Associate Director of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Assistant Director of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement to join our communications senior leadership team. In this pivotal role, you will shape and execute our communications strategy, enhancing our public profile and ensuring clear, effective messaging across all of our internal and external channels.

You will be committed to bringing our values to life, producing exceptional communication campaigns and a collaborative leader that can build relationships and inspire their team. You will also be confident working in a complex and fast paced environment with high levels of public and media scrutiny.

Join us in making a meaningful impact on mental health in our community.

Main duties of the job

• To oversee the development, delivery and evaluation of the Trust's communications strategy, and stakeholder and community engagement plan, that support the Trust's strategic objectives and build the Trust's reputation as a leading organisation within the NHS
• To ensure that relationships with key stakeholders are maintained and proactively developed
• To oversee the development and delivery of communications and engagement plans to support major trust-wide projects, providing leadership and expert advice
• To work with senior managers to identify and develop communications campaigns to support the organisation in meeting its strategic objectives
• To ensure that all communications materials and channels help build the Trust's reputation as a leading organisation within the NHS, that they are correctly tailored for the appropriate target audiences, including hard to reach audiences, and are in line with the Trust's overall communications strategy
• To ensure the Trust brand and visual identity are developed and protected, including supporting other staff in the correct application of corporate style guidelines, ensuring compliance and addressing inconsistencies
• To ensure the organisational internal and external channels are kept up-to-date with the relevant information from the clinical programmes and workstreams
• To develop and maintain the Trust's Trust and Reputation dashboard and provide analysis

About us

We are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance. There is an extensive range of excellent benefits for you and your family.

We want you to feel like you are part of a close knit team at South London and Maudsley. It's important to us that you valued and appreciated and that are why we have a comprehensive benefits package on offer.

Some of our benefits include:

• Generous pay, pensions and leave, we offer a comprehensive pay, pensions and leave package, which is dependent on the role and length of service
• Work life balance, flexible working and support a range of flexible options, such as: part-time working and job sharing
• Career development, There are plenty of opportunities to progress your career and we support your development through a number of programmes such as mentoring, coaching, positive people management, collective leadership and other talent programmes
• Car lease, our staff benefits from competitive deals to lease carsAccommodation, our staff benefits from key-worker housing available which is available on selected sites

NHS discounts, with discounts up to 10% from a variety of well-known retail brands though Health Service Discounts website.

Other benefits include:

• Counselling services
• Wellbeing events
• Long service awards
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Childcare vouchers
• Staff restaurants

Job description

Job responsibilities

Leadership and strategy

• Lead the communications and stakeholder engagement team, setting agreed programmes of work and objectives in line with the overall communications strategy
• Advise senior colleagues, including the Trust Board, on strategic communications and related issues, writing briefs and reports for senior colleagues
• Provide advice and guidance to the Trust Board, Chief Executive and the senior leadership team in accordance with current legislation, NHS initiatives, DHSC guidance and communications best practice
• Be an active participant in developing the departments annual strategic plan, and other planning as required
• Be the accountable lead for stakeholder relations and public affairs activity that builds the Trusts reputation as a leading organisation within the NHS, ensuring media activity is in line with the Trusts overall stakeholder and community engagement plan and that maximum exposure is obtained
• Connect with peers across the South East London Integrated Care System (and beyond) to situate South London and Maudsley in the broader narrative of improving healthcare and lives in south east London
• Be aware, promote the investigation and, where beneficial, encourage the adoption of new and emerging technologies and media platforms
• Audit all activity on an ongoing basis and devise and implement action plans to make required improvements. Work with the Director of Communications and Engagement to identify, record and manage risks and issues Deputise for the Director of Communications and Engagement where appropriate

Management (including finance and resources)

• Directly line-manage the Senior Communications Manager, and Stakeholder and Public Affairs Manager, including performance, annual leave and sick leave
• Responsible for the day-to-day management and direction of the Communications and Stakeholder Engagement team
• Management of recruitment activity for any vacant posts within the team, ensuring compliance with training etc
• Budgetary responsibility for the Communications and Stakeholder Engagement team, allocating financial and staff resources to projects, managing spend for projects and delivering projects within the agreed and allocated resources and in accordance with the Trusts Standing Financial Instructions
• Constantly strive for value for money and greater efficiency in the use of these budgets and to ensure that they operate in recurrent financial balance year on year
• Responsibility for tracking expenditure on communication and media activities and providing reports to the Director of Communications and Engagement, as required
• Manage third parties (such as suppliers) to ensure deliverables are met in a timely manner and within budget
• Commission and brief designers, communications agencies and other external suppliers ensuring that expenditure stays within agreed budget
• Ensure administrative and financial integrity as expected within a public sector organisation following Trust and national guidance

