09 Oct
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
London
Job description
Job summary
Are you passionate about making a lasting impact on the mental health of young people? Do you thrive in dynamic environments where groundbreaking work is the norm?
The King's Maudsley Partnership for Children and Young People is on a mission to revolutionise the understanding and treatment of youth mental health and we need a communications leader like you to help us share this vital work with the world.
The King's Maudsley Partnership brings together world-leading experts in mental health from South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN).
This unprecedented collaboration unites the largest group of mental health scientists and clinical academics in Europe, aiming to predict, prevent, and treat mental health disorders in children both locally and globally.
Main duties of the job
As Senior Communications and Engagement Manager, you will be at the forefront of our efforts to raise the profile of this groundbreaking Partnership. You will :
- Drive strategic communications : Develop and implement communications and engagement strategies that highlight our work, influence mental health policy, and foster public and professional support
- Lead high-impact projects : Oversee a variety of initiatives, ensuring they are delivered on time and to the highest standards.
You'll identify opportunities for growth and work with senior leaders to expand our reach
- Build strong relationships : Use your exceptional relationship-building and negotiation skills to craft compelling stories and campaigns that resonate with stakeholders, including journalists, policymakers, third-sector partners, and the community
- Navigate complex environments : Manage internal and external communications across multiple organisations, ensuring that the Partnership's voice is consistent, clear, and impactful
What you bring :
- Versatility and expertise : A broad background in communications, with skills ranging from expert copywriting to PR and event management.
- Strategic mindset : The ability to develop and execute plans that engage diverse audiences and drive meaningful change.
- Influence and collaboration : Proven experience in working across complex, matrixed organisations, with a talent for bringing people together and aligning them with common goals
About us
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 the 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
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To oversee the delivery and evaluation of communications and engagement plans that support the Partnerships strategic objectives and build the Partnerships reputation as a leading organisation on children and young peoples mental health, ensuring that communications and engagement 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 clinical service development and academic research programmes, and influence children and young people mental health policy at national, regional and local level, providing leadership and expert advice,
ensuring communications plans align with broader communications strategies including staff engagement and involvement programmes at both South London and Maudsley and IoPPN
- To work with senior managers to identify and develop communications campaigns to support the Partnership 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 Partnerships profile and influence, 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 Partnerships brand and visual identity are protected, including supporting other staff in the correct application of corporate style guidelines,
ensuring compliance and addressing inconsistencies
- Deputise for the Kings Maudsley Partnership Programme Director where appropriate
Person Specification
Training and qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Masters level in relevant subject or equivalent level qualification or significant experience of working at a similar level in specialist area
- Evidence of continuing professional and personal development
Desirable
- CIPR diploma or advanced certificate
- Prince 2 Practitioner
- Professional qualification in marketing, journalism or public relations (CIM, CAM, IPR or similar)
- Professional qualification in e-communications
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrable experience of working in a communications / PR / senior journalist role preferably within a large and complex organisation
- Experience of writing excellent copy for a wide range of outlets and for a wide range of target audiences
- Demonstrated experience of managing communications projects including development, planning, implementation and evaluation
- Experience of developing brand strategies and managing relationships with design and print agencies
- Experience of successfully delivering communications strategies and implementing communications programmes
- Experience of successfully operating in a politically sensitive environment
- Experience of drafting briefing papers and correspondence at senior level
- Experience of managing stakeholder events, launches and campaigns
- Managing stakeholder and public affairs projects including writing and production of communications materials
- Managing stakeholder and partner relationships and engagement, and representing organisations
Desirable
- Experience of working in mental health
- Experience of working in NHS communications
- Experience of working in higher education, science or research communications
Knowledge and skills
Essential
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- In-depth knowledge and understanding of current PR practice and theory
- Public Affairs and stakeholder relations campaign planning, development and implementation skills
- Ability to grasp complex issues and concepts
- Ability to prepare and produce concise yet insightful communications for dissemination to senior stakeholders and a broad range of stakeholders as required
- The ability to identify the target audience for any given issue, understand their needs and the best channels to reach them, adapting writing styles to suit and developing copy with speed and accuracy
- Experience of creating and giving presentations to a varied group of internal and external stakeholders
- Excellent report writing skills
- Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise workload
- Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Ability to think creatively and to assess the merit of design work
- Ability to demonstrate a high level of attention to detail
- Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with people at all levels
- Ability to remain calm under pressure
- Ability to work both independently and as part of a small team
Desirable
- Good understanding of the national government and the NHS, how it works, the issues it faces and how to communicate within it
- Experience of communicating with diverse audiences including hard to reach groups
- Policy design, development and implementation skills
Values and behaviours
Essential
Ability to act in accordance with our values and behaviours
Other
Essential
Empathy for individuals who have experienced mental health problems
Desirable
- Personal experience of mental health problems
▶️ King’s Maudsley Partnership Senior Communications & Engagement Manager
🖊️ South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
📍 London