Job summary
- Main area
- Communications
- Grade
- Band 8b
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Communications on call rota)
- Job ref
- 284-25-6891065-COCM
- Employer
- Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Birmingham Children's Hospital
- Town
- Birmingham
- Salary
- £62,215 - £72,293 Per Annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 29/01/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 12/02/2025
Employer heading
Associate Director Communications - External
Band 8b
Flexible working arrangements may be considered and discussions with the recruiting manager regarding this are encouraged.
Job overview
Due to a restructure in the team, we have created this new role to drive forwards our external communications and engagement activity, supporting our organisation’s vision of being the best place to be cared for and the best place to work.
The successful candidate will need to share our values of being ambitious, brave and compassionate, leading our communications and engagement activity with external partners and community leaders.
We are looking for someone with proven skills to deliver against a strategy that encompasses using the latest digital channels to reach patients and families with vital messages, as well as oversee a busy media relations function.
Key to this role is the ability to manage day-to-day operations, measure performance and deliver against a strategic plan, whilst building up excellent relationships with internal colleagues and external stakeholders.
This is a perfect role for someone with a tenacious ability to generate engaging content, lead and develop a team of enthusiastic professionals, with a passion for making a difference to patients and families.
Main duties of the job
To deputise for the Deputy Director of Communications and Engagement and other service heads, as appropriate.
Provide strategic direction for the communications function, being responsible for the development and implementation of strategic plans and engagement which underpin the communications strategy.
Act as an integral part of the communications team, able to perform the full range of communications functions as required.
Participate in the department’s out of hours on call rota system.
Interviews will take place on 12th or 14th February TBC.
Working for our organisation
Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust is the first of its type in the UK. Our Trust was formed in February 2017 to drive forward our commitment to provide the highest quality, world-class physical and mental health care for our women, children and families. Uniting our hospitals means more seamless care; more investment to make greater advances in our specialist treatment and world-leading neo-natal and fetal work. Importantly, it also gives us a greater voice in shaping the future of family-centred care.
Birmingham Children's Hospital is a UK leading specialist paediatric centre with an international reputation in several areas.
Birmingham Women's Hospital is one of two dedicated women's hospitals in the UK, with the busiest single site maternity unit, delivering more than 8,200 babies a year offering a full range of gynaecological, maternity and neonatal care.
Forward Thinking Birmingham (FTB) Mental Health Services are a unique, innovative community and inpatient mental health partnership. Alongside partners FTB offers care pathways of mental health assessment and treatment for young people aged 0-25 years old.
Our Trust is committed to creating the best place to work. We believe in promoting and enhancing inclusion, diversity and equality and encourage applications from all areas of the community, who meet the criteria for the role, regardless of age, gender identity, disability, race, religion or sexual orientation.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification to view the full details for this opportunity at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust.
When completing your application, please ensure you have evidenced how you meet the job description and person specification to include transferable experience, qualifications, skills along with professional registration details (if applicable).
Occasionally we receive a large number of applications for our roles and when that happens we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Degree level qualification or equivalent
- Masters level degree in communications, public relations or management, or equivalent experience at a senior level
- Leadership development or management qualification or evidence of training.
