Associate Director of Communications and Engagement

Do you want to join a dynamic values-led team delivering an ambitious strategy to improve the lives of the communities we serve?

Are you passionate, enthusiastic and enjoy working in a fast paced, busy environment?

NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board (NHS STW) are looking for a talented and energetic communications and engagement professional to join our communications and engagement team. The role is a key senior appointment which will support the Director of Communications and Engagement in leading the organisation’s communications and engagement function.

You must be a strategist, able to work across complex organisational boundaries, who can see through the busy day to day challenges and help lead the organisation on to the next phase of its journey making sure we take our people and our communities along with us.

The post holder will lead on internal and external communications and engagement for the NHS STW and wider Integrated Care System (ICS). This will include media relations (both reactive and proactive), issues management, public awareness campaigns, digital communications, service transformation shaped by robust public engagement, and briefings for key external stakeholders.

We are looking for an innovative and creative thinker as a professional lead responsible for all aspects of expert advice on communications and engagement at NHS STW. You will have an outstanding track record of leading communications and engagement in a large, complex organisation and be capable of supporting major transformational programmes.

As a small but ambitious health and care system, we are developing an approach to collaborative working that benefits residents, patients and staff.

This is an opportunity to join our organisation at an exciting time, as we transition to a new way of working which will see local health and care organisations coming together within Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin to improve the lives of our population.

The Associate Director for Communications and Engagement will support the Director of Communications and Engagement and lead on whole system communication and engagement across NHS STW and the wider health and care system. They will support effective population health management and enhance the reputation of the system.

The post holder will be one of the most senior communications professionals within the system. The role will work across all system partners providing strategic communications and engagement advice and support to a diverse range of colleagues.

The postholder will lead the engagement function for NHS STW to ensure public, staff and other key stakeholders are actively involved and influence commissioning decisions in a way that contributes to improved health services.

The postholder will act as NHS STW's strategic communications and engagement lead and expert, advising the organisation and system partners on key communications, consultations, media and public engagement plans, issues and programmes.

Working across the ICS, the postholder will support the Director of Communications and Engagement in the discharge of the following functions:

- Communications
- Stakeholder engagement
- Public involvement and engagement
- Equality, diversity and inclusion

Key Responsibilities

External communication
- To lead the development, efficient management and implementation of NHS STW's communications and engagement strategies, policies and functions which impact across the whole organisation and the wider system
- To manage the communication of information from the Board and Senior Management to patients, staff, GP members and wider communities, locally and nationally, so that key messages and the resource implications of new/expanded services are relevant and clear to all.
- To lead NHS STW's response to highly complex and politically sensitive media enquiries that involve multiple ICS partner organisations and the regulator. This will involve leading on and/or contributing to joint public sector initiatives as required and build relationships with the local press/TV/radio teams in order to increase positive coverage of NHS STW and wider system.
- To manage the compilation and publication of the annual reports and accounts for NHS STW.
- To be responsible for managing high-level reputational issues, which will involve delivery of highly complex and highly sensitive information to the public, media and a range of external stakeholders.
- To build on existing relationships with local NHS partners across the health and social care system and other stakeholders to ensure a consistent and co-ordinated approach to all communications and engagement activity.
- During major incidences and system wide crisis situations, to lead on internal and external communications, sometimes required to make judgements that require analysis and interpretation of extremely complicated situations.
- To be responsible for communicating highly sensitive, complex and contenti