Head of Communications

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Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT) are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics.

We are committed to recruiting to our values. Leading One Culture of Care underpins our values by creating an environment, tone and behaviours across all parts of the Trust that are fundamentally rooted in compassionate care.

We are open to considering a wide range of flexible working arrangements. There are opportunities to flex the days of the week, hours and times of work and place of work including: part-time, job-share, flexible working hours and the possibility to work from home when appropriate. Please talk to us during the interview process to discuss any flexibility that you may require.

We received our Silver Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme which is helping actively promote SaBRE - Supporting Britain's Reservists and Employers. This means that we provided its statement of intent to support all Defence personnel and we welcome application to work for us. Find out more - Why Choose CHFT?

Our Future Plans

The Department of Health and Social Care has awarded capital funding to invest in local health services at both Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. This is a significant investment and an opportunity to enhance services for our populations in Calderdale and Huddersfield and West Yorkshire for generations to come. To find out more, please visit https://future.cht.nhs.uk/

Job overview

Reporting directly to the Director of Corporate Affairs, the Head of Communications will be the Trust's professional communications lead accountable for all aspects of internal and external communications and contribute to managing the profile and reputation of the Trust.

The post holder will lead on providing advice and management of all aspects of communications to build and maintain a positive reputation with colleagues, key stakeholders, patients, partners and the public. This will include responsibility for internal colleague communications and external communications with partner organisations, local, regional and national stakeholders.

The role will require close liaison with the Trust's Foundations for our future Programme to support the development and delivery of a communications and engagement strategy and associated plans relating to the significant programme underway across the Trust.

Main duties of the job

Ensuring colleagues, Trust members and partner stakeholders are kept informed of key strategic issues related to the Trust

Developing constructive relationships with the public and media.

Leading and developing communications across the trust and with its partners on the significant transformation and reconfiguration plans

Representing the trust in sensitive and political situations, delivering difficult messages where required to high-level audiences.

Coordinating communications activities in support of key projects and supporting colleagues to manage the strategic public relation impacts of decisions.
• Developing and delivering communications plans to support strategic objectives.

Management of the delegated communications budget and supervision / line management of a colleagues within the communications team.
• Providing expert advice, guidance and support to members of staff in any dealings they have with the media and to ensure senior members of staff have appropriate support and training.
• Leading and advising on reputation management, working with communications teams across partners and regulators to align communication messages.

Working for our organisation

We employ more than 6,500 staff who deliver compassionate care from our two main hospitals, Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary as well as in community sites, health centres and in patients' homes. We also are incredibly proud to have almost 150 volunteers here at CHFT.

We provide a range of services including urgent and emergency care; medical; surgical; maternity; gynaecology; critical care; children's and young people's services; end of life care and outpatient and diagnostic imaging services.

We provide community health services, including sexual health services in Calderdale from Calderdale Royal and local health centres. These include Todmorden Health Centre and Broad Street Plaza.

We continue to modernise and invest in our health services to build on our strong reputation. Foundation trusts are public leaders in improving quality in health services. They are part of the NHS - yet decisions about what they do and how they do it are driven by independent boards. Boards listen to their Council of Governors and respond to the needs of their members - patients, staff and the local community.

Foundation trusts provide what the health service wants, yet are also free to invest quickly in the changes to the local community needs, in striving to be the best, and in putting their patients first.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will be responsible for managing the work of the Trust's communications function and service offer and this includes line management and budget responsibility for communications support staff.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

