Director of Communications and Involvement

NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board; Maidstone; On-site; GBP 113,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board is seeking a Director of Communications and Involvement to set the strategic direction for internal and external communications. The role is a 6-month fixed term and sits on the Executive Team, overseeing a team delivering media, public affairs and engagement across diverse audiences.

The successful candidate will bring extensive senior-level communications experience in public service, advising senior colleagues and driving integrated campaigns to

Qualifications

• Good knowledge of the healthcare environment and roles and responsibilities within it, with a thorough understanding of current issues and challenges and the wider political and public sector context.
• Thorough understanding of the role and value of public affairs in a complex and evolving landscape.
• Substantial experience of delivering communications at senior practitioner level, within a public service environment.
• Substantial experience of giving professional advice and gaining the confidence and respect of senior colleagues and stakeholders, with the gravitas to provide challenge.
• Specialist knowledge over more than one discipline and function acquired over a significant period.
• Experience multiple communications disciplines, with in-depth professional knowledge of media management (proactive and reactive), public affairs, high-profile campaign development and delivery, internal communications and engagement and digital communications and public and stakeholder engagement.
• Experience of developing and delivering strategic communications and engagement plans, using a range of channels and tactics to effectively communicate and engage with internal and external audiences.

Responsibilities

• In this senior leadership role, the postholder will play a key role in protecting and enhancing NHS Kent and Medway and the NHS in Kent and Meway's reputation and embedding its narrative with staff and stakeholders.
• As a member of the Executive Team, you will proactively profile and position NHS Kent and Medway, its ambitions and its achievements overseeing an approach to media and public affairs that builds awareness and support for our work to improve population health and reduce inequalities with a wide range of audiences.
• You will be accountable for a proactive and reactive media service, delivering timely and accurate responses to incoming media enquiries, while proactively sharing positive news across corporate and system-owned channels and with media channels and publications.
• You will strengthen the ICB's approach to public affairs, ensuring a coherent and joined-up approach to engaging stakeholders with key activity or programmes. This is particularly important for members of parliament and other elected officials representing their communities.

Skills

Media management

Public affairs

Campaign development

Internal communications

Digital communications

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic communications

Job description

Employer NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board Employer type NHS Site Gail House Town Maidstone Salary £112,782 - £129,783 pro rata, per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 28/10/2026 23:59

Director of Communications and Involvement

NHS AfC: Band 9

Job overview

We are inviting applications for the role of Director of Communications and Involvement on a 6-month fixed term contract.

The postholder is responsible for setting the strategic direction for how the organisationcommunicates and engages internally and externally. The role is part of the Executive Team,providing insight to support the organisation to communicate and involve well. The postholderprovides oversight of the Communication and Involvements Team’s functions and delivery ofthem. You will have extensive experience in communications and involvement and worked at very senior level.

Main duties of the job

• In this senior leadership role, the postholder will play a key role in protecting and enhancing NHS Kent and Medway and the NHS in Kent and Meway's reputation and embedding its narrative with staff and stakeholders.
• As a member of the Executive Team, you will proactively profile and position NHS Kent and Medway, its ambitions and its achievements overseeing an approach to media and public affairs that builds awareness and support for our work to improve population health and reduce inequalities with a wide range of audiences.
• You will be accountable for a proactive and reactive media service, delivering timely and accurate responses to incoming media enquiries, while proactively sharing positive news across corporate and system-owned channels and with media channels and publications.
• You will strengthen the ICB's approach to public affairs, ensuring a coherent and joined-up approach to engaging stakeholders with key activity or programmes. This is particularly important for members of parliament and other elected officials representing their communities.

Please note, this vacancy does not meet the criteria for skilled worker sponsorship and therefore, we are unable to accept applications from candidates that cannot provide documentary evidence of right to work in the United Kingdom

Working for our organisation

We are committed to a culture that supports all staff at NHS Kent and Medway to be the best version of themselves.

Our ability to improve outcomes for our population depends on how effectively clinical, operational, financial and strategic professionals work together to make informed commissioning decisions. That's why our workforce works a minimum of two days-a-week on-site, with the expectation that all one-to-ones are held face-to-face and that colleagues will regularly visit the services we are commissioning to understand more about them.

We believe regular on-site working supports stronger collaboration, faster problem-solving, peer learning, visible leadership and the integration of colleagues into our organisation. We also know that culture is built through shared experiences and day-to-day interactions.

We are a flexible working friendly organisation; we aim to support you to work flexibly in a way that will suit you and us.

We work with staff to agree objectives through regular supervision, annual appraisal and access to training opportunities.

We are committed to equal opportunities and diversity. In order to reflect the diversity of our population, we positively encourage applications from all areas of the community regardless of gender, race, faith, disability, age or sexual orientation.

Person specification

Values

• Shows collaborative approach across organisational and sector boundaries

Qualifications and Experience

• Good knowledge of the healthcare environment and roles and responsibilities within it, with a thorough understanding of current issues and challenges and the wider political and public sector context.
• Thorough understanding of the role and value of public affairs in a complex and evolving landscape.

Qualifications and Experience

• Substantial experience of delivering communications at senior practitioner level, within a public service environment.
• Substantial experience of giving professional advice and gaining the confidence and respect of senior colleagues and stakeholders, with the gravitas to provide challenge.
• Specialist knowledge over more than one discipline and function acquired over a significant period.
• Experience multiple communications disciplines, with in-depth professional knowledge of media management (proactive and reactive), public affairs, high-profile campaign development and delivery, internal communications and engagement and digital communications and public and stakeholder engagement.
• Experience of developing and delivering strategic communications and engagement plans, using a range of channels and tactics to effectively communicate and engage with internal and external audiences.