Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications, Commercial Department

Health Services Laboratories; Greater London; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization based in London is seeking a Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications. This pivotal role involves strategic influence working closely with the Executive Team to enhance communication and engagement across the organization. The candidate will establish a professional function that ensures coherence in internal and external messaging while supporting the organization's growth and reputation. Experience in corporate communications and leadership skills are essential for success in this role.

Benefits

Training and development opportunities

Annual salary review

Discounted gym membership

Cash healthcare plan

Sick Pay Entitlement

Permanent Health Insurance

Life Assurance

Employee Assistance Programme

Season Ticket Loan Scheme

Perkbox access

Company Pension Scheme

Competitive annual leave allowance

Flexible working hours

Qualifications

• Proven experience in corporate communications or public relations roles.
• Strong leadership skills to manage a team and function effectively.
• Ability to craft clear and compelling organizational narratives.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Corporate Affairs and Communications function strategically.
• Develop and implement a cohesive communication framework.
• Engage with internal and external stakeholders effectively.

Skills

Strategic communication

Stakeholder engagement

Internal communication

Media relations

Issues management

Job description

Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications, Commercial Department

1 Mabledon Place, London

Depending on experience

Job Title : Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications

Department : Commerical Department

Location : 1 Mabledon Place, WC1H 9AX

Contract / Hours : Permanent / 40 per week

Salary range : Depending on Experience

About us

Sonic Healthcare is an internationally renowned healthcare provider with a demonstrable track record of medical services across the world. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, Sonic is an ASX Top 50 company that has grown to become one of the world’s leading healthcare providers, specialising in pathology, radiology and primary care medical centres. We have operations in Australia, the USA, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand.

Sonic Healthcare UK encompasses the two main entities in the UK, The Doctors Laboratory (TDL) and Health Services Laboratories (HSL). HSL is a partnership between The Doctors Laboratory (TDL), Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH). HSL was formed to provide pathology services to the NHS Trusts and has expanded further to provide services to other NHS Trusts. Over 3,500 staff work at Sonic Healthcare UK, primarily under the TDL or HSL banner.

Our purpose is to deliver medically-led diagnostics, innovation, value and long-term investment to healthcare. With our core laboratory based at The Halo Building in London WC1H 9AX, we also have an expanding site in Manchester as well as smaller hospital-based laboratories across the country. We maintain rigorously high standards of quality, whilst also delivering efficiencies to healthcare through careful workforce planning, pioneering technology and significant investment in infrastructure and IT.

Sonic Healthcare UK is one of the country’s leading diagnostic service providers, supporting NHS and private healthcare partners through a network of high-performing laboratories across HSL, TDL and Sonic Healthcare UK. The organisation has grown rapidly in recent years, securing major national contracts, expanding its workforce and deepening its role in delivering high-quality patient care. This growth has increased the scale and complexity of communication required across the organisation.

About the role

As Sonic enters its next phase, there is a significant opportunity to strengthen how the organisation communicates with staff, engages with partners, and presents its values and capability across the healthcare system. This role holds significant strategic influence, working closely with the CEO and Executive Team to shape how the organisation communicates, engages with partners and is understood across the healthcare system. The Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications will play a central role in supporting this evolution and ensuring communication is aligned, strategic and forward-looking.

The purpose of this role is to establish and lead a professional Corporate Affairs and Communications function that reflects the organisation’s scale and public responsibility. This includes developing a cohesive communication framework, building a shared narrative across HSL, TDL and Sonic Healthcare UK, and ensuring staff, NHS partners and clients receive clear, timely and consistent information.

The role will bring together internal communication, stakeholder engagement, media relations and issues management into a single integrated function that supports Sonic’s culture, strategy and operational priorities. It is a pivotal appointment that will strengthen organisational cohesion, support effective leadership communication and enhance the organisation’s reputation as it continues to grow.

At TDL we offer a variety of excellent staff benefits including :

• Training and development opportunities – supporting professional development
• Annual salary review - No banding restrictions : As we are a private company we are not restricted by salary bandings and so are able to negotiate appropriate salaries based on experience. This also means that annual salary reviews do not hit a band ceiling.
• Discounted gym membership – we have a corporate gym membership scheme with Better Gyms
• Cash healthcare plan – cash back on a variety of healthcare costs including dentist and opticians
• Sick Pay Entitlement – 5 paid days in the first year of employment, 20 days thereafter
• Permanent Health Insurance and Death in Service Cover
• Life Assurance – providing salary continuation for long term illness (six months qualifying period)
• Employee Assistance Programme – supporting staff wellbeing
• Season Ticket Loan Scheme – interest free loan for the cost of annual travel ticket
• Perkbox – Access to additional staff perks and benefits such as high street discounts
• Company Pension Scheme – company and staff contributions which increase with service
• Competitive annual leave allowance –23 days rising to 28 days after 5 years service
• Flexible working hours – we support and offer flexibility around shift patterns and working schedule