Job summary
- Main area
- Communications and Engagement
- Grade
- Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 358-7692070-COR
- Employer
- University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Leicester Royal Infirmary
- Town
- Leicester
- Salary
- £47,810 - £54,710 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 27/02/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Digital Communications Manager
Band 7
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Job overview
The UHL-UHN Group is moving through a programme of significant transformation involving the implementation of transformative clinical models of service and organisational integration, including the introduction of AI-based systems. A key element of this change will be the constant evolution of our digital systems to ensure our clinical services and management process are modern, safe, effective and well governed.
The Digital Communications Manager (DCM) will develop and implement impactful communications and engagement plans for the One Digital programme and its associated projects — in particular, the Electronic Patient Record (EPR) programme. The role will ensure all communications align with and support wider organisational strategies and objectives.
Main duties of the job
The DCM will use insight to segment and tailor our approaches, generating compelling and relevant communications campaigns for staff, stakeholders and the public.
The One Digital programme spans the group formed by University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) and University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN). While this post is hosted within the UHL communications team, the postholder will work in close partnership with colleagues across UHN and the Digital and Data department delivering One Digital across the UHL–UHN Group.
We are looking for an enthusiastic, experienced and highly motivated communicator who thrives on new challenges and brings creativity, resilience and strategic thinking to their work.
Working for our organisation
Our new strategy, developed with the support and feedback of colleagues, patients, and partners, is our compass for the next seven years (2023-2030).
We have four primary goals:
- high-quality care for all,
- being a great place to work,
- partnerships for impact, and
- research and education excellence
And we will embed health equality in all we do - taking active steps to reduce the avoidable differences in healthcare that some people face, working in partnership with communities.
Our strategy is underpinned by new values and we will work to ensure they are an everyday reality for all:
- we are compassionate,
- we are proud,
- we are inclusive, and
- we are one team
This is an exciting moment as we look to the future with clarity on what we already do well and where we need to focus our energies to make an even bigger difference for the people we serve.
About the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust:
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Communications planning and delivery
Acting as lead communications specialist, scope, research, plan and refine a communications strategy for the Electronic Patient Record programme and associated projects.
Develop and coordinate creative, accurate and effective communications materials for a range of audiences to support the delivery of the programme and associated projects, e.g. web pages, presentations, newsletters, media releases.
Coordinate and facilitate events, including engagement sessions and workshops, using persuasion to facilitate collaborative working and agreeing outcomes.
Liaise with third party suppliers to ensure a co-ordinated approach to communication around the programme.
Collect and analyse data to ensure ongoing evaluation of all communications activities; adapt plans and activities based on the findings: e.g. undertaking audits or surveys and analysing findings.
Create and deliver reports on the communications activities and outcomes.
Work with the External Affairs team to respond to media enquiries about the programme and difficult organisational situations in a professional and timely manner, ensuring governance and policies for sensitive or complex queries and situations are followed.
Receive, interpret and communicate highly complex, sensitive information in ways that are easily accessible, carefully targeted and appropriate to the audience. This will include staff at all levels of the Trust, clinicians, patients and the public.
Engage our staff about the potential of our evolving digital programme and ensure we provide timely information to different audiences through a range of Trust and partner communications channels.
Work closely with Trust senior managers, the programme team and members of the project implementation teams to ensure stakeholders are effectively engaged and communicated with.
Ensure all Trust information meets NHS corporate identity guidelines and the Trust’s own style and brand guidelines.
Sourcing and commissioning work / resources to support communication for the programme, ensuring budgets and timescales are met.
Horizon scan national and regional publications and social media and feed back into the organisation on anything relevant to the programme.
Liaise with Communications teams in other Trusts which have implemented / are implementing comparable digital programmes to share best practice and lessons learned; amend plans in accordance with the findings
Support an effective communications and engagement programme with all stakeholders
Act as an ambassador for the Trust’s EPR programme, and develop and maintain effective networks and relationships with internal and external contacts
Governance
Provide reports to relevant governance bodies in relation to the progress and ongoing monitoring of communication processes.
Contribution to the Communications and Engagement team
Participating in and contributing to effective departmental and project meetings in a style consistent with the Trust’s organisational values.
