We are seeking an experienced communications professional to provide senior leadership support for 12 months. Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) brings together three former ICBs into one strategically focused organisation, commissioning care for around two million people.
As the ICB moves away from a fragmented system where services are separately planned and often hospital-based strategic communications will be vital in supporting change with stakeholders, partners and the public.
This senior role will lead communications through a period of significant transition and transformation. You will provide leadership across organisational change, complex programmes and high-risk issues, while maintaining strong business-as-usual delivery and protecting the ICB's reputation.
You will lead transition communications to deliver consistent, timely Essex-wide primary care messaging, balancing transformation with continuity. Working with senior leaders, clinicians and partners, you will ensure stakeholders are informed and engaged to improve outcomes.
You will also support the NHS's three core shifts: treatment to prevention, hospital to community, and analogue to digital making this a high-profile role for a communications leader who thrives in complexity.
Main duties of the job
This role requires a senior communications leader with a proven track record of leading communications through organisational transition and complex NHS systems, including primary care.
You will bring Masters-level education or equivalent senior experience, alongside a strong commitment to continuous professional development and digital working. You will have significant experience operating at senior level within the NHS or a comparable system, leading strategic communications for large-scale transformation, commissioning change and organisational redesign.
You will be skilled in managing high-risk, sensitive and politically complex issues, protecting organisational reputation and maintaining confidence during uncertainty. Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills are essential, with the ability to work across organisational boundaries and build trusted relationships with NHS leaders, local government, providers, voluntary sector partners and communities.
You will be confident in facilitating dialogue, managing conflict and building consensus to support transition and delivery, with experience of programme and project management in complex environments.
Above all, you will demonstrate compassionate, inclusive leadership, high emotional intelligence and strong alignment with NHS values, alongside the resilience and adaptability needed to lead communications in a fast-moving system.
About us
NHS Essex ICB is a statutory organisation responsible for the planning and funding of NHS services for around 1.9 million people across Essex. Our role as an ICB is to bring health and care services together, improve the health and wellbeing of our population and ensure equitable access to services and outcomes for everyone. The organisations headquarters is Seax House, Chelmsford, and we operate a hybrid working model (2 office-based days) that includes working across Essex and from home. Essex ICB currently has offices in Brentwood, Harlow and Colchester, in addition to the Chelmsford HQ.
We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that values diversity. We know that different experiences, ideas and perspectives help create a stronger and more innovative organisation that delivers better outcomes for patients. We welcome applications from all backgrounds, including people of all ages, disabilities, sex, gender identity or expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or personal circumstances. Our policies ensure all applicants are treated fairly and consistently throughout the recruitment process, including consideration of reasonable adjustments for disabled applicants.
Job responsibilities
ROLE PURPOSE / SUMMARY
The proposed Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) will be a new organisation formed through the consolidation of three ICB areas in response to the NHS's ambition to deliver a more streamlined, strategic and cost-effective model of health commissioning. The ICB will oversee the commissioning of care for the approximately 2 million people who live in Essex. Operating within a reduced running cost envelope and aligned to the new requirements of ICBs in England, the proposed Essex ICB will focus on improving population health outcomes, health equity and smarter resource allocation.
This role will provide senior communications leadership during a period of organisational transition, ensuring continuity of critical communications, protection of organisational reputation and delivery of high-priority programmes.
The postholder will lead communications support for transition, major system change and high-risk issues, maintaining robust business-as-usual delivery alongside programme communications.
The postholder will also promote quality improvement through effective communications and engagement, ensuring stakeholders, clinicians and communities are informed, involved and able to support delivery of improved services and outcomes.
As the ICB transitions to become a leaner, more focused strategic commissioning organisation the post holder will be expected to support the Executive Director of Corporate Services in delivering on the three fundamental shifts set out in the NHS 10-year plan:
- From Treatment to Prevention: Embedding preventative, personalised and population based approaches to commissioning.
- From Hospital to Community: Championing care model redesign that supports community and neighbourhood health.
- From Analogue to Digital: Enabling clinically driven transformation through digital innovation, data analytics and evidence based improvement.
