Group Chief Communications & Engagement Officer

United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; Lincoln; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in Lincolnshire seeks a strategic Group Chief Communications & Engagement Officer to advise the CEO and Board on reputational risk, governance, and messaging. The post leads communications, engagement, and public affairs across the Trust and its partners.

You will steer crisis communications, stakeholder relationships, and public consultations, shaping the Trust's reputation and contributing to improved care and patient outcomes across

Qualifications

• Educated to masters level or equivalent experience in a relevant field.
• Specialist communications qualification or equivalent experience and knowledge.
• Evidence of continued professional development.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and oversight of a comprehensive Group communications and engagement strategy.
• Act as Gold (Strategic) lead for crisis and serious incident communications.
• Lead external communications plan to manage Trust reputation and support Group Strategy.
• Set approach for two-way staff communications with People/OD and clinical leadership.
• Oversee public engagement and formal consultation on service change.
• Manage relationships with national and local media to improve public confidence.
• Provide visible, values-based leadership to the communications and engagement function.

Skills

Board-level advisory

Communications strategy

Social media

NHS engagement leadership

Education

Masters level or equivalent

Specialist communications qualification or equivalent

Continued professional development

Job description

Employer United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Employer type NHS Site Lincoln County Hospital Town Lincoln Salary £100,000 - £200,000 Per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 20/11/2026 23:59

Group Chief Communications & Engagement Officer

Executives / VSM: Executives / VSM

We recognise that outstanding care can only be delivered through our people. We want to attract people who can help us deliver our vision. We want in return to help people achieve what they wish in their careers in the NHS at ULTH.

We are always keen to welcome highly skilled, committed and compassionate individuals to our hospitals – people who put patients at the heart of everything they do and are ready to help us achieve our vision.

Our Group values guide everything we do. They are:

• Compassionate - We care about people - Compassionate is the act of showing empathy, kindness, and respect to others, recognising their individual needs and circumstances. It involves listening, understanding, and supporting others in a way that makes them feel valued, safe, and cared for.
• Collaborative - We work together as a team - Collaborative is working inclusively and respectfully with others to achieve shared goals. It involves open communication, valuing diverse perspectives, and building trust to create a supportive and effective team environment.
• Innovative - We strive to improve - Innovative is the process of exploring new ideas, approaches, and technologies to improve care, services, and working practices. It involves creativity, curiosity, and a willingness to take risks in a safe and supportive environment.

If you believe in them too, then you are ready to join the ULTH team.

We’ve taken great pride in building working environments where staff always feel valued, cared for and part of a team. Without doubt this is a challenging yet very rewarding job that is at the centre of health and care in Lincolnshire - making a positive difference to our patients.

Our Trust is situated in the beautiful county of Lincolnshire and is one of the biggest acute hospital trusts in England, serving a population of more than 700,000 people. We provide acute and specialist services to people in Lincolnshire and neighbouring counties. We have an annual income of £710 million (22/23) and we employ nearly 8,600 people.

Our Group Board have recently agreed a new vision statement – “Caring and building a healthier future for all” – stating their ambition for our Trust and the wider group to be among the best.

We also have a five year Integrated Improvement Plan setting out how we will achieve our strategic objectives, for patients, services, people and partners, the last recognising that our future success depends on our ability to ensure the Lincolnshire healthcare system is successful in achieving its ambition to help people live healthier lives and provide care closer to where people live.

Our latest CQC report increased our ratings for being effective and well‑led from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’. Our rating for caring remained as ‘Good’.

This is in recognition of the huge amount of work that our amazing staff have done to improve the quality of care for our patients in recent years.

We are committed to helping our staff balance their work and home lives and ensure they feel supported, valued and appreciated.

So,what is in it for you?

• Flexible working: Depending on the needs of your role, we will consider requests for flexible and/or part-time working for whatever reason you should need it. We recognise flexible working will not look the same for everyone, because it depends on the nature of the role and the needs of the individual.

Types of flexibility could include:

• Part-time - less than 37.5 hours per week.
• Off-site/remote working - working from home or other sites for part or all the week.
• Compressed hours - usually full-time hours but over fewer days or shifts.
• Staggered hours - having different start and finish times.
• Set shift patterns - to allow for predictability
• NHS Pension:A generous and flexible pension scheme with contributions from us as your employer fully protected against inflation and guaranteed by the government
• Annual Leave: Starting at 27 days a year, rising to 33 days after 10 years plus eight bank holidays (for staff covered by Agenda for Change) For Medical Workforce positions (Consultant and Specialty Doctor), the full-time entitlement commences from 32 days per annum. For all other Medical Workforce positions, the full-time entitlement commences from 27 days per annum.
• Bank working:The chance to work extra hours at enhanced rates and we will pay you weekly too, ideal if your income needs a quick boost.

In addition, there ismore.

