Job Overview
Are you an inspiring leader with a passion for strategic communications and engagement? Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a dynamic Director of Communications and Engagement to join our senior leadership team. Reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, you’ll lead a high‑performing, multi‑disciplinary team, shaping and delivering an integrated communications strategy that supports our vision for modern, compassionate care.
You’ll act as principal advisor on all communications, reputation, and engagement matters, building trusted relationships with key partners and stakeholders, and driving measurable improvements in engagement, media sentiment, and public confidence. If you’re ready to make a significant impact at board level and help position FHFT as a centre of excellence, we want to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
* Strategic Leadership – Accountable for developing and delivering a Trust‑wide communications and engagement strategy aligned with national priorities and major capital programmes, providing targeted advice and leadership around strategic change.
* Board‑Level Influence – Principal advisor to CEO and Board on all communications, engagement and reputation matters with delegated authority for decision‑making.
* Risk And Reputation Management – Leading proactive media relations, crisis management and complex stakeholder engagement to protect and enhance the Trust’s brand.
* System And Stakeholder Engagement – Managing relationships across the health and care system including NHS England, ICBs, regional bodies, political stakeholders and the community.
* Operational Leadership – Direct responsibility for a large, specialist communications team and significant budgetary oversight.
* Regulatory And Corporate Governance – Ensuring compliance with legal, regulatory and NHS standards across all communications activities.
Working for our organisation
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is committed to being an inclusive and disability confident employer and has been awarded the Gold for the Armed Forces Employment Recognition Scheme. We provide first‑class development opportunities for all staff and have a wide range of professional, management and leadership, and clinical skills training available.
We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours. We do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service and its users.
Frimley Health Trust benefits on Vimeo.
Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
You can read more about the key tasks and responsibilities associated with this role in the job description attached with this advert, including the administrative and organisational duties, involvement in social and digital media development and monitoring and forward planning.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
* Educated to master’s level or equivalent experience
* Post‑graduate or professional qualification in communications or marketing / engagement
* Evidence of continued professional development
Desirable criteria
* Chartered membership of CIPR, CIM or equivalent
Experience
Essential criteria
* Extensive experience in leading strategic communications, public relations and marketing or engagement function(s) within a complex, diverse service‑led organisation.
* Deep understanding and awareness of NHS policy making and the dynamic political environment.
* Evidence of successfully maintaining an organisation’s reputation through difficult / challenging issues / situations.
* Experience of working with government bodies / media for example DHSC, NHS England and/or National Media companies.
* Track record of working successfully with Executive Directors / Board in all aspects of communications, including but not limited to media, strategy, driving change and delivering difficult messaging.
* Demonstrable experience of developing and successfully delivering high‑impact purposeful internal and external communications and engagement strategies driven by data and insight, to optimise impact and value.
* Tangible expertise in translating information into powerful, actionable messaging and activity, including data visualisation, to make them accessible to target audiences including those with disabilities.
Desirable criteria
* Experience of managing major capital programme communications.
Skills & knowledge
Essential criteria
* A vision and a passion for what great communications and engagement should be and can achieve which inspires and engages others.
* A strategic, innovative and forward‑thinking mindset, to deliver organisational strategy.
* Ability to embed within the Executive Team, keeping up to date with the day‑to‑day strategic and operational context and actively leading in translating the context into what the organisation needs to know and do.
* Knowledge of the complexity of acute and community clinical services and confidence and credibility in working with clinical professions.
* Evidence of driving and delivering cultural change.
* Exceptional communication and influencing skills to engage diverse audiences.
* Expertise in translating information into powerful, actionable messaging and activity for impact and compelling storytelling.
Desirable criteria
* Evidence of driving and delivering cultural change.
Additional Information
Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust (FHFT) is proud of its strong reputation, record of achievement and ambition for the future. We serve a population of over 900,000 people across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and South Buckinghamshire, and remain committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.
Our new organisational strategy – FHFT 2030 – sets out our ambition to be the best place to receive care and the best place to work in the NHS. Underpinned by our Trust values – Committed to Excellence, Working Together, Facing the Future, and being a modern, compassionate healthcare organisation – we are creating a culture where our people can thrive and patients always come first.
We continue to invest heavily in our services and facilities. This includes the development of a new hospital at Frimley Park, major expansion of diagnostics and inpatient capacity, and the continued transformation of services across our sites. We have already delivered a brand‑new £100m state‑of‑the‑art Heatherwood Hospital, a £49m Emergency Assessment Centre at Wexham Park, and a £10m upgrade to maternity services.
We are also committed to sustainability and the NHS Net Zero ambition. Our new hospital and estate developments are being designed to be environmentally responsible, energy efficient and future‑proofed, featuring on‑site renewables and intelligent energy systems. Through our green plan, we are embedding sustainable practices across all areas of care and operations, ensuring we reduce our environmental impact while improving population health and wellbeing. Our staff are key to delivering on our ambition and to ensuring sustainability is a core component of care delivery and our operations.
Alongside estates’ investments, we are embedding a strong focus on digital innovation and quality improvement. Our electronic patient record (Epic), launched in 2024, is already enabling safer, more connected and effective care for patients, while giving staff the tools they need to do their best work. Our electronic patient record also supports safe and effective digitised care pathways, saving time and carbon, whilst delivering excellent quality of care.
Everything we do is guided by our values, shaping how we care for patients, support colleagues and build a sustainable future for healthcare together.
Apply online now
#J-18808-Ljbffr