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
To deliver on the job description set out above, the job holder will be expected to deliver on the requirements set out below:
Policy and service development
- Implement policy and/or service developments related to Communications and Engagement, interpreting requirements from NHS strategies, including the ICB strategy and the 10 Year Health Plan
- Ensure compliance with relevant ICB policies
- Use research and innovation to inform service improvements or performance management
Strategy and analysis
- Use of complex health data sets, including those relating to performance across activity, finance and quality to inform decision making
- Analysis of complex qualitative and quantitative data relating to primary care communications.
- Turning analysis into useful insights that can be used to inform decision making
- Present highly complex data, information and insights, including qualitative and quantitative data, through clear and simple written and verbal briefings
- Use of Population Health Management methodologies and tools to inform projects and programmes that will improve outcomes for patients and sustainability of health services
Planning and organisation
- Develop strategic project plans to drive delivery of complex projects.
- Manage delivery against agreed project plan, ensuring appropriate governance, risk management, escalations and reporting
- Develop and oversee annual business plan for Communications and Engagement team.
Communications and Partnerships
- Work collaboratively, modelling inclusive, respectful and compassionate leadership
- Listen effectively to a broad range of perspectives, including staff, patients and the public, to inform decision making
- Present information and training to large groups
- Build strong, trust-based relationships across the ICB, with NHS providers, local government, VCFSE partners and communities as needed
- Effective engagement with patients and the public as required
- Work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams to enable the collective ownership and delivery of projects that are seeking to improve outcomes, reduce inequalities and deliver a sustainable health and care system
- Share complex and challenging information which may relate to service performance or staffing
- Manage conflict, find compromise and build consensus where needed to drive progress in delivery
Financial and resource management
- Responsible for management of budget for any communications activity specific to the Connected Pathway team and ensuring delivery against the agreed budget
- Supports procurement of relevant services
Team management and capability building
- Support development and lead the aspects of the wider team, including overseeing recruitment, onboarding, development and performance management of team members
- Support staff through ICB transition, including the development of teams to deliver on new ICB portfolios as agreed through transition
- Support the effective transition of relevant functions to new portfolios within or beyond the ICB to support the new NHS operating model, in line with the requirements of the Model ICB Blueprint
- Work collaboratively with system partners to facilitate transitional arrangements
- Maintain a focus on quality, safety and affordability during transition
- Supporting effective Information Asset Management for the team
Other
- Use initiative and work with independency to deliver on requirements of the role
- Primarily desk-based work that requires use of visual display units, focused concentration and frequent participation in on-line or in person meetings
- Able to use software required to develop report, including ability to deliver high quality documents through Microsoft suite (word, power point, excel) and Sharepoint.
Flexibility and evolving responsibilities
As the ICB continues to evolve, portfolios may be subject to change to reflect the needs of the organization, the health and care system and national policy direction. This may include adjustments to areas of responsibility or realignment of reporting structures.
KEY RELATIONSHIPS
The post holder will need to build constructive relationships with partners from across the health and care system. Key relationships will be with:
- ICB senior leadership
- SIRO
- NHS Providers
- NHSEI regional partners
- NHSEI national teams
Person Specification
Personal Attributes and Values
- Personal commitment to the values of the NHS 10-year Plan, the NHS People Plan, the Nolan Principles, to championing equality, diversity and inclusion within the ICB and the wider health system
Experience
- Experience of working at a senior level in a relevant healthcare environment (NHS or other)
- Experience managing complex and often confidential information, including responding to media and political inquiries
- Experience of leading and delivering complex and contentious change and transformation projects
People & Culture
- A commitment to continuous improvement, organisation learning and achieving positive outcomes for all staff, patients, service users and carers working in line with the NHS People Promise
- Experience in building and maintaining high functioning teams, including recognising and promoting talent, as well as appropriately dealing with under-performance, when necessary
- Evidence of compassionate leadership and experience in promoting diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity
Qualifications
- Educated to Masters level (relevant focus) or equivalent managerial experience
- Evidence of sustained commitment to continuing professional development
- A good understanding of current health and social care national aims and policy, and other determinants that impact on healthcare provision
- Experience translating complex information into clear communications for a range of audiences, including to deliver effective reports to senior leadership
- Experience using proven programme service development and project management methodologies to ensure delivery
Partnerships & Communities
- Experience working across organisational boundaries in the development and delivery of projects
- Able to represent the organisation credibly and positively in internal and external meetings
- Experience working on projects that require cross-organisational collaboration, and an understanding of the concept and aims of whole-system working
Governance and Assurance
- Previous experience of leading projects that require collective decision-making and how to negotiate success in those situations
- A good understanding effective corporate governance and the route for decision making within the ICB
We are seeking an experienced communications professional to provide senior leadership support for 12 months. Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) brings together three former ICBs into one strategically focused organisation, commissioning care for around two million people.
