of co-ordinating strategies in complex and challenging environments.

Desirable

Member of relevant professional body, e.g. CIPR, CIM

Experience

Essential

Experience of holding overall responsibility for identifying and managing high level risks.
Experience of leading the development of briefing papers and correspondence at chief officer and board level.
Experience of monitoring budgets and business planning processes.
Evidence of continued professional development.
Experience of identifying and interpreting National policy and leading implementation

Desirable

Significant demonstrated experience in a healthcare environment.
Very strong understanding of the public sector.
Experience of leading on significant service change and public consultation.

Skills and Attributes

Essential

Highly developed communication skills with the ability to communicate on highly complex matters and difficult situations.
Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive and contentious information, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups where there may difference of opinion, incomplete information, competing priorities and barriers to understanding.
Persuade board and senior managers of the respective merits of different options, innovation and strategic opportunities.
Use informed persuasion and negotiate on difficult and very complex/controversial and detailed issues including performance and change.
Ability to produce and present concise yet insightful communications for dissemination to a broad range of stakeholders, including senior and board level, as required.
Adept at nurturing key relationships and maintaining networks.
Employ effective communication, negotiation and influencing skills with staff and stakeholders at all levels (including senior management) who may hold differing and contentious views.
Strong oral and written communication skills with the ability to assimilate, analyse and disseminate highly complex, sensitive and/or contentious information and issues effectively with a range of stakeholders where there are significant barriers to acceptance which need to be overcome.
Devise, manage and execute highly sensitive or complex communications, in sometimes agnostic/hostile situations, in relation to leading organisation/transformation change.

Autonomy - Analytical Skills

Essential

Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands.
Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options.
Takes decisions on difficult and contentious issues where there may be a number of courses of action.
Strategic thinking - ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise.
Ability to carry out procurements for highly detailed, high value contracts that require analysis, comparison and assessment.
Demonstrates sound judgement in the absence of clear guidelines or precedent, seeking advice as necessary from more senior management when appropriate.
Experience of identifying, interpreting and locally implementing national policy.
Significant experience of researching best practice (globally, private and public sector), interpreting its relevance and how effective implementation of processes/ practices could successfully improve performance to achieve strategic objective.

Autonomy - Planning Skills

Essential

Plans and organises a broad range of complex activities, formulating and adjusting plans to reflect changing circumstances.
Works with stakeholders to develop performance improvement plans and to develop plans for innovation in order to meet strategic objectives.
Strong use of available information sources to enable efficient and effective planning.
Strong ability to work under pressure and to tight and often changing deadlines.
Evidence of planning and delivering programmes and projects and services on time.
Comprehensive experience of project principles techniques and managing successful projects.
Demonstrated capability to plan over short, medium and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly.
Comprehensive experience of project principles techniques and managing successful projects.
Leads on the formulation of strategic plans within own area of responsibility which may involve uncertainty and may impact across the whole organisation.

Autonomy - Management Skills

Essential

Skills for delivering results through managing through others and using a range of levers in the absence of direct line management responsibility.
Strong skills for managing relationships with a range of different stakeholders.
Strong ability to manage financial and staff resources.
Must be able to prioritise own work effectively and be able to direct activities of others, which may be across a number of workstreams.
Experience of managing often very complex situations and effectively motivating a team and reviewing performance against strategic objectives.

Other

Essential

Operate effectively in a highly demanding environment.
Adept at dealing with high uncertainty and frequent change, showing exceptional adaptability and flexibility.
Determination, perseverance, and resilience.
Strong ability to engage with, learn from and depart knowledge and experience to peers, other professionals and colleagues in the desire to provide or support the most appropriate interventions.
Strong ability to develop and maintain confidentiality and trust.
Highly professional calm and efficient manner.
Strongly effective organiser, influencer and networker.
Demonstrates a strong desire to improve performance and make a difference by focusing on goals.

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.