Reputation management

• To deliver creative communication campaigns and materials, alongside engagement activities that build the Trusts reputation as a leading organisation within the NHS, within and beyond the sector
• Maintain the Trusts Trust and Reputation dashboard, providing information on key metrics
• Undertake market research projects as necessary to explore, benchmark and measure levels of trust and the Trusts reputation amongst its communities and stakeholders
• Horizon scan for opportunities for the Trust to raise its profile externally, including regional and national initiatives and events, within and beyond the sector
• Take, and be accountable for, decisions on reputational management, in order to support the Trust Board and senior managers
• Lead on media management for the Trust including agreeing proactive and reactive lines to take in relation to media enquiries
• Provide advice, guidance and engagement support to serious incident investigations and inquests
• Manage the reputation of the organisation, advising senior managers and frontline staff of any potential reputational issues
• Analyse, interpret and present data to highlight issues, risks and support decision making with regards to reputation and stakeholder management
• Brief the Executive and Senior Management teams on any potential media and reputational issues
• Develop communications handling plans for sensitive issues including, but not limited to, serious incidents (both clinical and non-clinical), incidents involving patients and high-profile complaints
• Develop and deliver crisis communications handling plans and direct the involvement of the wider communications team in the delivery of these
• Act as a spokesperson for the Trust if appropriate and required. This would include leading internal and external events and managing contentious issues
• Ensure the Trust's values are embedded and expressed in all activities and underpin all communications and stakeholder activities

Clinical communications (including patient information)

• To maintain and develop clinical communications that measurably inform and inspire our colleagues, in line with the organisations strategic priorities
• To lead on the strategic aspects of clinical communications, including the development, delivery and evaluation of strategies and plans, advising both the team and senior management of key messages, channels and actions
• To develop and maintain patient information approach including the auditing of patient information materials to ensure they are accurate and high quality
• To be the lead operational responsible officer for clinical communications activities
• To use specialist expertise to influence and persuade senior colleagues on a wide range of complex communications issues
• Engage actively with colleagues across the Trust, using a range of methods, to monitor and improve the effectiveness of our internal communications
• Encourage the clinical communications team to be creative and ambitious, alert to best practice and effective techniques from any sector
• Ensure the Trust's values are embedded and expressed in all activities and underpin all clinical messages

Stakeholder engagement

• To build and maintain strong and highly effective collaborative working relationships with system partners and wider regional and national partners (including the voluntary and community sector media patient groups and pressure groups), creating the conditions for successful partnerships and promoting a culture of co-design and collaboration.
• To ensure that the Trust influences and seeks input from wider system partners including provider collaboratives, public health, local government, the voluntary and community sector, other partners, and local communities
• Build a network of stakeholders that can be called on in relation to communication campaigns and initiatives
• Be visible to colleagues as the key point of contact for external communications and stakeholder engagement, one with whom they will actively wish to share their views and content
• Build a network of stakeholders that can be called on in relation to communication campaigns and initiatives
• Work positively and collaboratively with colleagues at all levels, up to and including the Executive Team
• Connect and work closely with peers across the south east London ICS
• To advise and take decisions in relation to informal engagement and formal consultation activities as part of service developments and organisational change

Project management

• To prioritise, plan and allocate resources (including budgets and staffing) for the delivery of key communications and media activities and projects.
• To apply measurement criteria and tools and evaluate communications and media activity and outcomes in line with project briefs.

Information Resources

• To produce and/or assist in the preparation of reports and, where necessary, attend relevant meetings with internal and external stakeholders to deliver those reports and advise on communications and media issues.
• To prepare briefings for regulatory, advisory bodies or internal stakeholders in respect of updating them on complex issues on an ad hoc basis as requested by the Director of Communications and Engagement.
• To analyse complex statistical data to inform the development of communications strategies, plans and reports.
• To undertake annual audits and surveys and utilise other feedback techniques to evaluate the communications function both internally and externally, reporting findings and recommendations for improvement to the Executive Management Team and Senior Leadership Team.

Research and Development

• To be responsible for keeping up-to-date with best practice and new techniques in media relations, marketing, brand, digital communications and public affairs.
• To keep up to date with national policy, new health initiatives and partner organisations strategies and plans and how these impact locally on the Trust.
• Keep up to date with new and emerging technologies and platforms, and their potential to enhance our communications and media activities.

Training and Development

• To undertake mandatory and statutory training as required by Trust policy.
• To contribute and commit to undertaking an annual Development Review/appraisal.
• To undertake personal development as identified in the Personal Development Plan (PDP).
• To train colleagues at all levels across the Trust in PR skills, particularly in media handling and social media, as required.

Person Specification

Training and Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to master's level in relevant subject or equivalent level qualification or significant experience working at a similar level in specialist area

Desirable

• CIPR diploma or advanced certificate
• Professional qualification or equivalent experience in communications

Values and behaviours

Essential

• Ability to act in accordance with our values and behaviours

Other

Essential

• Empathy for individuals who have experienced mental health problems

Desirable

• Personal experience of mental health problems

Experience

Essential

• Demonstrable experience working in Communications at senior management level within a large NHS organisation or equivalent relevant health care experience