Head of Internal Communications and Engagement

Job overview

Are you passionate about driving positive change through effective internal communications and engagement? Do you thrive in a busy team where your ideas can empower others and shape culture? We are seeking an experienced Head of Internal Communications and Engagement to join our dynamic communications and engagement team and play a pivotal role in connecting and inspiring our staff.

Main duties of the job:

• Develop and Implement Strategy: Shape and deliver the internal communications and engagement strategy to support the Trust’s priorities and vision.
• Innovative Campaigns and Initiatives: Design and implement campaigns to motivate and empower our staff, fostering a culture of engagement, recognition and shared purpose. Champion new and creative approaches to engage our diverse workforce.
• Lead as a Business Partner: Establish internal communications and engagement as a trusted and highly-valued business partner. Collaborate closely with senior leaders and departments to ensure communication and engagement efforts are integrated with CUH’s priorities.
• Support Transformation and Innovation: Partner with teams to support CUH’s work on continuous improvement, transformation and innovation.

This role is part of the senior communications and engagement team, deputising for the Director of Communications along with the other senior members of the team.

Our Trust

Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust comprises Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge. With over 13,000 staff and over 1100 beds the priorities of the Trust focus on a quality service which is all about people – patients, staff and partners. Recognised as providing ‘outstanding’ care to our patients and rated ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commissioner, is testament to the skill and dedication of the people who work here. CUH’s values – Together - Safe, Kind, Excellent – are at the heart of patient care, defining the way all staff work and behave. The Trust provides accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge, together with specialist services, dealing with rare or complex conditions for a regional, national and international population.

CUH is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves. We value our differences and fully advocate and support an inclusive working environment where every individual can fulfil their potential. We want to ensure our people are truly representative of all the communities that we serve. We welcome applications for all positions in the organisation irrespective of people’s age, disability, ethnicity, race, nationality, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity status or social economic background.

Due to Home Office immigration rules, a full time permanent vacancy cannot be filled by individuals on a Student visa. Therefore, please be advised that if you are a Student visa holder, we will not be able to offer you a full time permanent contract unless you have: - applied for a Graduate visa - or you will have successfully completed your course and have applied for a Graduate visa before the anticipated start date of your employment - or the Trust has agreed that they will Sponsor you as a Skilled Worker and you will complete your studies within 3 months of the anticipated start date of employment

This vacancy will close at midnight on the 17th November 2024

Interviews are due to be held on the 4th December 2024

Benefits to you

At Cambridge University Hospitals, we want to do all we can to support good working days. We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits, including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse and day nurseries. Our good work programme currently includes providing reduced cost Stagecoach bus travel to and from Cambridge University Hospital site. Park and Ride bus journeys between Babraham Road and Trumpington sites are free, as is the route to and from Cambridge train station and our hospitals. We also subsidise the cost of parking on site for eligible staff.

On CUH campus, hot food is available 24/7 and at a reduced cost for colleagues. Recently we launched the first of our staff pod break spaces. Located in the Deakin Centre, we have a purpose-created colleague-only café, with free tea and coffee, a break space and private outside area for colleagues to rest, refuel and recharge. Just one of the ways we are working hard to support good working days at CUH.

CUH is committed to assisting employees in achieving a good work-life balance irrespective of role or personal circumstances. Flexible arrangements may include, but are not limited to, part-time working, job-share, term-time working and flexible start and finish times.

Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.

We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria:

• Educated to Masters degree level and/or equivalent level of skills or experience plus training and/or experience in the communications field to degree-level equivalent.
• Evidence of continuous professional development.

Desirable criteria:

• Either an under-graduate or post-graduate qualification in journalism, marketing, public relations or related field.
• Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing or Public Relations.

Experience

Essential criteria:

• Considerable experience of leading internal communications and engagement at a senior level in a large complex organisation.
• Dealing with a variety of professionals and staff at all levels.
• Experience of dealing with senior executives; providing counsel and where appropriate, training.
• Evidence of successful communications and engagement strategy, development and implementation.
• Proven experience of leading large scale change campaigns.
• Experience in measuring and evaluating communications and engagement and designing channels that target audiences precisely.
• Proven experience in using innovative approaches for communications and engagement to reach diverse staff groups.
• Experience of leading the internal response to major incidents and crisis communications.

Desirable criteria:

• Experience of leading internal communications and engagement strategies within large NHS organisations.

Knowledge

Essential criteria:

• Understanding the latest developments in internal communications and engagement including, but not exclusively, in terms of technology. Understanding how to reach different audience groups in different way.
• Understanding of how to identify and target specific audience groups.
• Knowledge of internal communications and engagement approaches from across the industry sector and how they can be implemented in the NHS.

Desirable criteria:

• Knowledge of the NHS, its future vision and current challenges and how the organisation operates at the trust, system, regional and national level.
• Knowledge of brand management and marketing techniques and their application in public sector organisation.

Skills

Essential criteria:

• Outstanding interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.
• Advanced keyboard skills required for speed and accuracy for preparing reports, media releases and presentation material.
• Political skills and knowledge of public sector issues, including those surrounding the NHS.
• Flexibility in handling a wide range of projects, managed to tight deadlines. Politically aware.
• Confident decision maker with the ability to lead, manage and motivate teams.
• Ability to act with tact and diplomacy. Ability to maintain the highest level of confidentiality.

Additional Requirements

Essential criteria:

• The ability to understand and behave at all times, towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of safe, kind, excellent.