Communications & Engagement Manager - GM Digital Research Unit

Greater Manchester Mental Health; Manchester; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading mental health organization in Manchester seeks a Communications & Engagement Manager to enhance user participation and engagement. Responsibilities include managing communication channels and supporting various teams. Ideal candidates should have a degree in communications, strong project and stakeholder management skills, and experience in media production. This role offers a chance to contribute to digital mental health initiatives within a vibrant team.

Benefits

27 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Cycle to work scheme

Salary sacrifice car scheme

Qualifications

• Experience in managing communications activities and projects.
• Strong stakeholder management skills.
• Proficient in content creation across various formats.

Responsibilities

• Manage internal and external communications for the unit.
• Develop and implement communication strategies.
• Support unit staff with communications advice.

Skills

Engaging with stakeholders

Project management

Media/social media management

Podcast and video production

Microsoft Office

Education

Degree in Communications or equivalent

Project management qualification

Job description

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Communications & Engagement Manager - GM Digital Research Unit, Manchester

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Client:

Greater Manchester Mental Health

Location:

Manchester, United Kingdom

Job Category:

Other

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EU work permit required:

Yes

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Job Reference:

2e28e0e4022e

Job Views:

6

Posted:

12.08.2025

Expiry Date:

26.09.2025

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Job Description:

Job overview

Following a strategy refresh the G M. Digital Research Unit have established the need to strengthen participation and engagement of service users, carers, staff and partner organisations. An experienced Communications and Engagement Manager, with an interest in Digital Mental Health and research, is required to help to develop and implement this aspect of the strategy.

The post holder will have excellent and engaging communication skills as they will be required to write materials and speak to a wide range of individuals and organisations. The communication will be complex as the post holder will be required to liaise with clinicians internal and external to the Trust, members of patient and carer support and involvement groups, the general public, and other local organisations.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will manage internal and external communications channels for G M. Digital, with a predominant focus on verbal, digital and audio-visual formats. The post holder will provide communications advice and support unit staff members and stakeholders. They will be responsible for content management through planning, production and management of content across multiple channels, matching channels, styles and messages to audiences as appropriate, both internally and externally.

The post holder will contribute to the delivery of the G M. Digital Research Unit strategic objectives and contribute to the development and delivery of key communications campaigns and initiatives.

The post-holder will receive line management support from Heidi Tranter (G M. Digital Research Unit Manager) in Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH). This includes regular line management supervision, clear objective setting for 3, 6 and 12 months and annual appraisals thereafter (depending on continued funding for the post).

Working for our organisation

Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7000 members of staff, who deliver services from more than 122 locations.

We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford,Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.

Greater Manchester is one of the world's most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options.

Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.

Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising to 29 after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years
• Cycle to work scheme
• Salary sacrifice car scheme

Person specification

Education

• Educated to degree level or equivalent level of training/experience of working at a similar level in a specialist area.
• Qualification in Communications Experience and/or Qualification in project management.

Experience

• The post holder should: Engaging appropriately with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience of managing projects and delivering change and realisation of benefits
• Experience with systems used to manage communications activity, , media/social media management systems, websites, campaign management tools etc.
• Experience with podcast and video production (including interview, recording and editing)
• Experience in communications and stakeholder management.
• Advanced experience of using Microsoft Office software in the workplace.
• Experience of producing media content of sensitive topics such as mental health.

Knowledge

• The post holder should be knowledgeable in the processes associated with building communication campaigns, projects, products and evaluating and reporting progress.
• The post holder should have a clear knowledge and understanding of budgets and financial resources within a large organisation.
• In depth knowledge of engagement and communications at a senior level
• Thorough working knowledge of engagement strategies and proven experience of putting these into practice
• Good working knowledge of service user, carers, public and community engagement acquired through qualifications or experience
• Understanding the importance of the role of service users and carers and how their voice can be embedded in decision-making

Skills and Abilities

• Have a high level of drive, self-motivation and energy to see tasks and projects through to conclusion.
• Be able to manage complex activities and events.
• Have ability to motivate and influence others and manage resistance to change.
• Have an ability to gain confidence and credibility from a wide range of professionals.
• Have a proven ability to achieve results both autonomously and as part of a team with the confidence to take initiative within boundaries.
• Have skills for communicating complex, sometimes distressing information and administrative matters, requiring developed interpersonal, oral and written communications skills for a diverse audience
• Ability to compile comprehensive business cases, reports, datasets and letters
• Proven ability to remain calm and efficient under pressure, managing tight and often changing timescales.
• Be self-aware, which includes awareness of impact on others.
• Be able to produce publications to the quality of academic journals and NIHR-report standards. .

Other Requirements

• • Subject to the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act, there is an occasional requirement to travel across the wide footprint of the Trust for meetings and/or events.

The Trust mandates all post holders who require a DBS for their role to subscribe to the DBS Update Service. You will be required to enrol for this service for a fee of £16 per year and maintain registration throughout your employment with GMMH.

Applicants are encouraged to apply for posts at Greater Manchester Mental Health who have direct experience of mental health, learning disability or drug and alcohol services either as a service user or a carer.

The Trust is also committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We are aspiring to ensure our workforce is representative of the diverse communities that we serve, and we are strongly committed to removing barriers to employment for candidates from under-represented groups, for example BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ communities. If you would like to have an informal chat about the recruitment process for this role or would value some additional support, we’d love to hear from you.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications

A candidate may utilise the help of AI when writing job application.The assessment of an application is made on its entirety and most times AI-generated content does not fully grasp the context and requirements of the job one applies for thus producing inaccurate and misleading information, especially in the supporting statement section of an application that can lack real life examples of one’s achievements, success and challenges.

We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored. GMMH reserves the right to follow up with a candidate at the interview on specific responses and those examples used in the supporting statement to explore it further.

Sponsorship

We are proud to be an approved sponsor for the Skilled Worker visa. Applications from individuals who require sponsorship will be considered alongside all other applications. Please be aware that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible roles and salary requirements on the UK Government’s website – click.

If you are offered a role with us and you require sponsorship, we will check your eligibility in line with the information on the above website. Your offer of employment could be withdrawn if the role is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not otherwise able to evidence your right to work in the UK.

The Home Office introduces new changes from 22/07/2025 that impact the health and care sector, you may wish to familiarise with it .

Do you have experience outside the NHS?

We want to attract and retain people with diverse skills and experience, to deliver inclusive healthcare services to our communities.

We will consider relevant experience outside the NHS to calculate your salary on appointment.