- Relevant continuing professional development
Desirable criteria
- Marketing qualification (CIM or equivalent)
Knowledge & Nature of Experience
Essential criteria
- At least five years evidenced experience at a senior management level in communications, corporate communications, stakeholder relations, public relations or journalism
- Evidence of communications and engagement strategic development
- Demonstrable experience of staff management and development, including training and appraisal
- Significant senior level experience of reporting to and working with Board members
- Experience of leading communications and engagement functions in a large, complex organization
- Experience of running staff or public engagement initiatives
- Well developed, evidenced experience of designing, implementing and monitoring organisation-wide strategies
- Report writing and presentation of analysed data to Board standard
- Digital communications or marketing experience
- Experience of effective media management
- Excellent working knowledge of contemporary issues within the NHS
- Knowledge of external environment, including national and regional strategies and priorities
- Extensive specialist knowledge of Communications and Engagement techniques, strategies and national policies – both in theory and with evidence of practical application
- Knowledge of market research techniques
- Knowledge of social media, marketing, media handling and public / staff engagement techniques
- Political and social awareness; understanding the implications of particular courses of action and how these need to be handled
Desirable criteria
- Evidence of successfully communicating large scale service change
- NHS experience at a senior level
- Experience of leading a marketing function
Analytical and Judgement Skills
Essential criteria
- Ability to work on own initiative, manage numerous projects at the same time and set priorities for self and others, including senior managers in other departments and divisions
- Ability to interpret national and regional guidelines, policies and initiatives, develop appropriate communications policies, strategies and action plans and implement them across the organisation
- Formulation and implementation of long-term, strategic plans and policies that impact across and outside the organization
- Provide communications input into operational policies in relation to key corporate strategies such as the development of the new hospital
- Project management skills
- Provide ‘expert’ advice to key senior professionals within the Trust
- Able to monitor success of strategies and adapt them as necessary
Professional/Managerial/Specialist Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Ability to interpret national guidelines, policy, Department of Health or Government initiatives and communicate to staff and the public
- Able to communicate highly complex and sometimes contentious and sensitive information to large groups of people of different levels and understanding and in circumstances where messages may be resisted
- Able to interpret information given by staff, patients or members of the public which may be complex and conflicting / contain value judgments and present a summary to key decision makers
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to maintain the highest level of interpersonal skills under intense pressure and when facing hostile staff or members of the public
- Ability to negotiate and bring polarised groups together
- Ability to effectively communicate with a wide range of people face to face, on the telephone, electronically and on paper
- Ability to develop and use an effective network of contacts
- Able to use tact and diplomacy when communicating with a range of people at all levels
- Skills in involvement and consultation techniques such as focus groups, questionnaire development, facilitation
- PR skills
- Motivational skills
- Public speaking including presentations to Board level internal and external stakeholders
- Experience arranging or providing support in other languages and formats for those with visual or hearing impairments
- Ability to provide non-clinical advice to patients / staff about strategic communications handling around potentially sensitive and complex situations
- Ability to present effectively at internal and senior leader and public events including large groups with external senior leaders
- Highly developed negotiation skills requiring sensitivity and diplomacy where the subject matter is particularly sensitive (eg patient complaints and staff bereavement).
- Authorised signatory for financial payments to value of £5,000
- Responsible for the requisitioning, ordering and payment of goods, monitoring expenditure
- Responsible for inviting tenders from companies to quote for work
- Responsible for security of equipment such as laptop, computer, digital camera and mobile phone
- Responsible for ensuring donations to the Trust from members of the public are dealt with appropriately
- Responsible for ensuring suppliers to the department, and other departments or involved in specific communications projects provide excellent value for money and that work is done within budget
- Responsible for budget setting and monitoring of expenditure to ensure costs are within budget.
- Exceptional writing skills, particularly in relation to writing for publication / broadcast, outstanding spelling and grammar
- Ability to take appropriate notes in meetings and interviews to ensure accuracy of reporting
- Able to interpret information and write formal reports for Trust Board, stakeholders and external agencies
- Ability to write clear and succinct responses to press enquiries under pressure and often about distressing circumstances
- Ability to demonstrate empathy for patients whilst protecting the reputation of the Trust, and considering legal matters
- Extensive copy writing / journalist skills
- Ability to present very complex multi-stranded information, succinctly for Board members and other stakeholders to reduce barriers to understand and support informed decision-making.
Desirable criteria
- Previous experience producing regular newspapers / publications to high quality and tight timescales
Personal Skills/Abilities and Attributes
Essential criteria
- Highly autonomous worker, able to develop and implement initiatives and strategies and initiatives across the organization, monitoring, evaluating and reporting on them to Project Boards and at key meetings
- Highly organised
- Strategic thinker
- Ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines whilst maintaining a high quality of work
- Quick learner
- Creative flair
- Ability to maintain credibility amongst all levels of staff, and external contacts
- Ability to set high standards for self and others to deliver priorities
- Pro-active in using initiative to develop ideas
- Ability to use tact and diplomacy when dealing with highly sensitive issues
- Flexible in approach in order to achieve results and meet deadlines
Other Requirements
Essential criteria
- Results orientated
- Regular use of computer software and graphic design packages (Quark Express) to produce reports and various publications and promotional material
- Highly computer literate (proficient in Microsoft office software including word, excel, PowerPoint and explorer)
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Ruth Wilkin
- Job title
- Executive Director Communications & Partnerships
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
Contact [email protected] for an informal discussion.
List jobs with Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust in Administrative Services or all sectors