Senior Communications Officer
Job Description
Job summary
This is a new role in the UPD team, taking on responsibility for the initiatives external-facing communications, including social media and media engagement. The successful candidate will have excellent writing and editorial skills and experience drafting written materials for a variety of audiences and platforms. The postholder will need excellent organisational and project management skills and an ability to develop strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.
Main duties of the job
The Senior Communications Officer will work collaboratively with members of the team to draft content for our website and communications channels, including publication and communications activity for new research and resources, key health data news, and other external-facing UPD activity. Additionally, the postholder will lead on engagement with the media and monitor and evaluate media coverage for the initiative. The successful candidate will ensure that all communications activities reflect the broader vision and mission of UPD.
About us
The NHS Confederation is the membership organisation that brings together, supports and speaks for the whole healthcare system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Understanding Patient Data (UPD) is an independent initiative that was established in 2016 and previously hosted by Wellcome to support better conversations about the uses of health information. Working with patients, charities, and healthcare professionals, UPD has built a reputation as a trusted source of advice and objective, engaging research and information about the use of patient data in the UK for patient care, population health, planning and research. In 2023, UPD transitioned to be hosted as an independent initiative by the NHS Confederation, and supported by the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England.
Job responsibilities
Responsibilities
Strategic communications planning and content management:
- Write, edit, proofread copy for internal and external publications, working to tight deadlines
- Manage content for the UPD website, working with members of the team to promote new activities and highlight existing material
- Work with members of the team to develop timely strategic communications plans for UPD reports and other external-facing outputs
- Support the team to plan, design and implement communications plans for UPD
- Manage UPDs social media platforms and explore opportunities for potential set-up and management of previously unexplored channels such as BlueSky and Instagram
- Undertake continuous analysis of social media performance such as followers and post engagement, identifying trends and adapting content to improve performance
- Provide ad-hoc project management support to the team, e.g. in the run-up to steering group meetings
Media relations:
- Liaise with journalists to promote UPDs research and policy influencing activity
- Respond to media enquiries and work with the Partnerships and Community Manager and wider UPD team to provide comment to the media on sensitive and complex issues
- Engage with stakeholders in the media to position UPD as a key voice in health data policy
- Draft press releases, statements and features
- Provide briefings for the Head of UPD to prepare them for media, print / broadcast interviews, off the-record briefings and other comms activities, as required
- Manage a media monitoring system and record of media contacts
- Project manage communications campaigns and events
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Experience of using traditional and digital media (e.g. Twitter,
- LinkedIn), using media databases and uploading website content.
- Experience of writing press releases, media statements, web
- content, handling media enquiries and briefing and supporting with
- media interviews.
- Experience of developing strategic communications plans for
- reports, publications and announcements.
- Experience developing and managing relationships with external
- stakeholders to promote organisational aims
- Experience evaluating communications activity and campaigns
- Ability to work independently, prioritising and managing own time to
- meet deadlines and ensure delivery of key objectives
Desirable
- Experience working in or with organisations in the health, charity and
- public sectors
- Understanding of key current health policy developments and
- understanding of UK political environment
- Demonstrated success in developing social media or website
- outputs
- Understanding and awareness of the health media landscape and its
- key stakeholders
Employer details
Employer name
NHS Confederation
Address
Calls Wharf 2
The Calls
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS2 7JU
