We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Assistant Director of Media and Campaigns to join our communications senior leadership t.....
We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Assistant Director of Media and Campaigns to join our communications senior leadership team. In this pivotal role, you will shape and execute our communications strategy, enhancing our public profile and ensuring clear, effective messaging across all of our internal and external channels.
You will be committed to bringing our values to life, producing exceptional communication campaigns and a collaborative leader that can build relationships and inspire their team. You will also be confident working in a complex and fast paced environment with high levels of public and media scrutiny.
Join us in making a meaningful impact on mental health in our community.
• To oversee the development, delivery and evaluation of media, internal communications and campaign plans that support the Trust’s strategic objectives and build the Trust’s reputation as a leading organisation within the NHS, ensuring that activity is in line with the Trust’s overall communications and engagement strategy.
• To ensure that relationships with key stakeholders are maintained and proactively developed.
• To oversee the development and delivery of communications and engagement plans to support major trust-wide projects, providing leadership and expert advice, ensuring communications plans align with broader communications strategies including staff engagement and involvement programmes.
• To work with senior managers to identify and develop communications campaigns to support the organisation in meeting its strategic objectives, providing strategic advice and expertise to enable opportunities for feedback, involvement and contribution to decision-making.
• To ensure that all communications materials and channels help build the Trust’s reputation as a leading organisation within the NHS, that they are correctly tailored for the appropriate target audiences, including hard to reach audiences, and are in line with the Trust’s overall communications strategy.
• To ensure the Trust brand and visual identity are protected, including supporting other staff in the correct application of corporate style guidelines, ensuring compliance and addressing inconsistencies.
We are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance. There is an extensive range of excellent benefits for you and your family.
We want you to feel like you are part of a close knit team at South London and Maudsley. It’s important to us that you valued and appreciated and that are why we have a comprehensive benefits package on offer.
Some of our benefits include:
• Generous pay, pensions and leave, we offer a comprehensive pay, pensions and leave package, which is dependent on the role and length of service
• Work life balance, flexible working and support a range of flexible options, such as: part-time working and job sharing
• Career development, There are plenty of opportunities to progress your career and we support your development through a number of programmes such as mentoring, coaching, positive people management, collective leadership and other talent programmes
• Car lease, our staff benefits from competitive deals to lease cars
Accommodation, our staff benefits from key-worker housing available which is available on selected sites
NHS discounts, with discounts up to 10% from a variety of well-known retail brands though Health Service Discounts website.
Other benefits include:
• Counselling services
• Wellbeing events
• Long service awards
• Cycle to work scheme
• Season ticket loan
• Childcare vouchers
• Staff restaurants
Leadership and strategy
• Lead the media and communications team, setting agreed programmes of work and
objectives in line with the overall communications strategy.
• Advise senior colleagues, including the Trust Board, on strategic communications and related issues, writing briefs and reports for senior colleagues.
• Provide advice and guidance to the Trust Board, Chief Executive and the senior leadership team in accordance with current legislation, NHS initiatives, DHSC guidance and communications best practice.
• Be an active participant in developing the department’s annual strategic plan, and other planning as required.
• Be the accountable lead for managing media relations activity that builds the Trust’s reputation as a leading organisation within the NHS, ensuring media activity is in line with the Trust’s overall media relations strategy and that maximum exposure is obtained.
• Connect with peers across the South East London Integrated Care System (and beyond) to situate South London and Maudsley in the broader narrative of improving healthcare and lives in south east London.
• Be aware, promote the investigation of, and where beneficial, encourage the adoption of new and emerging technologies and media platforms.
• Audit all activity on an ongoing basis and devise and implement action plans to make required improvements. Work with the Director of Communications and Engagement to manage risks.
Management (including finance and resources)
• Directly line-manage the Senior Communications Manager, Communications Assistant, and contractors including performance, annual leave and sick leave.
• Responsible for the day-to-day management and direction of the Media and Campaigns team and providing departmental cross cover when required to support resilience.
• Management of recruitment activity for any vacant posts within the team, ensuring compliance with training etc.
• Budgetary responsibility, allocating financial and staff resources to projects, managing spend for projects and delivering projects within the agreed and allocated resources and in accordance with the Trust’s instructions.
• Constantly strive for value for money and greater efficiency in the use of these budgets and to ensure that they operate in recurrent financial balance year on year.
• Responsibility for tracking expenditure on communication and media activities and providing reports to the Director of Communications and Engagement, as required.
• Manage third parties (such as suppliers) to ensure deliverables are met in a timely manner and within budget.
• Ensure administrative and financial integrity as expected within a public sector organisation following Trust and national guidance.
Media management
• To deliver media creative and proactive media relations activity that builds the Trust
reputation as a leading organisation within the NHS, within and beyond the sector – including nationally and internationally.
• Horizon scan for opportunities for the Trust to raise its profile externally, including regional and national initiatives and events, within and beyond the sector.