Responsibilities include:
• Ensuring colleagues, Trust members and partner stakeholders are kept informed of key strategic issues related to the Trust.
• Creating ongoing opportunities for people to contribute ideas and share good practice through a range of communication channels.
• Developing constructive relationships with the public and media.
• Leading and developing communications across the trust and with its partners on the significant transformation and reconfiguration plans
• Representing the trust in sensitive and political situations, delivering difficult messages where required to high-level audiences.
• Handling highly complex, sensitive, and contentious information, including presenting information about projects and dependencies to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders in formal settings (for example this could relate to service and reconfiguration plans, patient complaints, coroner inquests, crisis management scenarios etc)
• Coordinating communications activities in support of key projects and supporting colleagues to manage the strategic public relation impacts of decisions.
• Developing and delivering communications plans to support strategic objectives.
• Management of the delegated communications budget and supervision / line management of a colleagues within the communications team.
• Providing expert advice, guidance and support to members of staff in any dealings they have with the media and to ensure senior members of staff have appropriate support and training.
• Leading and advising on reputation management, working with communications teams across partners and regulators to align communication messages.
• Undertaking research to prepare and agree reactive and proactive media statements, identifying media spokespeople and collate and analyse media coverage.
• Lead the development of and manage the content for all communication channels as well as specific projects.
• Identify proactive media opportunities, patient stories and experience to ensure the trust's aims are heard, understood and relevant.
• Lead development of the trust's website, intranet and increased use of social media to positively promote reputation, including analysis and reporting mechanisms.
• Provide oversight of communications materials produced by ensuring outputs support strategic priorities, appropriate brand application and reputation management.

Person specification

QUALIFICATIONS / TRAINING

Essential criteria

• Educated to degree level or equivalent plus training and/or experience in communications field to master's level equivalent.
• Evidence of commitment to continually update professional practice.

Desirable criteria

• Recognised post graduate qualification in public relations / marketing / communications

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE

Essential criteria

• Knowledge of communications, public relations, journalism and marketing communications techniques, approaches, procedures, health service communications, organisation, project management, external political environment
• Experience of delivering a high quality external, internal and digital communications function across a complex organisation
• Previous demonstrable experience in a comparable role working at a senior level in communications, public relations, journalism and/or marketing
• Reputation management and ability to demonstrate personal credibility to a range of stakeholders.
• Producing a wide range of information for different audiences in a variety of formats
• Direct experience of working with (proactively and reactively) and influencing the media
• High level of IT competency including digital systems and packages
• Ability to prioritise workloads and work autonomously in a fast-changing environment
• Highly resilient with the ability to cope under pressure
• Demonstrates a commitment to partnership working and the wider interests of the health services

Desirable criteria

• Leading, developing and delivering managing marketing, and communications
• Experience of working on large scale change projects or with a regional or national profile
• Experience and knowledge of communications within the NHS and/or public sector
• Working in a large, complex organisation
• Experience of working with external agencies
• Ability to influence and negotiate change within a complex external environment
• Knowledge and understanding of the NHS principles and values as set out in the NHS constitution
• Considerate of health and social care principles and can promote integration locally and regionally

COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS (INCLUDING MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES)

Essential criteria

• Exceptional written and oral communication skills
• Team player with strong leadership qualities
• Experience of leading and managing teams
• Ability to deal with sensitive and/or confidential information and deal with potential conflict of opinions
• Highly politically astute
• Committed to ensuring that the organisation values diversity and promotes quality and inclusivity in all aspects of the business

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of house/branding styles and NHS corporate image guidelines

Our vision is to provide One Culture of Care for one another in order that we can provide compassionate care for the people who use our services. We are passionate about creating a workplace where we work together to get results, encouraging colleagues to have their say, in order to co create the change we want to see. We take pride in the diversity of our workforce that's why we encourage applications from all. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants.

Please ensure your application is submitted with referees who can verify your employment/education history over the last three years and include valid email addresses for them. We will request electronic Factual Employment References from your previous employers. These references will be requested before you are issued with an unconditional offer of employment letter.

If you are appointed to a post, information will also be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records system. The Inter-Authority Transfer (IAT) process is a critical and beneficial component of ESR and following interview your previous NHS employment data, if applicable will be transferred from your current / most recent employer.

You may be required to undertake a DBS. The Trust will administer the DBS check on your behalf and will recover the cost (Enhanced £42.90, Standard £22.90 or Basic £22.90) from your salary when you commence in post (including Internal staff). You will also be required to participate in the DBS Update Service and pay the £13 cost per year. This is a condition of your employment.

CHFT is part of the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT), a collaborative of the NHS hospital trusts from across West Yorkshire and Harrogate working together to provide the best possible care for our patients.

If you have any questions please contact ask.recruitment@cht.nhs.uk for assistance.

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Documents to download

• JD & PS (PDF, 360.4KB)
• Job Description Appendix A (PDF, 259.2KB)