Senior Communications and Engagement Lead – Digital Front Door

NHS Scotland; England; Remote; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A national health organization is seeking a Senior Specialist Lead for communications within a major transformation programme. This role involves managing day-to-day communications and engagement activities, overseeing stakeholder engagement and public affairs, and requires significant experience in strategic communications. Ideal candidates will possess a strong background in public relations and the ability to engage effectively with diverse stakeholders.

Benefits

Generous NHS pension scheme

Annual Leave - 27 Days plus 8 days public holiday

Life-work balance with flexible working opportunities

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in strategic communications and public relations.
• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and projects.
• Experience in content production and managing digital platforms.

Responsibilities

• Manage operational communications and engagement activities.
• Oversee digital communications and stakeholder engagement.
• Coordinate public affairs and corporate events.

Skills

Experience in strategic or programme communications

Skills in stakeholder engagement

Creative problem-solving

Effective communication skills

Education

Relevant professional qualification

Job description

Flexible Location

Based throughout Scotland, NES is a remote friendly employer supporting office and hybrid working. We’re happy to talk about how you want to work.

Work Pattern

Fixed Term, Full Time, 37 hours per week

Fixed-term or Secondment until 31 March 2028

• For NHS applicants, an NHS secondment will be offered in the first instance. For non-NHS applicants, a fixed-term or secondment would be considered.

You must have eligibility and entitlement to work in the UK which is required to be maintained throughout your period of employment.

Who We Are

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is the national health board with statutory responsibilities to effect sustainable change through workforce development, education and training across the health and social care system in Scotland, while working at UK level with partner organisations.

Our Technology

We are in the business of providing safe, secure and innovative technology products and services that aim to improve outcomes across education, training, workforce, health and care in the public sector in Scotland. Using modern cloud-based technology we deliver sustainable products and services for the future.

The Opportunity

The Digital Front Door (DFD) programme is a Scottish Government-sponsored major transformation initiative to provide multi-channel digital access to data, information and Health and Social Care services for all people in Scotland.

To enable delivery of the DFD programme, which NES is leading as technology delivery partner, NTS is seeking a highly skilled and motivated senior specialist lead for the communications and engagement workstream within DFD. Senior specialist leads provide senior management capability and skills to their specific workstream areas, playing a vital role in delivering robust expert services across the workstream, programme and beyond.

Reporting to the head of communications and engagement for the Digital Front Door programme, you will be responsible for managing day-to-day operational communications and engagement activities for the programme. You will oversee key pieces of work across digital communications, stakeholder engagement, public affairs, corporate events, media relations, public engagement and internal and external communications, including with the public, our staff partners, Scottish Government and the media.

Extensive experience in strategic or programme communications, public relations, media, internal and digital communications is essential. This will ideally be supported by a relevant professional qualification and experience of public/community engagement.

NHS experience would be a benefit but is not essential. We need someone who can pick up projects quickly, has a creative approach to supporting successful communications campaigns, is familiar with good practice stakeholder engagement and is experienced in producing content and managing digital platforms.

Do you want to play a lead role in the delivery of a major transformation programme that will contribute highly to Health and Social Care reform?

Do you enjoy working with stakeholders and subject matter experts from across many different areas of expertise and organisations to ensure high quality outputs to meet both user needs and strategic objectives?

Do you have a passion for programme management and quality improvement?

Do you have what it takes to excel in the everchanging NHS communications and engagement landscape?

Working within the Digital Front Door (DFD) programme will challenge and fulfil you in equal measure.

Does this sound like you?

What We Love To See

• Proven experience of creating and managing communications across multiple workstreams to deliver plans, advice and communications tactics to agreed objectives
• Ability to plan and adapt workload under pressure and with constantly changing priorities, often necessitating sensitive discussions with senior stakeholders
• Communications and engagement subject matter expertise, using creative and forward thinking to solve problems and find innovative solutions
• Expert relationship-building and networking skills with stakeholders at all levels, including working with executive team members and government ministers
• Successfully navigating a fast-paced environment with disparate and conflicting opinions and interests, ensuring collaboration and excellent team and stakeholder relationships
• Ability to collaborate and liaise using negotiation and diplomatic skills to achieve agreement in areas of conflicting priority, using tact and persuasion when necessary
• Highly effective communication skills, knowing how to translate complex functional information and language into simple, clear messaging for a diverse range of internal, external and public stakeholders (both verbally and in writing)
• Skills in marketing and communication asset production, managing external agencies and testing materials to check suitability and efficacy
• Line management and coaching / mentoring capabilities
• Demonstrate honesty, integrity, care and compassion when dealing with others, utilising tact and persuasion skills when necessary
• Ability to work on own initiative, to organise and prioritise own workloads, to meet strict deadlines

Benefits Which Matter

• Life-work balance - with opportunities for flexible working and hybrid working
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• Annual incremental salary progression (up to the maximum of the salary band) plus annual NHS salary scale review
• Annual Leave - 27 Days increasing in line with service plus 8 days public holiday
• NHS discounts and more

Diversity and Inclusion

Developing a successful national service for Scotland is impossible without ensuring we consider the diverse needs, perspectives and backgrounds of everyone in Scotland in our work.

We are focused on hiring the very best talent available for NES, and actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and aim to ensure everyone is treated fairly, with respect and has a positive recruitment experience – regardless of the outcome.

It’s not essential to be in a senior communications and engagement lead role right now. You may be returning from a career break (e.g. maternity, paternity, caring for others) or returning after working in another field. Your experiences elsewhere can bring a fresh perspective to our work.

If you are considering applying and feel it would be helpful to discuss this initially, please contact Caroline Maddams, Head of Communications and Engagement, Digital Front Door, Email: [e-mail]

Next Steps

• NHS candidates will be considered firstly on a secondment basis, and so are strongly encouraged to discuss this with their current NHS employer at the earliest opportunity, ideally prior to application.

All applicants who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail.

In person OR online interviews including a presentation will take place on 12th-13th November 2025. The presentation topic will be sent to candidates selected for interview.

For further information please refer to the Job Information Pack below.

Unless otherwise stated the deadline for applications is 23:59 hours on the closing date.

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service.

As part of the pre-employment checks for a preferred candidate, NHS Scotland Boards will check your entitlement to work in the UK. It can be evidenced through a number of routes including specific types of visa as well as EU settled and pre-settled status. To find out more about these routes of permission, please refer to the GOV.UK website.

For specific types of post, if you do not have the necessary eligibility to work in the UK, it might be possible (though not guaranteed) to secure sponsorship via a UK Skilled Worker/Health & Care Worker Visa. However, this is only possible if the employer is a licensed Sponsor, and if the post does not fall below the current minimum salary threshold or ‘going rate’. Further information on these criteria can be found.

It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form.

If you have any queries regarding the NHS Scotland National Recruitment Portal or the recruitment process, please don't hesitate to contact our recruitment partners, the East Region Recruitment Service, at: [e-mail]