Job overview

We are seeking a skilled and motivated Communications Specialist to support two NHS mental health services supporting people across the South West: the NHS Gambling Harms Service and Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service.

In this role, you will develop and deliver targeted communications and advertising plans, create engaging digital and print content, support stakeholder engagement, manage media opportunities, and help raise awareness of these vital services. You’ll work closely with the Trust’s Communications and Engagement Team as well as clinical teams, partners, and people with lived experience to ensure our messaging is accessible, trauma‑informed, and impactful.

We’re looking for an experienced communications professional with strong marketing skills to help advertise these services and the support they provide across local communities. You’ll be confident working with sensitive topics, building relationships, and using insight to shape effective campaigns.

This role will focus on the delivery and co-ordination of all aspects of  communications and stakeholder engagement, and help to shape branding, imagery and design. 

If you’re passionate about improving access to mental health support and want to make a real difference across the region, we’d love to receive your application.

Main duties of the job

As a Communications Specialist, you’ll be an expert with experience and understanding of the Trust, able to guide others in best practice.

You will possess a project management skill set to ensure that work is 
completed to a high standard, within relevant timescales and to cost. 
You will have responsibility for the direct delivery and commissioning of a broad range of communications activity, aligned to Trust priorities and as agreed in the overarching communications and engagement strategy. 

You are a communications champion for the Trust, offering strategic internal, external and digital communications advice on a whole range of matters to support multiple clients and service delivery. 

You will be involved in the full range of communications and marketing activities, including internal communications, media and stakeholder relations, digital communications and marketing of our 
services. 

As part of your role, you will deputise for the Deputy Head of Communications as appropriate, and line manage one Communications Officer. 

Working for our organisation

We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust): a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.

We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.

Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.