Deputy Head of Community Engagement and Communications

Deputy Head of Community Engagement and Communications

Are you an experienced communications professional who'd like a new challenge, in a friendly, supportive and high-achieving team? Come and work with us in SW London - it's a great place to work with a variety of exciting challenges. This role is a strong next step for your career, with great opportunities for professional development and progression.

We are looking for a new Deputy Head of Communications, Websites and Stakeholder Engagement at a Band 8b. Have a look at the JD and you'll see that we are looking for a website, accessibility and stakeholder engagement specialist who is an expert at developing and delivering supporting strategies.

You will have a clear track record of effective stakeholder engagement and management as well as proven experience in leading integrated communications and engagement plans to deliver help us deliver our organisational objectives. Submit an application today and take the next step to a great career move.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be a website, accessibility and stakeholder engagement specialist who is an expert in developing and delivering supporting strategies. Alongside a clear track record of effective stakeholder engagement and management, they will have proven experience in leading integrated communications and engagement plans to deliver organisational objectives. The post holder will have demonstrated a capacity for strong leadership, and the strategic and people skills needed to lead a team of specialists, while supporting and contributing to a flexible and a wider integrated team.

The post holder will collaborate and align work programmes with the wider team and be responsible for planning and delivering the full integrated communications and engagement mix for South West London programmes of work. The role is part of a flexible SW London communications and engagement team.

About us

NHS South West London Integrated Care Board (ICB), as part of South West London Integrated Care System (ICS), is a partnership of organisations that come together to plan and deliver joined up health and care services to improve the lives of people in our six boroughs: Croydon, Merton, Kingston, Richmond, Sutton and Wandsworth.

Each ICS consists of two statutory elements:

• an Integrated Care Board, bringing the NHS together with its partners locally to improve health and care services
• an Integrated Care Partnership (ICP): the broad alliance of organisations and representatives concerned with improving the care, health and wellbeing of the population, jointly convened by the ICB and local authorities in the area.

ICBs are statutory NHS bodies responsible for planning and allocating resources to meet the four core purposes of integrated care systems (ICSs):

• to improve outcomes in population health and healthcare;
• tackle inequalities in outcomes, experience and access;
• enhance productivity and value for money and;
• help the NHS support broader social and economic development.

NHS South West London Integrated Care Board decides how the South West London NHS budget is spent and develops plans to improve people's health, deliver higher quality care, and better value for money.

Job responsibilities

Please see the job description and person specification for full details

Deputy Head of Communications, Websites and Stakeholder Engagement (Corporate, internal, website, accessibility, stakeholder and public affairs) will develop and lead strategies for the following areas:

Corporate communications building trust with communities and partners by supporting the organisation to fulfil statutory requirements to be transparent and accountable for its duties as well as communicating about the organisations priorities and objectives in a consistent way in line with key strategies.

Public affairs monitoring and understanding the impact of external developments which may affect the organisation and our system. Supporting senior leaders to keep abreast of national and regional developments, guidance and NHS policy so that it can influence their plans and activity.

Stakeholder management advising and supporting senior leaders to understand, build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders and partners.

Internal communications ensuring our staff are informed and engaged in the work and strategic direction of the organisation, and the wider health and care system.

Joint digital leadership (websites and accessibility) supporting communications and engagement team members to actively consider digital approaches as part of their wider plans supporting the organisation has an accessible and transparent digital presence. This role will have a particular focus and responsibility for the ICB and ICS websites and accessibility of information published online.

Person Specification Education / Qualifications

• Educated to masters level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area.
• Extensive knowledge of engagement and communications, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to master's level equivalent
• Evidence of continued professional development

Knowledge and Experience

• Must be able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups - including during service change
• Extensive knowledge and expertise in working with patient and public groups, and the voluntary sector and during service change and public consultation
• Excellent understanding of statutory requirements for engagement, current NHS policy and guidance and the implications for engagement with all stakeholders
• Ability to work inclusively with people and communities through asset-based community development approaches and coproduction principles.
• Extensive knowledge of the causes of health inequalities and experience in innovative techniques to engage with Core20+5 communities
• Commitment to the equalities agenda and the ability to work across and understand the geographically, economically, and culturally diverse communities.
• Strong knowledge of creating stakeholder analyses/ mapping exercise of community groups and networks, using channels to direct and differentiate messaging, including during consultations

Skills and Abilities

• Proven ability of recording and summarising community engagement activities and insight and produce high quality Board level reports in order to influence senior decision making
• Good presentational skills for conveying complex concepts and use persuasion to influence others
• Developed communication skills for delivering key messages to a range of stakeholders both internal and external (including outside the NHS) to the organisation, some at very senior level
• Ability to understand a broad range of highly complex information quickly and making decisions where opinions differ/no obvious solution
• Intermediate (or advanced) Keyboard skill - ability to use Microsoft Office package at intermediate (or advanced) level.
• Ability to identify risks, anticipate issues and create solutions and to resolve problems in relation to project or service delivery

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.

Deputy Dir of Communications and Engagement

£64,408 to £73,961 a yearInclusive per annum of Outer HCAS

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