We are looking for a senior communications officer to support one of the biggest transformation programmes we have ever seen - to engage our people, our clinicians and our patients in the introduction of Alex Health.

Alex Health is the name of our new electronic health record and is an integrated digital record of a patient's care, drawing together information from all systems that store that patient's data. It will go live in October 2024.

Join us and help create the messages and milestones as we share the difference that Alex Health will make to our people.

The senior communications officer will work with the communications and engagement lead for Alex Health. The post will be accountable to the PAHT corporate communications team and operationally will sit within that team structure.

The role will involve supporting the work of the communications and engagement lead as well as managing a range of self-initiated projects, presentations and communications opportunities.

The post holder will be responsible for building and establishing working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders and for devising and delivering a programme of communication opportunities with staff, patients, health system partners and local communities across our catchment. This work will help successfully engage all future users of Alex Health.

The role requires a confident, proactive and experienced communications professional with a broad range of skills and experience.

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will be expected to:

• Support the communications workstream lead, the transformation workstream lead and the programme team, in building effective and valued partnerships with key stakeholders, including PAHT people, patients, health and social care partners and necessary communities.
• Support the delivery of the communications action plan, and work closely with transformation facilitators to provide communications support to help deliver transformation and change.
• Lead on the development of a range of resources to support effective and widespread communications (including physical, digital and written resources).
• Collaborate with colleagues and partners to identify priorities, linked to the communications action plan, and co-produce the resources required.
• Ensure effective measurement and review of activities to inform evaluation and demonstrate outcomes, linked to the action plan.

About us

Our Organisation

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) provides a full range of general acute, outpatient and diagnostic services at The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, the Herts and Essex Hospital in Bishop's Stortford, and St Margaret's Hospital in Epping.

We employ 3,500 staff and serve a local population of around 350,000 people living in west Essex and east Hertfordshire, centred on the M11 corridor and the towns of Harlow, Bishop's Stortford and Epping. Our extended catchment area incorporates a population of up to 500,000 and includes the areas of Hoddesdon, Cheshunt and Broxbourne in Hertfordshire.

Our ValuesThe Princess Alexandra Promise to our patients as identified by our 3 values which will contribute to improving our patient experiences:

Patient at heart- Always holding the patient and their wellbeing at the centre of our thoughts and efforts

Everyday excellence - Sharing and celebrating our successes, being honest when we get it wrong, giving us the ability to learn from both

Creative collaboration - Knowing strength comes from diversity, we combine our experiences, skills and talents, working together to find new and better ways to care.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached job description and person specification, available to download at any time.

Person Specification

Education and qualifications

Essential

• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience in communications
• Professional marketing and/or communications qualification
• Understanding of the tools and techniques for effective engagement

Desirable

• Understanding of local and national health care system and providers

Experience

Essential

• Communications experience in a multi-stakeholder environment/organisation
• A track record of delivering objectives to tight deadlines
• Experience of advising on the look and feel of communications materials
• Experience of brand guardianship
• Experience of producing a wide range of materials for communicating with internal and external audiences

Desirable

• Experience of working at a strategic level with senior colleagues and external partners and successfully influencing others
• Forming and maintaining effective partnerships with external organisations
• Experience of evaluation and measurement, working with databases and analysis of data to inform strategy and actions

Skills and knowledge

Essential

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills, and the ability to persuade others
• Creative thinking and the ability to generate original ideas and identify new opportunities
• Excellent problem-solving abilities and the ability to adapt to changing priorities in an effective manner, direct resources accordingly and respond quickly to requests
• Ability to effectively measure and evaluate activities, aligning activities to strategy
• Excellent IT literacy skills

Personal qualities

Essential

• Ability to work as part of a team as well as autonomously using tact and diplomacy
• Highly motivated and enthusiastic
• Able to think spontaneously and respond positively to pressure
• Able to develop a strong rapport with a wide range of people

Employer details

Employer name

The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust

Address

The Princess Alexandra Hospital/Kao Park

Harlow

CM20 1QX

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

292-6319298-CORP