Contributing to the development and delivery of communications strategies
- Oversee the development and implementation of the Observatory’s communications strategy.
- Play an influential role as part of the Observatory team, providing advice, ideas and suggestions for how the efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation can be improved.
- Provide strategic communications advice, support and delivery for a number of the Observatory’s major work programmes, coordinating communications activity across the Observatory to ensure effective delivery.
- Take responsibility as the communications lead on specific projects, often acting as the main point of coordination with external organisations to ensure key objectives are achieved.
Key relationships
The postholder will support the Director in building strong relationships with:
- NHS England and other arm’s length bodies
- System leaders, Provider Chief Executives, CCG Chief Officers and their Boards
- National public service leadership structures including government departments and the LGA
- Officials from the Department of Health and Public Health England
- Academics, think tanks and funders of research
- Staff from across the wider NHS Confederation including the regional teams, communications, membership and public affairs staff
- Partner organisations and key stakeholders – including, but not limited to trade unions, AoMRC, Royal Colleges, Richmond Group, Healthwatch and National Voices.
- Ministers, senior Parliamentarians and their teams across the political spectrum.
Delivery
The post holder will be responsible for:
- Development of the Observatory’s communications and stakeholder engagement strategy/plan;
- Liaising with wider media outlets regarding the work of the Observatory;
- Working with colleagues to identify and map key stakeholders and create strategies for engaging with them on the work of the Observatory;
- Creating and delivering specific plans to inform key stakeholders such as ALBs, provider organisations, CCGs, community and voluntary organisations, and wider communities and other partners, about the Observatory’s function and work;
- Providing expert communications and stakeholder engagement advice to the Observatory’s team on ways to meaningfully engage and deliver change with stakeholders;
- Define current processes, facilitate discussions and advise colleagues as to how best practice might be adopted in the definition of future processes, document those processes as they are agreed and oversee their delivery;
- The post holder is responsible for providing professional communications and engagement expertise to the team.
Communications and Media
The postholder will actively seek out opportunities to proactively promote the work of the Observatory through:
- Working closely with the press and media, and the NHS Confederation’s media team, on both reactive and proactive press. Drafting responses and press releases as well as background briefings on the work of the Observatory
- Actively generating proactive press opportunities to raise the profile and work of the Observatory
- Developing a bank of case studies to use for media bids
- Analysing relevant and new data and having the ability to make this newsworthy
- Supporting the Board Chair, Director and other members of the core team to act as external spokespersons by providing media training. Supporting and advising the Board Chair and Director for all public speaking engagements, as appropriate
- Ability to use informed persuasion to influence others including journalists.
Providing leadership and oversight for the delivery of the Observatory’s communications
- Take lead responsibility for ensuring a robust communications strategy is in place for our Observatory activities, working closely with senior leads across the Observatory to coordinate strategic activity and delivery.
- Take lead responsibility for ensuring that high quality and consistent standards are applied across all areas of work when it comes to communications activity for the organisation.
- Work effectively and proactively with other senior staff to generate high quality communications content that enables the Observatory to influence policy and practice.
- Ensure the Observatory adopts a planned and proactive approach to all activities across the organisation, identifying opportunities to work with colleagues to shape and inform content development from the outset of projects.
- Provide expert advice and guidance to colleagues on the best formats, product types and channels to use to meet their objectives.
Leadership and team management
- Lead on all aspects of communications within the organisation to deliver first-rate communications outputs.
- Build effective and cohesive relationships with others – including a commitment to excellence and supporting the needs of all our audiences.
- Manage elements of the budget allocated to communications, ensuring a proactive and robust approach is taken to budget management in line with any wider corporate policies.