Following departmental policies and procedures as they apply to the duties undertaken by this role.
You will be part of the team’s on-call rota.
Leadership
· Promoting the wider public good in all actions, acting in a morally, legally and socially appropriate manner in dealings with stakeholders and members of the portfolio teams and the organisation
· Identifying, addressing and resolving differences between individuals and / or interest groups
· Empowering and inspiring others to deliver successful projects; providing specialist communications training, sharing knowledge and skills with communications and project staff
· Developing and managing teams
· Establishing and maintaining close working partnerships with key managers within both the Digital Programmes Department and Digital Healthcare Departments.
· Ensuring that the project involves the communications team in relevant aspects and that their roles are clearly defined and understood
· Constantly seeks to drive up the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the service the team provides, including supporting policy reviews and proposing changes to ways of working
· Ensuring the team is effective, supported and achieves a level of team wellbeing based on the Trust’s respective values and behaviours framework.
· Ensuring all policy and service developments are impact assessed in respect of equality and clinical safety requirements.
· Supervision of Communications Officers assigned to work on projects.
Person specification
Training & Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to degree level or equivalent, or be able to demonstrate an equivalent level of knowledge
- Highly specialist knowledge, underpinned by practical experience of digital and visual communications practices.
- Evidence of continued professional development in communications and engagement
Desirable criteria
- Postgraduate PR, journalism or marketing professional qualification e.g. CIM, CIPR, or equivalent level of experience
- Professional membership of a body relevant to engagement, communications or marketing
Experience
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of marketing communication approaches and procedures
- Supporting the development of digital communications e.g. web and social media
- IT literacy and competency relevant to communications – reports, analysis and presentations, web and social media
- Evidence of success in delivering effective communications for a complex project delivering improvements
- Experience of devising, planning, implementing and evaluating effective communications and engagement strategies
- Broad experience across communications functions including internal and external communications, media relations (both proactive and reactive) and staff engagement
- Experience of working with highly complex and/or contentious information; able to analyse, edit and present this information for various internal and external audiences and publications
- Experience of using social media to communicate and engage effectively with internal and external audiences
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of engagement and communications best practice in the NHS
- Social marketing campaign development
- Knowledge of NHS clinical systems
- Ability to demonstrate a good understanding of NHS structures and current issues
- Experience of supporting large-scale system change
- Selecting, developing and leading teams in a matrix management environment
- Assessing the skills and competence of individuals within a team and identifying their development needs
Analytical and Judgement skills
Essential criteria
- Able to review highly complex and sensitive information which requires analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options
Skills
Essential criteria
- Ability to co-ordinate communications campaigns, including events
- Takes responsibility for own learning, development and behaviour - actively seeks to develop and demonstrate own competence
- Ability to inspire confidence and trust, command respect and create a sense of community amongst those involved in this area of work
- Ability to prepare and present reports to detailed specifications for Trust and others as requested
- Encourages a culture of openness
Planning and organisation skills
Essential criteria
- Excellent organisational skills and ability to work under pressure and manage a varied and often challenging workload
- Able to work in a fast-paced environment handling challenging issues and remaining calm under pressure
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Essential criteria
- Able to demonstrate a commitment to and understanding of the importance of treating all individuals with dignity and respect appropriate to their individual needs.
- All staff are expected to engage in compassionate and inclusive leadership in the provision of high-quality care and interactions with others
Other requirements specific to the role
Essential criteria
- Ability to work under pressure to tight deadlines.
- • Ability to travel independently across UHL’s three Hospital sites: Leicester Royal Infirmary, Glenfield Hospital, Leicester General Hospital, our community hospital sites and County Hall in Glenfield.
Commitment to Trust Values and Behaviours
Essential criteria
- Must be able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with the Trust’s Values and Behaviours
Communication and relationship skills
Essential criteria
- Excellent communication skills, able to confidently present highly complex information and ideas in a straightforward, consistent, compelling, engaging style with appropriate language and tone for a range of audiences
- Well-developed relationship building and networking skills and able to develop excellent working relationships across organisational boundaries
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Gareth Duggan
- Job title
- Head of Communications and Engagement
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
Please get in touch if you would like an informal conversation about this role.
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