Senior Communications Officer

at  Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

This is an opportunity to join a motivated, creative and innovative team in an outstanding organisation.
The communications team supports the organisation by providing an outstanding communications and engagement function. The team leads on both internal and external focused communications, using marketing and engagement campaigns, which make a difference to our patients, service users, carers and staff every day. The team has responsibility for everything from digital communications including social media, to media relations, and from accessibility to maintaining the Trust brand and identity.
The post holder will primarily be focused on external communications, whilst being flexible to the needs of the organisation to support internal focused communications as well. The post holder will need to develop strong links with operational colleagues to understand their communication needs and work with them on solutions.
While home working is supported, the post holder will be required to be able to travel into offices in Kettering and Northampton.
Working with the team to understand current priorities, the post holder will have the autonomy to plan, deliver and evaluate campaigns, using a variety of multimedia solutions. The post holder will support with a variety of communications activities including external profiling, media relations, updating and developing accessible digital content including web and social media, developing reports, developing patient information, liaising with external suppliers as well as supporting the wider team.
NHFT is a community and mental health Trust, providing physical, mental health and specialty services in both hospital settings and out in the community. Because we put the person at the centre of all we do, we focus on delivering care that is as easy to access as possible. This means many of our services can be provided at home, work or in schools. We also provide health services to various prisons and detention centres in Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
NHFT promotes a culture of learning to improve the care and safety of our patients and staff, which focuses on people who enable our Trust to be ‘outstanding’ by supporting opportunity, innovation, development and growth.

• Develop effective project, communications/engagement and marketing plans, which are tailored to the needs of different stakeholders and consider how best to use a range of channels creatively, including social media, multimedia and those managed by other colleagues
• Interpreting clinical and operational information into easy to understand health messages for the public and promoting them across relevant channels
• Advise Trust services on their communication needs including consultations and tender processes
• Working with colleagues, proactively develop our relationships with partners to enable use of their marketing channels and work collaboratively on joint projects
• Proactively seek out and learn from best practice, informing the development of our externally and internally facing communications channels
• Developing effective, accessible, patient information, ensuring effective recording and version control
• Support proactive and reactive media relations activity for the Trust. Support these media relations programmes by:
  o Drafting press releases, statements and features
  o Liaising with journalists to promote features and news ideas

o Liaising with journalists to set up interviews

• Advise and support relevant managers in drafting press releases and media responses on issues including those which are complex, contentious and/or challenging
• Support media enquiries, developing responses on behalf of the Trust and jointly with partner organisations
• Seek to maximise all opportunities to promote the Trust, its key messages and brand and minimise adverse impacts on its reputation
• Working with clinical and managerial staff advise, support and facilitate the communication of Trust news, achievements, initiatives and new service developments
• Help in the management and development of the Trust’s digital platforms as required including website, social media and developing multimedia content including videos and graphics. This includes supporting clinical services to develop their webpages.
• Developing written communications including print and digital newsletters
• Support the Communications Team with the organisation and running of corporate events
• Being an active and supportive member of the external and operational communications sub-team.

Other communications duties

• To assist other Communications Team members with the co-ordination and planning of events, meetings, presentations and briefings
• Alongside the rest of the Team ensure the Trust brand is upheld
• Track all activity in our project management tool (wrike)
• Write, edit and proof-read content and articles for a variety of audiences
• Commission, print, design and liaise with printers as necessary
• Provide information and effectively signpost members of staff or the public who contact the Communications Team
• Act in accordance with Trust policies and procedures
• Support the Communications Team with a wide variety of tasks as and when required.

Fully participate and take advantage of the personal development and training opportunities offered by the Trust and line manager

• To participate in annual personal development appraisal reviews with line manager
• To undertake such programmes of personal development and further training, as may be agreed at the beginning of the appointment and at subsequent annual reviews
• To attend and contribute to meetings as appropriate, including team, communications and development meetings

Autonomy and initiative

• Take own initiative and assist others in learning to do so. Exercise considerable judgement in all contacts and activities. Manage own time effectively
• Know when and how to ask advise or escalate issues to more senior members of the team
• Follow-up leads effectively as appropriate.

Other

• We expect all our colleagues to share the values that are important to the organisation and behave in a way that reflect these in keeping with the competency framework
• Undertake any other duties as may be reasonably requested by more senior staff and senior representatives from other functions within the organisation
• Observe the highest standard of honesty and personal integrity at all times
• Available to work flexibly, including occasional evenings and weekends as may be reasonably necessary.

Working environment

• The post holder will be seated at a desk for prolonged periods of time concentrating on reporting and planning
• This role will work in a mixture of home and office environments as well as offices and attend functions both on NHFT sites and externally.