• Family & Childcare: Including on-site nurseries at Lincoln County Hospital and Pilgrim Hospital Boston, maternity, paternity, adoption & shared parental leave following a set period of employment.
• Health & Wellbeing : including counselling, mental health first aid, physiotherapy, eye tests.
• Learning & Development including Lincolnshire Talent Academy, leadership training, medical education, clinical education, Lincolnshire clinical research
• Financial support and benefits i ncluding Cycle2Work, car lease scheme, home electronics. Free on-site parking and free tea and coffee and the ability to save and borrow through your salary.
• Rewards & Recognition including staff awards, long service awards, retirement awards, examples of excellence and staff lottery.

Enjoy a better quality of life in one of the UK’s most welcoming counties. Whether you’re taking the first exciting steps in your career, itching for a new challenge or searching for a better place to raise a family, Lincolnshire welcomes everyone. Discover a range of rewarding health and social care careers in a county that’s friendly, fascinating, affordable and brimming with everything you need to live a happy life.

Job overview

The Group Chief Communications & Engagement Officer will act as the CEO’s principal adviser on reputational risk, ensuring high‑quality governance, clarity of accountability, and timely, accurate messaging in routine and high‑pressure situations.

The post holder will provide expert, strategic advice to the CEO, Board, and senior leadership on communications, reputation, and public affairs.

They will act as the principal communication advisor, safeguarding the Group's reputation, managing media relations, and handling crisis communications.

The postholder will strengthen relationships with internal/external partners, including staff, patients, local communities, MPs, and regulatory bodies (e.g., NHS England). For the right individual, this role presents an exciting opportunity to influence and shape the future of our Group through outstanding communications, engagement and stakeholder leadership.

Main duties of the job

• Lead the development and oversight of a comprehensive Group communications and engagement strategy aligned to organisational objectives and values.
• Act as Gold (Strategic) lead for crisis and serious incident communications, advising CEO/ELT on strategy, messaging, escalation and stakeholder handling.
• Lead the development and implementation of an external communications strategic delivery plan to manage the Trust reputation and support the delivery of the Group Strategy.
• Set the approach for two‑way staff communications that strengthens engagement, clarity and trust, working closely with People/OD and clinical leadership.
• Own the strategy and governance for public engagement and formal consultation activity on service change, ensuring activity is inclusive, evidence‑based and defensible and within legal framework.
• Lead the development and sustain positive relationships with the national and local media, maximise positive coverage and ensure balance in all media coverage, in order to improve public perceptions of, and promote public confidence
• Provide visible, values‑based leadership to the communications and engagement function.

Working for our organisation

Lincoln Hospital is a thriving university city and with the opening of the medical school, it provides all major specialties and a 24-hour major accident and emergency service.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has been granted teaching hospital status, after demonstrating evidence to significant teaching commitment. From now on it will be known as United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Pilgrim Hospital is situated in beautiful countryside and serves the communities in the South Lincolnshire area. It provides all major specialties and a 24-hour major accident and emergency service.

Grantham and District Hospital serves the communities of Grantham and the local area. It provides ambulatory paediatric and accident and emergency services.

Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) and United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) have come together in a Group arrangement, with the goal of improving the care provided to patients across the county.

This will not constitute a formal merger of the two organisations, but will bring the Trusts together under a single Board and Executive Leadership Team, with the goal of improving the care that is provided to patients both in the community and in hospitals across Lincolnshire. Both Trusts will retain their separate statutory names and legal obligations.

The Group will be known as Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group (LCHG).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please review the Welcome Pack attached.

The detailed job description and main responsibilities can be found in the attached welcome pack.

Person specification

Education & Qualifications

• Educated to Masters level or equivalent experience
• Specialist communications qualification or equivalent experience and knowledge.
• Evidence of continued professional development

Experience

• Experience at Board level/advising the Board in communications/media in an NHS setting
• Experience of devising and implementing effective communications and engagement strategies including social media.
• Experience at a senior level of leading engagement within an NHS setting.

Skills, Ability & Knowledge

• Knowledge and experience of managing formal public consultation on service change.
• Knowledge and experience of high-profile media issues management.
• Deep knowledge of media handling, public affairs/stakeholder management, and communications governance (including FOI, data protection, media law, consultation).
• Strong strategic judgement; able to handle complex, sensitive and contentious issues and operate credibly with influential stakeholders.

ULTH recognises that everyone is different, and values the unique contribution that individual experiences, knowledge and skills make in delivering quality healthcare and becoming a model employer. We are committed to transforming our organisational culture by actively committing to implementing the Trust Single Equality Scheme, and other policies, such as the Dignity in Care policy and the Dignity at Work policy. We will continue to promote equality and challenge discrimination in all service provision, recognising and meeting the needs of the diverse communities we serve. We will strive to provide an environment in which people want to work and to be a model employer leading in good employment practice.

All new employees will be subject to a charge for the DBS check that is required for the post. The Disclosure & Barring Service application form (formerly CRB) will be provided by ULTH and the fee will be deducted from your salary over a 3 month period.

Candidates are advised to read the attached guidance on using AI technology. When you complete your application, you are required to declare that the information in your application form is true and complete.

Please note, for applicants with previous NHS service: If successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.