• Protect the reputation of the Trust by pre-empting negative news stories and managing
misinformation from external sources, taking appropriate action to rectify with members of the media and the public.
• Take, and be accountable for, decisions on reputation management, in order to support the Trust Board and senior managers.
• Lead on media management for the Trust including agreeing proactive and reactive lines
• Provide advice, guidance and media relations support to serious incident investigations and inquests.
• Manage the reputation of the organisation, advising senior managers and frontline staff
• Analyse, interpret and present data to highlight issues, risks and support decision making with regards to reputation and media management.
• Brief the Executive and Senior Management teams on any potential media and reputational issues.
• Develop communications handling plans for sensitive media issues including, but not limited to, serious incidents (both clinical and non-clinical), incidents involving patients and high-profile complaints.
• Develop and deliver crisis communications media handling plans and direct the involvement of the wider communications team in the delivery of these.
• Act as a spokesperson for the Trust if appropriate and required. This would include leading internal and external events and managing contentious issues.
Internal communications
• To maintain and develop internal communications that measurably inform and inspire our colleagues, in line with the organisation’s strategic priorities.
• To lead on the strategic aspects of internal communications, including the development,
delivery and evaluation of strategies and plans, advising both the team and senior
management of key messages, channels and actions.
• To develop, maintain and audit our internal communications channels, devising and delivering content and ensuring plans are in place to support the team to deliver effectively.
• To be the lead operational responsible officer for internal communications activities, including our various regular internal publications.
• To use specialist expertise to influence and persuade senior colleagues on a wide range of complex communications issues.
• Engage actively with colleagues across the Trust, using a range of methods, to monitor and improve the effectiveness of our internal communications.
• Encourage the internal communications team to be creative and ambitious, alert to best
practice and effective techniques from any sector.
• Ensure the Trust's values are embedded and expressed in all activities and underpin all
internal messages.
Stakeholder engagement
• To establish and maintain effective co-operative working relationships with all stakeholder groups, internally and externally, including HR and OD teams, staff networks, local councils, partner organisations etc.
• Build a network of stakeholders that can be called on in relation to proactive and reactive media enquiries.
• Be visible to colleagues as the key point of contact for internal communications, one with whom they will actively wish to share their views and content.
• Work positively and collaboratively with colleagues at all levels, up to and including the Executive Team.
• To advise and take decisions in relation to informal engagement and formal consultation activities as part of service developments and organisational change.
Project management
• To prioritise, plan and allocate resources (including budgets and staffing) for the delivery of key communications and media activities and projects.
• To apply measurement criteria and tools and evaluate communications and media activity and outcomes in line with project briefs.
Information Resources
• To produce and/or assist in the preparation of reports and, where necessary, attend relevant meetings with internal and external stakeholders to deliver those reports and advise on communications and media issues.
• To prepare briefings for regulatory, advisory bodies or internal stakeholders in respect of updating them on complex issues on an ad hoc basis as requested by the Director of Communications and Engagement.
• To analyse complex statistical data to inform the development of communications strategies, plans and reports.
• To undertake annual audits and surveys and utilise other feedback techniques to evaluate the communications function both internally and externally, reporting findings and recommendations for improvement to the Executive Management Team and Senior Leadership Team.
Research and Development
• To be responsible for keeping up-to-date with best practice and new techniques in media relations.
• To keep up to date with national policy, new health initiatives and partner organisations strategies
• Keep up to date with new and emerging technologies and platforms
Training and Development
• To undertake mandatory and statutory training as required by Trust policy.
• To contribute and commit to undertaking an annual Development Review/appraisal.
• To undertake personal development as identified in the Personal Development Plan (PDP).
• To train colleagues at all levels across the Trust in PR skills, particularly in media handling and social media, as required.
General
• This is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities, and the postholder may be required to undertake other duties which fall within the grade of the job, in discussion with the manager.
• This job description will be reviewed regularly in the light of changing service requirements and any such changes will be discussed with the postholder.
• The postholder is expected to comply with all relevant Trust policies, procedures and guidelines
• The postholder is responsible for ensuring that the work that they undertake is conducted in a manner which is safe to themselves and others, and for adhering to the advice and instructions on Health and Safety matters given by Manager(s). If postholders consider that a hazard to Health and Safety exists, it is their responsibility to report this to their manager(s).
• We are an equal opportunities employer. It is the policy of the Trust to ensure that no user of the service, past, present or future employee, or job applicant, receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, sex, sexual orientation; in line with the Trust's Equality and Diversity Strategy.
Other
• This post holder will be responsible for taking part in the media on call rota out of hours and ensure they proactively keep themselves up-to-date with PR issues, social media, media handling and support other staff to identify and manage any gaps in skills.
• The post holder will occasionally be exposed to distressing situations which may include suicides and absconds as well as dealing with sensitive staffing issues and managing communications, particularly with the media, in times of crisis.
This advert closes on Wednesday 21 Aug 2024