As the ICB moves away from a fragmented system where services are separately planned and often hospital-based strategic communications will be vital in supporting change with stakeholders, partners and the public.
This senior role will lead communications through a period of significant transition and transformation. You will provide leadership across organisational change, complex programmes and high-risk issues, while maintaining strong business-as-usual delivery and protecting the ICB’s reputation.
You will lead transition communications to deliver consistent, timely Essex-wide primary care messaging, balancing transformation with continuity. Working with senior leaders, clinicians and partners, you will ensure stakeholders are informed and engaged to improve outcomes.
You will also support the NHS’s three core shifts: treatment to prevention, hospital to community, and analogue to digital making this a high-profile role for a communications leader who thrives in complexity.
Main duties of the job
This role requires a senior communications leader with a proven track record of leading communications through organisational transition and complex NHS systems, including primary care.
You will bring Masters-level education or equivalent senior experience, alongside a strong commitment to continuous professional development and digital working. You will have significant experience operating at senior level within the NHS or a comparable system, leading strategic communications for large-scale transformation, commissioning change and organisational redesign.
You will be skilled in managing high-risk, sensitive and politically complex issues, protecting organisational reputation and maintaining confidence during uncertainty. Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills are essential, with the ability to work across organisational boundaries and build trusted relationships with NHS leaders, local government, providers, voluntary sector partners and communities.
You will be confident in facilitating dialogue, managing conflict and building consensus to support transition and delivery, with experience of programme and project management in complex environments.
Above all, you will demonstrate compassionate, inclusive leadership, high emotional intelligence and strong alignment with NHS values, alongside the resilience and adaptability needed to lead communications in a fast-moving system.
About us
NHS Essex ICB is a statutory organisation responsible for the planning and funding of NHS services for around 1.9 million people across Essex. Our role as an ICB is to bring health and care services together, improve the health and wellbeing of our population and ensure equitable access to services and outcomes for everyone. The organisations headquarters is Seax House, Chelmsford, and we operate a hybrid working model (2 office-based days) that includes working across Essex and from home. Essex ICB currently has offices in Brentwood, Harlow and Colchester, in addition to the Chelmsford HQ.
We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that values diversity. We know that different experiences, ideas and perspectives help create a stronger and more innovative organisation that delivers better outcomes for patients. We welcome applications from all backgrounds, including people of all ages, disabilities, sex, gender identity or expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or personal circumstances. Our policies ensure all applicants are treated fairly and consistently throughout the recruitment process, including consideration of reasonable adjustments for disabled applicants.
Job responsibilities
ROLE PURPOSE / SUMMARY
The proposed Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) will be a new organisation formed through the consolidation of three ICB areas in response to the NHS’s ambition to deliver a more streamlined, strategic and cost-effective model of health commissioning. The ICB will oversee the commissioning of care for the approximately 2 million people who live in Essex. Operating within a reduced running cost envelope and aligned to the new requirements of ICBs in England, the proposed Essex ICB will focus on improving population health outcomes, health equity and smarter resource allocation.
This role will provide senior communications leadership during a period of organisational transition, ensuring continuity of critical communications, protection of organisational reputation and delivery of high-priority programmes.
The postholder will lead communications support for transition, major system change and high-risk issues, maintaining robust business-as-usual delivery alongside programme communications.
The postholder will also promote quality improvement through effective communications and engagement, ensuring stakeholders, clinicians and communities are informed, involved and able to support delivery of improved services and outcomes.
As the ICB transitions to become a leaner, more focused strategic commissioning organisation the post holder will be expected to support the Executive Director of Corporate Services in delivering on the three fundamental shifts set out in the NHS 10-year plan:
- From Treatment to Prevention: Embedding preventative, personalised and population based approaches to commissioning.
- From Hospital to Community: Championing care model redesign that supports community and neighbourhood health.
- From Analogue to Digital: Enabling clinically driven transformation through digital innovation, data analytics and evidence based improvement.
