Senior Communications Officer
Job overview
Senior Communications Officer - Band 6 - 37.5 hours - Permanent
Tameside and Glossop IC NHS FT is looking to appoint a senior communications officer within the Communications Team.
We're looking for an individual with a thirst for development, ambition and drive to progress their career in corporate communications. You will offer a broad skill-set including: experience in external communications, managing communications campaigns, managing stakeholders, writing for a variety of audiences and social media including the management of the Trust's digital platforms.
You will be joining a forward looking integrated care organisation and will be given the opportunity and environment to develop within the role.
As a key member of the Communications Team, you will play an important role in helping to shape the organisation's communications offer.
If this sounds like you, we'd like to talk to you.
Main duties of the job- Managing proactive and reactive media relations.
- Developing stories to promote the work of the organisation amongst the general public, stakeholders and media.
- Managing the trust's digital communications platforms including the website and social media.
- Managing corporate events like the annual staff awards.
- Developing , delivering and evaluating social marketing campaigns.
Working for our organisation
Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust serves a community of 250,000 people across Tameside & Glossop. We provide a range of services both within the hospital and across our community for both adults and children. Our vision is to improve health outcomes for our population and influence wider determinants of health through collaboration with our health & care partners.
We have a clear set of values & behaviours which we expect all of our staff to demonstrate:
- Safety
- Care
- Respect
- Communication
- Learning
We believe that the best organisations are those that reflect the communities they serve. We are therefore seeking to improve the diversity of our workforce to make it truly representative of our local population.
We actively encourage applications irrespective of race, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage & civil partnership, or pregnancy or maternity. Recognising those communities that are underrepresented within our workforce, we would particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian & minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ & Disabled people.
Benefits include; flexible working, 27-33 days annual leave plus bank holidays, sick pay, NHS Pension Scheme, free eye tests and health checks, gym discount, free bicycle loan scheme, salary sacrifice car scheme, support with stress, bereavement, relationships, finance, and much more.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The job description gives an overview of the main tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification focusses on the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. These documents are attached and can be downloaded.
The person specification detailed below is not the full person specification but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
Person specification
Knowledge Training & Experience
Essential criteria- Education to post graduate diploma level or equivalent experience in a communications specific role.
- Experience of supporting the implementation of effective communications plans for a range of projects/campaigns;
- Experience of working directly with the media, politicians and other key stakeholders in a dedicated communications role.
- Experience of producing high quality, accessible information for a wide range of audiences
- Experience of media management, including crisis management
- Ability to manage a complex portfolio of projects, without supervision, to tight deadlines
- High level of competence in relevant IT systems and software including MS Office
- Evidence of using a wide range of communications tools and channels with the ability to identify the right channel for any particular audience.
- Knowledge of, and demonstrable success in, running social media campaigns
- Proficiency in taking and editing digital images (still and moving)
- Understanding of Confidentiality and Data Protection Act.
- Good general knowledge of issues affecting the NHS
- Experience of working in the NHS or another public sector organisation
Skills, and Attributes
Essential criteria- Highly organised, proactive and pays meticulous attention to detail, particularly with written communications.
- Personable and able to build good relationships and work with a wide range of people and stakeholders.
- Excellent written communication skills with experience of drafting copy for a range of publications from corporate documents to public information leaflets, newsletters and websites.
- Excellent proof reading and editing skills with the ability to deliver accurate convincing copy to tight deadlines.
- The ability to identify the target audience for any given publication, understand their needs, adapt writing styles to suit and develop copy with speed and accuracy.
- The ability to analyse facts and situations quickly, and develop a range of creative and appropriate communications solutions.
- The ability to prioritise own work effectively and deal with conflicting demands.
- Ability to work on own initiative and organise own workload with minimal supervision working to tight and often changing timescales
- Ability to act in ways that support equality, diversity and inclusion and is able to identify and remedy situations where these are undermined.
- Ability to work under pressure in a busy working environment and able to multi-task
- Effective team working
- Ability to win the confidence of senior managerial and clinical colleagues
- An ability to maintain confidentiality and trust
- Professional, calm and efficient manner
- Positive and flexible approach to work
- Advanced Keyboard skills
New colleagues can look forward to a warm welcome here at Tameside & Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust.
For our agenda for change staff, we offer a competitive benefits package with regular pay awards, annual leave of 27 days increasing to 33 days after 10 years and access to a competitive Pension Scheme to which both you and the Trust contribute.These terms and conditions are not applicable for Non-Executive positions.
Alongside this there are extensive training development opportunities with paid mandatory training, a protected training budget for staff and support for flexible working. We have an on-site Occupational Health Service to support you at work and have fast track access to physio, counselling and complimentary therapies.
At Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, we welcome applications from all candidates.
At the Trust we always adhere to the UK Visas and Immigration rules pertaining to right to work; candidates who do not hold UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) citizenship are required to obtain a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) to be eligible to apply for either a Health and Care visa or Skilled Worker visa which allows them to work in the UK, unless they have eligibility to work in the UK via another route.
To avoid disappointment, candidates wishing to apply for a role at the Trust who do not hold UK or Republic of Ireland citizenship and who would require a CoS from an employer, should carry out a self-assessment process to identify the likelihood of obtaining CoS by visiting Work in the UK.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications:
When one has decided to use the help of AI in writing job application, please note that it is essential to personalise the information, especially in the supporting statement segment of application. AI-generated content does not fully grasp the context and requirements of the job one applies to thus producing inaccurate and misleading statements.Full reliance on AI to write application can hinder chances of success at early stage of selection process as it cannot solely showcase how one’s knowledge, experience and skills meet job requirements. It is important that to give personal touch to supporting statement and strike the balance to avoid it sounding robotic.
We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored and if applicants have used it then they are required to declare this.
Ordinarily, we accept online job applications only, however, as a part of reasonable adjustments, to meet different needs and requirements and ensure that applicants are able to give their best throughout the recruitment process, consideration will be given to a paper-based application, if requested.Please enquire with [email protected] or pick up an application template in person from our office.
Further details regarding the post can be obtained by contacting a Recruiting Manager as per contact details below.
How do you hear back from us?
We communicate via our trac.system account (@recruit.trac.jobs), please ensure that you regularly check your emails including junk/spam inbox, as your email provider’s security settings may not recognise the sender as safe.
The Trust is committed to making a difference to the environment. Our "Save Planet Tameside & Glossop" strategy means that we work towards protecting our natural environment and "green" workplace practices at all times.