Job summary
- Main area
- Communications
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8c
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (Cover for maternity leave for up to 12 months)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Mon to Fri)
- Job ref
- 196-SMT1815M
- Employer
- Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Guy's Hospital
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £80,698 - £92,984 p.a. inc HCA (pro rata)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 25/06/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Head of Communications
NHS AfC: Band 8c
Guy’s and St Thomas’ is among the UK’s busiest and most successful NHS foundation trusts. We provide a full range of hospital and community services for people in south London and as well as specialist care for patients from further afield including cancer, renal, orthopaedic, respiratory and cardiovascular services.
Guy’s is home to the largest dental school in Europe and a £160 million Cancer Centre opened in 2016. As part of our commitment to provide care closer to home, in 2017 we also opened a cancer centre and a kidney treatment centre at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup. St Thomas’ has one of the largest critical care units in the UK and one of the busiest emergency departments in London. It is also home to Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
Evelina London cares for local children in Lambeth and Southwark and provides specialist services across south east England including cardiac, renal and critical care services. We lead a number of specialist service networks aiming to ensure children are treated locally where possible, but have access to specialist expertise when they need it. Our community services include health visiting, school nursing and support for families of children with long-term conditions.
Our adult community services teams deliver care at the heart of the local communities we serve, working in partnership with GPs, local authorities and other healthcare and voluntary sector organisations. Working with our partners in Lambeth and Southwark, we are focusing on new ways of working to improve care for local patients.
In February 2021 the Royal Brompton and Harefield joined Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together world-leading expertise in the care and research of heart and lung disease. Our merger provides a once in a generation opportunity to build a lasting, world-renowned heart and lung centre, providing the highest quality care for patients and conducting world-leading research.
We have a reputation for clinical excellence and high quality teaching and research. We are part of King’s Health Partners, one of eight accredited UK academic health sciences centres. In partnership with King’s College London we have dedicated clinical research facilities including an MHRA accredited Phase I clinical trials unit.
Patients are at the heart of everything we do and we pride ourselves on ensuring the best possible patient experience as well as safe, high quality care. We are proud to have one of the lowest mortality rates in the NHS. Following a comprehensive Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection in 2019 we maintained our overall rating of ‘good’. Our adult community services achieved a rating of ‘outstanding’.
The commitment of our 23,500 staff is key to our success. We are one of the largest local employers and we aim to develop and support all our staff so they are able to deliver high quality, safe and efficient care. The 2019 NHS staff survey results show that we have one of the most engaged and motivated workforces in the NHS. We know this has a positive impact on the care provided to our patients.
We have one of the most ambitious capital investment programmes anywhere in the NHS.
Job overview
We are seeking an experienced and strategically minded communications leader to join King's Health Partners (KHP) as Head of Communications on a fixed-term maternity cover basis.
This is a unique opportunity to lead communications for one of the UK's leading Academic Health Sciences Centres, working across a partnership that brings together King's College London, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
As a member of the KHP Senior Leadership Team, the postholder will lead the development and delivery of integrated communications strategies that support implementation of the KHP Strategy to 2030, strengthen partnership working, enhance reputation and engagement, and demonstrate the impact of KHP's work across research, education, innovation and healthcare improvement.
The successful candidate will be an experienced communications leader with a strong track record of operating in complex organisational environments. They will be comfortable working with senior leaders, Executive teams and Boards, navigating competing priorities, influencing across organisational boundaries and translating complex information into compelling narratives for diverse audiences.
Main duties of the job
You will lead the KHP Communications Team and act as the senior communications adviser to the Executive Director, Chief Strategy and Operating Officer, Executive Group and wider Senior Leadership Team.
Working across the partnership, you will lead the development and delivery of strategic communications activity that supports KHP's strategic priorities in:
- Personalised Health
- Digital Health and Data Science
- Population Health
- Capacity Building and Engagement
- Clinical Academic Integration
- Policy and Partnerships
You will build and maintain effective relationships with senior stakeholders across partner organisations, supporting collaborative communications approaches, joint messaging and coordinated responses where appropriate.
The role requires strong political awareness, excellent judgement and the ability to navigate complex organisational environments, balancing the priorities of multiple partners while protecting and enhancing the reputation of KHP.
You will also play a key role in communicating the impact of KHP's work to staff, students, patients, partners, funders and wider stakeholders, ensuring that the value of partnership working is clearly articulated and understood.
Working for our organisation
King's Health Partners (KHP) brings together world-leading research, education and clinical care across four partner organisations:
- King's College London
- Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
- King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Our ambition is to improve health and care through partnership, innovation and collaboration, delivering the KHP Strategy to 2030 through a focus on Personalised Health, Digital Health & Data Science and Population Health.
KHP offers a collaborative and supportive working environment, with opportunities to engage with leading researchers, clinicians, educators and system leaders. We are committed to professional development and provide a wide range of learning, networking and development opportunities across the partnership.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Strategic Leadership and Advice
- Lead development and delivery of KHP's communications strategy aligned to the KHP Strategy to 2030.
- Act as principal communications adviser to the Executive Director, Chief Strategy and Operating Officer, Executive Group and Senior Leadership Team.
- Provide expert advice on reputation management, stakeholder engagement, media relations and strategic communications.
Partnership Communications
- Lead communications activity across the KHP partnership and strategic portfolios.
- Develop collaborative communications approaches with partner organisations.
- Support implementation of the Partnership Framework and emerging governance arrangements.
- Build strong relationships with communications leaders across KHP partner organisations and key external stakeholders.
Reputation, Engagement and Influence
- Protect and enhance KHP's reputation locally, nationally and internationally.
- Lead strategic communications relating to KHP's major programmes, partnerships and initiatives.
- Develop compelling narratives that demonstrate the impact of KHP's work across research, education, innovation and healthcare improvement.
- Support engagement with funders, policy makers, regulators and external partners.
Communications Operations
- Lead and manage all KHP communications channels, including digital platforms, social media, newsletters, publications, events and stakeholder engagement activity.
- Ensure communications activity complies with accessibility standards and best practice.
- Oversee evaluation and continuous improvement of communications activity.
People Leadership
- Lead, develop and support the Communications Team.
- Manage team objectives, performance, development and wellbeing.
- Promote a culture of collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.
International and Strategic Partnerships
- Lead communications relating to KHP's national and international partnerships, including academic, research, innovation and healthcare collaborations.
- Support engagement with organisations such as the Academic Health Science Centre network, European University Hospital Alliance (EUHA), Health Innovation Network South London and other strategic partners.
Person specification
Knowledege/Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to Masters or equivalent experience with evidence of continued learning/development and/or further study
Desirable criteria
- Post graduate communications or management qualification
Skills- Strategic Communications Leadership
Essential criteria
- Evidence of leading communications strategy and providing communications advice at Executive, Board or senior leadership level
Skills- Partnership Working and Stakeholder Influence
Essential criteria
- Evidence of building relationships and influencing across complex organisations, partnerships or systems
Skills-Reputation, Political Acumen and Complex Communications
Essential criteria
- Evidence of managing sensitive, high-profile or politically complex communications and protecting organisational reputation
Skills- Leadership, Delivery and Team Management
Essential criteria
- Evidence of leading teams and delivering complex communications programmes, campaigns or projects
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Jason Watson
- Job title
- Chief of Staff
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Additional information
We welcome informal enquiries, please contact King's Health Partners Chief of Staff: [email protected]
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