Job vacancy: Senior Communications Manager, Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Runwell

Job summary

Main area: Healthcare communications
Grade: AFC 7
Contract: Fixed term: 12 months (Maternity cover of up to 12 months)
Hours: Part time - 30 hours per week (Hybrid home and office working)
Job ref: 364-A-9345

Employer: Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: The Lodge
Town: Runwell
Salary: £47,810 - £54,710 per annum, pro rata
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 28/09/2025 23:59

Senior Communications Manager

AFC 7

Our Trust cares for more than 100,000 patients at any one time across our community health, mental health and learning disability services across Essex and parts of Bedfordshire and Suffolk.

We want you to be part of our journey of transformation, where our patients and their families are at the heart of everything we do and to achieve our vision to be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care.

You’ll be part of a Trust where you will be supported to be your authentic self and be the best you can be, where we will help you to grow, develop and thrive.

The Trust is recognised by the University of Essex and is a top provider of apprenticeships for people looking to be an assistant practitioner, senior health care support worker (CAP). Our trailblazing CAP apprenticeship won a national HSJ Award.

We are also recognised as a Veteran Aware Trust and holder of gold accreditation from the Ministry of Defence Employment Recognition Scheme. Our services are highlighted as an exemplar of good practice, producing the best care for more than 3.500 armed forces veterans in the past seven years.

We have been shortlisted and won national awards. We are an inclusive organisation and Level 3 Disability Confident Leader Trust.

We are constantly innovating and looking for new ways to deliver care, such as using technology to enhance patient care and working with partners to launch new services such as the Basildon Mental Health Urgent Care Department, virtual hospitals and falls response cars.

Join us and you’ll do the best work of your life – and make a difference to other people’s lives. What we do together, matters.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key responsibilities
Day-to-day management including planning and allocation of resources and tasks.
Lead in the development, implementation and evaluation of a range of communications campaigns. This includes managing budgets and schedules, and external contractors and suppliers as required.
Commission, write and edit complex internal and external communications materials including reports, articles, media releases, statements and information products.
Develop and maintain knowledge of all the Trust’s communication systems and platforms, including social media, continuously measuring and monitoring the effectiveness of those channels.
Work in partnership with colleagues from teams across the Trust, and where appropriate external partner organisations, to deliver communication plans and projects to deadline.
Ensure consistency in use of the Trust’s corporate image and style, in line with NHS branding guidelines.
Provide advice and support to staff including directors, senior managers and clinical colleagues across the Trust, and other organisations, on specific communications issues.
Train colleagues in use of communications tools and channels including systems.
Participate in the out-of-hours on call communications function for the Trust, as needed
Provide support across the wider Communications Team as required, including dealing with reactive media enquiries and contributing to Trust wide communications channels, tactics and collateral

Financial management
To monitor the budget for the functions within portfolio and to ensure expenditure is contained within budget limits
To authorise use of credit card for agreed areas of spend
To act as an Authorised Signatory for financial payments
To maintain financial commitment and spending records in line with audit requirements.

Communication and working relationships
The post holder will be required to develop successful working relationships at all levels of the organisation and with key external contacts such as, for example other members of relevant networks, colleagues in commissioning and regulatory organisations and journalists.
The post holder will act as communications lead during times of difficult organisational change and complex situations.
The post holder will be required to convey sensitive and complex information relating to all areas of the organisation’s operations and strategy.

Information and systems
To ensure team input in an appropriate, timely and precise manner to e-roster and other staff record systems.
To ensure data held within communications management systems and databases is accurate and handled in line with relevant legislation and policies.

Additional duties
In addition to the above duties you will also be expected to perform the below key activities in line with your job role;
Complete mandatory training in line with Trust policy and procedures
To keep yourself updated on all matters relating to Trust policy
To provide management supervision where appropriate

Ensure consistency in use of the Trust’s corporate image and style, in line with NHS branding guidelines.
Provide advice and support to staff including directors, senior managers and clinical colleagues across the Trust, and other organisations, on specific communications issues.
Train colleagues in use of communications tools and channels including systems.
Participate in the out-of-hours on call communications function for the Trust, as needed
Provide support across the wider Communications Team as required, including dealing with reactive media enquiries and contributing to Trust wide communications channels, tactics and collateral.

Person specification

Skills

Essential criteria

Devising and executing successful communication strategies and plans through understanding of internal communications and effective methods
Experience of media relations, copywriting for a variety of media including press releases, newsletters and websites

Knowledge

Essential criteria

Extensive management within a communications department

Experience

Essential criteria

Experience of working in the NHS, public sector or a membership organisation

Important note: please ensure that as part of your application, you include professional references with business contact information covering your last three years of employment history. We are unable to accept personal or character references.

As a newly appointed employee, you are responsible for incurring the cost of your initial DBS check relevant to your post; the amount will be deducted from your first salary with the Trust.

Our Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We particularly welcome applications from people with experience of using mental health services. We also hold the Disability two tick symbol and have made the pledge to commit to employing more people with learning disabilities, we encourage people with a disability to apply. If you require this application form in another format i.e. Braille or audio tape etc, please contact the Recruitment Department on 01375 364513 or email [email protected] and we can arrange for this to be dispatched to you.

The Trust has the right to expire vacancies prior to the closing date if they so wish. The Trust makes every attempt to contact all applicants and we strongly advise that you check the email account which is registered with NHS Jobs regularly, we would advise however due to the high number of applications we receive that if you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to robust safer recruitment processes.

Important Notice: Recently the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2021 (the Regulations) which amended on 22 July 2021 and come into force on 11 November 2021 that anyone directly employed to work in a Care Home or who are required as part of their role to be deployed to a CQC registered care home are required to have had both their COVID vaccinations, unless they are exempt. This is therefore a requirement of this role and will form part of our pre-employment checks.

Please note - staff who are formally at risk within the organisation will be given priority in securing alternative employment. Should it come to light that a post being advertised by the Trust is considered ‘suitable alternative employment’ to an individual who is at risk, the recruiting manager will be advised and the post will be withdrawn from NHS Jobs.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.