Job summary
We are looking for a unique communications professional to lead on a new specialist NHS service for children and young people.
This new role is responsible for the leading the communications work for the NHS Children and Young People's Gender Service (London) which starts in April this year. You will be working with and supporting communications professionals from three partner organisations.
Flexibility, confidence, diplomacy, and collaboration skills are a must, the successful candidate / this role will regularly advise and liaise with senior clinicians, management and stakeholders in a complex environment.
Interviews will take place the first few weeks of April. Hybrid interview options will be available.
To arrange an informal chat, please email catherine.boyle@gosh.nhs.uk
Main duties of the job
- Own, manage and deliver the NHS Children and Young People's Gender Service (London) communications and engagement strategy, ensuring it is reviewed and updated on a regular basis.
- Ensure consistent communications between South regional centre partners and GOSH on all gender related communications.
- Provide professional and specialist advice, guidance, recommendations and solutions to senior clinicians, board-level colleagues and managers
- Provide strong and visible leadership to all managers and colleagues
- Produce a broad range of written communications to the highest standards, including coordinating complex internal and external public communications, materials, press releases, and messaging.
- Build and maintain positive, collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders, and - working with the internal media lead - with national and local media.
- Develop engaging two-way communications with key audiences and lead on supporting senior leaders in building, maintaining, and growing relationships with key audiences and stakeholders.
- Produce regular evaluation, monitoring and analytics that enable the service to understand the success of the strategy and its communications efforts.
About us
Following the recommendations of The Cass Review Interim Report, two new nationally networked services led by specialist children's tertiary care providers are being established. The Southern Hub, based in London, is delivered by a partnership of Evelina London Children's Hospital (part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust), Great Ormond Street Hospital and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
The Northern Hub is delivered by a partnershipof Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital (part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust). This role is based in the Southern Hub.
We are committed to promoting an environment that embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. We would like all our families and staff to feel valued and respected because we try to understand and provide for their individual needs.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents please view the attachment/s below.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents please view the attachment/s below.
Person Specification
Culture and Value
Essential
Academic/Professional qualification/Training
Essential
- Relevant degree level qualification or equivalent professional communications qualification or five years' experience
- Evidence of continuing professional development with strong communications and engagement element.
Desirable
- Communications, public relations or relevant master's qualification.
Experience/Knowledge
Essential
- Specialist knowledge and experience of delivering internal and external communications and engagement in an NHS or other politically high-profile environment, including stakeholder, patient, and public engagement.
- Demonstrable track record of successful delivery of communications and engagement activities at a senior level.
- Successfully teaching, training and advising senior leaders to deliver media interviews on complex and contentious issues. Experience of line-management
- Demonstrable experience of using social and digital media to communicate with key audiences.
- Proven experience in proactively building relationships, to support cooperation across multiple internal and external partners.
- Evidence of providing and receiving highly complex, sensitive information and effectively communicating it.
Desirable
- Experience of successful media relations including confident handling of media interviews on contentious and sensitive subjects at a national level
- Experience of working with children and young people to gain feedback.
Skills/Abilities
Essential
- Politically astute with the ability to listen to audience/ stakeholder viewpoints, cooperate and use feedback to adjust communications.
- Ability to lead with emotional intelligence whilst dealing with various pressing tasks simultaneously.
- Strong track record of managing highly complex situations requiring analysis, interpretation comparison of a range of options and giving advice to senior colleagues.
- Experience of communicating complex information to a range of audiences, advising on the best approaches and procedures.
- Plan and organise a broad range of complex activities, compare options and adjust plans and/or strategies.
- Experience of horizon scanning, supporting people to embrace new ways of working and proactively managing issues that may arise.
- Extensive knowledge and ability to respond to national and NHS policy, adapting our local communications to deliver new policy requirements.
- Knowledge and experience of inclusive and accessible communications, acting as a champion for these areas to ensure targeted and understandable communications.
- Able to respond quickly on a daily basis to offer sound advice to senior leaders. Able to adapt and respond to complex, sensitive and changing issues.
- Skilled at commissioning, managing and analysing communications metrics to support high-profile service development, including managing a budget
- Strong project management skills, able to prioritise complex projects within competing demands and ensuring delivery to a high quality on time.
- Confident in managing complex, confidential and sensitive information, directing senior leaders and clinicians on the best course of action.
- Able to work within processes and frameworks, including reporting verbally and in writing to key committees as required.
- Knowledge of evaluation practices, including monitoring the impact and quality of work and regularly reporting to the Director of Communications and other senior leaders, including the CEO.
Desirable
- Background of working at a senior level, holding management responsibilities for a team
- Ability to negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and potentially controversial issues.
- Good presentation skills able to deliver presentations to a range of internal and external audiences
Person Specification
Culture and Value
Essential
Academic/Professional qualification/Training
Essential
- Relevant degree level qualification or equivalent professional communications qualification or five years' experience
- Evidence of continuing professional development with strong communications and engagement element.
Desirable
- Communications, public relations or relevant master's qualification.
Experience/Knowledge
Essential
- Specialist knowledge and experience of delivering internal and external communications and engagement in an NHS or other politically high-profile environment, including stakeholder, patient, and public engagement.
- Demonstrable track record of successful delivery of communications and engagement activities at a senior level.
- Successfully teaching, training and advising senior leaders to deliver media interviews on complex and contentious issues. Experience of line-management
- Demonstrable experience of using social and digital media to communicate with key audiences.
- Proven experience in proactively building relationships, to support cooperation across multiple internal and external partners.
- Evidence of providing and receiving highly complex, sensitive information and effectively communicating it.
Desirable
- Experience of successful media relations including confident handling of media interviews on contentious and sensitive subjects at a national level
- Experience of working with children and young people to gain feedback.
Skills/Abilities
Essential
- Politically astute with the ability to listen to audience/ stakeholder viewpoints, cooperate and use feedback to adjust communications.
- Ability to lead with emotional intelligence whilst dealing with various pressing tasks simultaneously.
- Strong track record of managing highly complex situations requiring analysis, interpretation comparison of a range of options and giving advice to senior colleagues.
- Experience of communicating complex information to a range of audiences, advising on the best approaches and procedures.
- Plan and organise a broad range of complex activities, compare options and adjust plans and/or strategies.
- Experience of horizon scanning, supporting people to embrace new ways of working and proactively managing issues that may arise.
- Extensive knowledge and ability to respond to national and NHS policy, adapting our local communications to deliver new policy requirements.
- Knowledge and experience of inclusive and accessible communications, acting as a champion for these areas to ensure targeted and understandable communications.
- Able to respond quickly on a daily basis to offer sound advice to senior leaders. Able to adapt and respond to complex, sensitive and changing issues.
- Skilled at commissioning, managing and analysing communications metrics to support high-profile service development, including managing a budget
- Strong project management skills, able to prioritise complex projects within competing demands and ensuring delivery to a high quality on time.
- Confident in managing complex, confidential and sensitive information, directing senior leaders and clinicians on the best course of action.
- Able to work within processes and frameworks, including reporting verbally and in writing to key committees as required.
- Knowledge of evaluation practices, including monitoring the impact and quality of work and regularly reporting to the Director of Communications and other senior leaders, including the CEO.
Desirable
- Background of working at a senior level, holding management responsibilities for a team
- Ability to negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and potentially controversial issues.
- Good presentation skills able to deliver presentations to a range of internal and external audiences
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
