Job summary
In October 2020, the NHS became the world's first health service to commit to reaching net zero in response to the profound and growing threat to health posed by climate change.
We are seeking a Communications Manager to support on communications and engagement across the sustainability function. The team are seeking a highly organised and experienced communications professional who has a knowledge of working in large public sector bodies, as well as a strong understanding of the climate crisis and its impact on health and the delivery of NHS services. You will support on delivering the communications functions for the programme, with a focus on digital communications channels. We will be working with a dynamic team to deal with complex and high-profile issues and make key decisions about what, when and how to communicate and engage.
Main duties of the job
You will be responsible for:
- Planning, delivering and evaluating regular positive communications across communications channels to increase awareness and support of the programme's world leading work.
- Building and strengthening external channels via the development and delivery of a high-quality content strategy supported by robust evaluation. This includes oversight of digital channels held by the team.
- Providing strategic counsel and support on communications activity to relevant workstreams and staff within NHS England, and ensuring, strategic collaboration and coordination with national, regional and other directorate communications functions; as well as via organising speaking arrangements.
About us
The NHS England board have set out the top-level purpose for the new organisation to lead the NHS in England to deliver high-quality services for all, which will inform the detailed design work and we will achieve this purpose by:
- Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities.
- Making the NHS a great place to work, where our people can make a difference and achieve their potential.
- Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care
- Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation
- Delivering value for money.
If you would like to know more or require further information, please visithttps://www.england.nhs.uk/.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person.
Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will work as part of a dynamic team in delivering an effective service supporting managers and staff across their assigned role. They will deliver high quality, insight-led communications and engagement for their assigned area(s) that is measurable, impactful and helps policy, products and services to succeed. The role will implement communications and engagement strategies and develop activity plans for their assigned area(s).
- Develop compelling, integrated, content to best achieve the aims and objectives in their assigned area(s) contributing to forward planning and gridding processes.
- Deliver communications and engagement activity for assigned area(s), developing an excellent understanding of how they align to the communications objectives for NHSE and the overall strategy and business plan.
- Build effective working relationships with other directorates, regional teams and the national comms team to ensure a one-team coherent approach.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will work as part of a dynamic team in delivering an effective service supporting managers and staff across their assigned role. They will deliver high quality, insight-led communications and engagement for their assigned area(s) that is measurable, impactful and helps policy, products and services to succeed. The role will implement communications and engagement strategies and develop activity plans for their assigned area(s).
- Develop compelling, integrated, content to best achieve the aims and objectives in their assigned area(s) contributing to forward planning and gridding processes.
- Deliver communications and engagement activity for assigned area(s), developing an excellent understanding of how they align to the communications objectives for NHSE and the overall strategy and business plan.
- Build effective working relationships with other directorates, regional teams and the national comms team to ensure a one-team coherent approach.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Post-graduate degree level in relevant subject or equivalent level qualification or significant experience of working at a similar level in specialist area.
- Further training or significant experience in project management, financial management or supporting change management processes.
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- Significant understanding, knowledge and skill in a range of communications disciplines from the following: strategic communications, internal communications, media relations, events, behaviour change, campaigns, marketing, reputation management, change management, stakeholder engagement, project management and public affairs.
- Detailed experience of working simultaneously on multiple communications and engagement activities, with excellent project management, planning and coordination across a range of communications and engagement disciplines and channels
- Knowledge of communications planning in an agile way to enable a fast response to changing circumstances that may include new operating environments, the rapid introduction of new policies, products or services, and political and business uncertainty
- Good understanding of the background and aims of current organsiational priorities and objectives and understand how communications and engagement can deliver this
- Experience of working in a fast paced environment, delivering against competing priorities and deadlines while also directing the work of teams/individuals.
- Good understanding of varied communication channels, their impact, limitations, risks and opportunities, and good experience in their use.
- Significant experience of successfully operating in a politically sensitive environment.
Skills Capabilities and Aptitudes
Essential
- Demonstrate excellent levels of written and verbal communication, with the ability explain complicated issues fluently and persuasively.
- Good ability to spot the "story" in the detail of policy, whether that be one of opportunity or risk.
- Able to quickly understand complex health, social care, political and business issues and to use that understanding to develop effective approaches, providing advice to staff and colleagues.
- Ability to manage the development and delivery of plans in complex environments and for highly sensitive issues, working with a high degree of uncertainty and ambiguity, with impacts across the health and care system.
- Recognise when business or communications activity is likely to create risk and consult with senior colleagues, contributing to resolving the problem with the ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise.
- Confidently engage with stakeholders to generate commitment to goals.
- WAbility to prepare and produce concise yet insightful communications for dissemination to senior stakeholders and a broad range of stakeholders as required.ork autonomously
- Demonstrated capabilities to manage own workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information, working to tight and often changing timescales.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Post-graduate degree level in relevant subject or equivalent level qualification or significant experience of working at a similar level in specialist area.
- Further training or significant experience in project management, financial management or supporting change management processes.
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- Significant understanding, knowledge and skill in a range of communications disciplines from the following: strategic communications, internal communications, media relations, events, behaviour change, campaigns, marketing, reputation management, change management, stakeholder engagement, project management and public affairs.
- Detailed experience of working simultaneously on multiple communications and engagement activities, with excellent project management, planning and coordination across a range of communications and engagement disciplines and channels
- Knowledge of communications planning in an agile way to enable a fast response to changing circumstances that may include new operating environments, the rapid introduction of new policies, products or services, and political and business uncertainty
- Good understanding of the background and aims of current organsiational priorities and objectives and understand how communications and engagement can deliver this
- Experience of working in a fast paced environment, delivering against competing priorities and deadlines while also directing the work of teams/individuals.
- Good understanding of varied communication channels, their impact, limitations, risks and opportunities, and good experience in their use.
- Significant experience of successfully operating in a politically sensitive environment.
Skills Capabilities and Aptitudes
Essential
- Demonstrate excellent levels of written and verbal communication, with the ability explain complicated issues fluently and persuasively.
- Good ability to spot the "story" in the detail of policy, whether that be one of opportunity or risk.
- Able to quickly understand complex health, social care, political and business issues and to use that understanding to develop effective approaches, providing advice to staff and colleagues.
- Ability to manage the development and delivery of plans in complex environments and for highly sensitive issues, working with a high degree of uncertainty and ambiguity, with impacts across the health and care system.
- Recognise when business or communications activity is likely to create risk and consult with senior colleagues, contributing to resolving the problem with the ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise.
- Confidently engage with stakeholders to generate commitment to goals.
- WAbility to prepare and produce concise yet insightful communications for dissemination to senior stakeholders and a broad range of stakeholders as required.ork autonomously
- Demonstrated capabilities to manage own workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information, working to tight and often changing timescales.
