Public Affairs jobs in United Kingdom

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 15 December 2025

The purpose of this role is to oversee the delivery and ongoing development of the Trust's public affairs and stakeholder engagement plan, using a range of communication channels in support of short and long term aims. This includes maintaining the organisation's Trust and Reputation dashboard and stakeholder mapping across the area including by borough(s) and programmes/projects, working with senior colleagues to ensure these are relevant, maintained and intelligence is shared with colleagues.

This role will support the delivering of communications and engagement events in support of the Trust's capital projects and commercial partnerships. This includes writing newsletters and reports, organising and hosting events, and preparing and delivering briefings.

The post holder will work effectively with external stakeholders, ensuring effective and proactive delivery of communications and stakeholder engagement activities to support key objectives. This includes partner organisations, particularly the Maudsley Charity, IoPPN and King's College London, local authority officers and elected members (councillors), service users and carers community groups, local residents and residents' associations, other NHS bodies (e.g. NHSE, NHS trusts, Integrated Care Systems), and others including architects, developers and advisors; charitable trusts/foundations and individual donors; third sector; housing providers.

The post holder will deploy strong interpersonal skills in presentations, meetings, informal and formal settings. As well as building and maintaining effective stakeholder relationships, you will have good written communication skills to produce content and reports for various audiences.

South London and Maudsley offers the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK. We care for people locally in south east London, nationally and internationally where we work in partnership with a range of stakeholders in the health system, academia, voluntary and commercial sectors.

Stakeholder Engagement and Public Affairs

To deliver public affairs, communications and engagement activity which builds relationships, enhances the Trust's reputation and is in line with overall communications and engagement strategy.

To take responsibility for ensuring stakeholder relationships are maintained and proactively developed.

To produce regular stakeholder briefings working with other departments in the Trust and partners to co-ordinate content ensuring absolute accuracy.

Devise and deliver stakeholder engagement plans and strategies for key projects and/or audiences as directed.

To drive understanding and positive perception of capital projects with external stakeholders, staff and patients through effective engagement work.

To establish and maintain effective co-operative working relationships with stakeholder groups, including attending meetings and presenting and discussing reports.

Develop, write and manage new and existing stakeholder engagement products including newsletters and events (digital and face-to‑face).

Devise and deliver proactive campaigns that will improve community engagement and understanding/awareness of the Trust's mental healthcare services for local people.

To lead on key events and visits, including high profile stakeholders, working alongside partners.

To manage enquiries from stakeholders including councillors, council executives, MPs, commissioners, public, residents associations, ensuring timely and accurate responses.

Communications and relations

To oversee the implementation of the Trust's Stakeholder and Community Engagement plan.

To produce briefings / papers updating colleagues with the Associate Director of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement.

To proactively work with partners to ensure communications are consistent and timely.

To produce and/or assist in the preparation of reports; and briefings including for partners, regulatory and advisory bodies in respect of updating them on complex issues.

To establish and maintain effective co-operative working relationships with all stakeholder groups, internally and externally, at all levels.

To ensure that communications are correctly tailored for the appropriate target audiences.

To manage contracts with external suppliers ensuring value for money and working within the framework of the organisation.

Advocate on behalf of the department on the importance of good practice in communications.

To line manage junior staff as appropriate.

Commission and manage external agencies; ensuring expenditure stays within agreed budget, contracts are delivered in full and represents value for public money.

Information Resources

Maintain the Trust's Trust and Reputation dashboard, with latest annual data and provide data analysis of key metrics.

Undertake market research projects as necessary to explore, benchmark and measure levels of trust and the Trust's reputation amongst its communities and stakeholders.

Horizon scan the political landscape for opportunities for the Trust to raise its profile externally, including regional and national initiatives and events, within and beyond the sector and produce monthly reports.

To stay up to date with national policy, new health initiatives and partner organisations strategies and plans and how these impact locally on the Trust.

To produce and/or assist in the preparation of reports and represent the Trust at meetings with internal and external stakeholders to deliver those reports and advise on public affairs.

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 Associate Director of Communications and Stakeholder Engagement.

To manage and maintain stakeholder distribution lists.

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).

General

This is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities, and the postholder may be required to undertake other duties which fall within the grade of the job, in discussion with the manager.

This job description will be reviewed regularly in the light of changing service requirements and any such changes will be discussed with the postholder.

The postholder is expected to comply with all relevant Trust policies, procedures and guidelines, including those relating to Equal Opportunities and Confidentiality of Information.

The postholder is responsible for ensuring that the work that they undertake is conducted in a manner which is safe to themselves and others, and for adhering to the advice and instructions on Health and Safety matters given by Manager(s). If postholders consider that a hazard to Health and Safety exists, it is their responsibility to report this to their manager(s).

The postholder is expected to comply with the appropriate Code(s) of Conduct associated with this post.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust operates a no smoking policy. We are an equal opportunities employer. It is the policy of the Trust to ensure that no user of the service, past, present or future employee, or job applicant, receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation; in line with the Trust's Equality and Diversity Strategy

Other

The post holder will occasionally be exposed to distressing situations which may include suicides and absconds as well as dealing with sensitive staffing issues and managing communications, particularly with the media, in times of crisis.

• Educated to degree level or appropriate vocational experience
• Evidence of continuing professional and personal development
• Membership of CIPR or other appropriate professional body; and/or professional qualification or appropriate professional experience

• Demonstrable experience of working in a Public Affairs management role
• Writing copy for a wide range of outlets and target audiences
• Managing stakeholder and public affairs projects including writing and production of communications materials
• Successfully producing strategies and implementing communications and engagement programmes
• Managing stakeholder and partner relationships and engagement, and representing organisations
• NHS, public or third sector experience
• Organising and managing events

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• In-depth knowledge and understanding of current engagement practice and theory
• Ability to grasp complex issues and concepts
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workload
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
• Understanding of brand management
• Excellent presentation skills
• Public affairs and stakeholder relations campaign planning, development and implementation skills
• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with people at all levels
• Ability to remain calm under pressure
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a small team
• Understanding of working in a partnership environment
• Good understanding of national government and NHS (including policy), how it works, the issues it faces and how to communicate within it
• Report writing skills
• Knowledge and understanding of digital communications including public websites and intranets
• Understanding of working in an NHS environment and with the public, partners and external statutory and voluntary organisations
• Experience of communicating with diverse audiences including hard to reach groups

• Ability to act in accordance with our values and behaviours

• Empathy for individuals who have experienced mental health problems
• Personal experience of mental health problems

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.

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

£56,276 to £63,176 a year per annum inclusive of HCAS