East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust provides safe, compassionate and high quality hospital and community care to the half a million people living in East Sussex and those who visit our local area.
We are one of the largest organisations in East Sussex with an annual income of £700 million and we are the only integrated provider of acute and community care in Sussex.
Our extensive health services are provided by over 8,000+ dedicated members of staff working from two acute hospitals in Hastings and Eastbourne, three community hospitals in Bexhill, Rye and Uckfield, over 100 community sites across East Sussex, and in people's own homes.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated us as 'Good' overall, and 'Outstanding' for being Caring and Effective. The Conquest Hospital in Hastings and our Community Services were rated 'Outstanding' and Eastbourne DGH was rated 'Good'. Our two acute hospitals have Emergency Departments and provide 24 hour a day care, offering a comprehensive range of surgical, medical, outpatient and maternity services, supported by a full range of diagnostic and therapy services.
Job overview
We are seeking an experienced and forward‑thinking Communication and Engagement Manager to play a pivotal role in delivering our Trust's Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) programme. Working closely with the Improvement team, you will drive engagement, lead the communication strategy, and support the embedding of continuous improvement across the organisation.
This influential role requires a proactive and collaborative leader who values celebrating success. You will work confidently with both executive leaders and frontline teams, translating complex programmes into clear, compelling narratives that inspire action. Strong on‑the‑ground engagement is essential; you will work directly with teams to listen, share impactful stories, and build momentum for improvement.
You will design and deliver an engaging communications approach for CQI, helping to establish a shared language, consistent messaging, and a clear cadence. Working alongside the Improvement team, you will use creativity, pace, and sound judgement to mobilise senior leaders as advocates and highlight success at every level.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will support the Head of Improvement on the strategic planning, implementation and delivery of communications and engagement approaches that enable behavioural change, staff engagement and culture shift for the CQI Programme, to ensure they are aligned with the Strategic Objectives of the Trust.
The role will play a key part in embedding Continuous Improvement principles across the organisation, supporting staff engagement, improvement capability and sustained adoption of new ways of working.
They will provide expert, specialist, creative and innovative advice on internal and external communication and engagement to support an improvement culture, learning and participation across clinical and corporate teams.
If the demands of the CQI programme vary, the role will support the Communication and Engagement Team more broadly and/or other priority Trust programmes.
Why join us?
This is a rare opportunity to shape improvement and culture at scale within a high‑profile, strategically important programme. You will help influence a multi‑year initiative, using innovative communication approaches to inspire colleagues and ultimately improve patient care and staff experience.
Working for our organisation
A wide range of staff benefits are available to our staff including staff development, enrolment in the NHS pension scheme, auto‑enrolment to our Temporary Workforce Service, access to onsite nurseries, staff restaurants and accommodation. In addition to an internal Occupational Health department, all staff also have access to free psychological support through our confidential Employee Assistance Programme. Onsite parking is available from only £50 a year.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
* Educated to Masters level or equivalent level or extensive relevant experience in a strategic communications, engagement or change‑focused role, preferably in the public sector or a complex organisation
Desirable criteria
* Evidence of continuous learning and development including learning related to quality improvement, organisational change or engagement
Experience
Essential criteria
* Communications and engagement experience, within a complex organisation, supporting organisational change, transformation or improvement
* Developing data‑driven and deliverable communication and engagement strategies, plans and approaches that support behavioural change, engagement and adoption of new ways of working
* Tailoring communications messages to key audiences including frontline staff, clinical teams, leaders and partners in all sections of the community
* Experience of working collaboratively with internal and external partners across organisational or professional boundaries
* Experience of working in complex improvement, transformation or change environments involving multiple stakeholders
* Experience in the effective use of a range of social media channels to support engagement and participation
Desirable criteria
* Experience of working in complex improvement, transformation or change environments involving multiple stakeholders
Skills
Essential criteria
* Excellent communication skills, including strong writing, editing and the ability to translate complex improvement concepts into accessible engaging messages
* Excellent organisational skills and ability to support and manage others to meet deadlines and prioritise in fast‑paced improvement and change environments
* Ability to find innovative and creative ways of solving or pre‑empting problems related to engagement, participation and behaviour change
* Confident, independent and effective decision maker capable of advising senior leaders on communications and engagement approaches that support improvement and cultural change
* Ability to build strong and mutually beneficial relationships with colleagues and senior leadership team to influence engagement and improvement outcomes
* Overseeing the delivery of CQI‑related engagement events, improvement showcases, learning sessions and staff engagement activity
* Use advanced analytical and judgement skills to assess engagement impact, learning and improvement adoption
Desirable criteria
* Ability to use digital and creative tools to support communications and engagement, including website content management systems (e.g. "WordPress"), graphic design and image editing software (e.g. "Adobe Photoshop"), and applying core design principles to develop clear, accessible and engaging visual materials
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