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
To deliver on the job description set out above, the job holder will be expected to deliver on the requirements set out below:
Policy and service development
- Implement policy and/or service developments related to Communications and Engagement, interpreting requirements from NHS strategies, including the ICB strategy and the 10 Year Health Plan
- Ensure compliance with relevant ICB policies
- Use research and innovation to inform service improvements or performance management
Strategy and analysis
- Use of complex health data sets, including those relating to performance across activity, finance and quality to inform decision making
- Analysis of complex qualitative and quantitative data relating to primary care communications.
- Turning analysis into useful insights that can be used to inform decision making
- Present highly complex data, information and insights, including qualitative and quantitative data, through clear and simple written and verbal briefings
- Use of Population Health Management methodologies and tools to inform projects and programmes that will improve outcomes for patients and sustainability of health services
Planning and organisation
- Develop strategic project plans to drive delivery of complex projects.
- Manage delivery against agreed project plan, ensuring appropriate governance, risk management, escalations and reporting
- Develop and oversee annual business plan for Communications and Engagement team.
Communications and Partnerships
- Work collaboratively, modelling inclusive, respectful and compassionate leadership
- Listen effectively to a broad range of perspectives, including staff, patients and the public, to inform decision making
- Present information and training to large groups
- Build strong, trust-based relationships across the ICB, with NHS providers, local government, VCFSE partners and communities as needed
- Effective engagement with patients and the public as required
- Work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams to enable the collective ownership and delivery of projects that are seeking to improve outcomes, reduce inequalities and deliver a sustainable health and care system
- Share complex and challenging information which may relate to service performance or staffing
- Manage conflict, find compromise and build consensus where needed to drive progress in delivery
Financial and resource management
- Responsible for management of budget for any communications activity specific to the Connected Pathway team and ensuring delivery against the agreed budget
- Supports procurement of relevant services
Team management and capability building
- Support development and lead the aspects of the wider team, including overseeing recruitment, onboarding, development and performance management of team members
- Support staff through ICB transition, including the development of teams to deliver on new ICB portfolios as agreed through transition
- Support the effective transition of relevant functions to new portfolios within or beyond the ICB to support the new NHS operating model, in line with the requirements of the Model ICB Blueprint
- Work collaboratively with system partners to facilitate transitional arrangements
- Maintain a focus on quality, safety and affordability during transition
- Supporting effective Information Asset Management for the team
Other
- Use initiative and work with independency to deliver on requirements of the role
- Primarily desk-based work that requires use of visual display units, focused concentration and frequent participation in on-line or in person meetings
- Able to use software required to develop report, including ability to deliver high quality documents through Microsoft suite (word, power point, excel) and Sharepoint.
Flexibility and evolving responsibilities
As the ICB continues to evolve, portfolios may be subject to change to reflect the needs of the organization, the health and care system and national policy direction. This may include adjustments to areas of responsibility or realignment of reporting structures.
KEY RELATIONSHIPS
The post holder will need to build constructive relationships with partners from across the health and care system. Key relationships will be with:
- ICB senior leadership
- SIRO
- NHS Providers
- NHSEI regional partners
- NHSEI national teams
Person Specification
Personal Attributes and Values
- Personal commitment to the values of the NHS 10-year Plan, the NHS People Plan, the Nolan Principles, to championing equality, diversity and inclusion within the ICB and the wider health system
Experience
- Experience of working at a senior level in a relevant healthcare environment (NHS or other)
- Experience managing complex and often confidential information, including responding to media and political inquiries
- Experience of leading and delivering complex and contentious change and transformation projects
People & Culture
- A commitment to continuous improvement, organisation learning and achieving positive outcomes for all staff, patients, service users and carers working in line with the NHS People Promise
- Experience in building and maintaining high functioning teams, including recognising and promoting talent, as well as appropriately dealing with under-performance, when necessary
- Evidence of compassionate leadership and experience in promoting diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity
Qualifications
- Educated to Masters level (relevant focus) or equivalent managerial experience
- Evidence of sustained commitment to continuing professional development
- A good understanding of current health and social care national aims and policy, and other determinants that impact on healthcare provision
- Experience translating complex information into clear communications for a range of audiences, including to deliver effective reports to senior leadership
- Experience using proven programme service development and project management methodologies to ensure delivery
Partnerships & Communities
- Experience working across organisational boundaries in the development and delivery of projects
- Able to represent the organisation credibly and positively in internal and external meetings
- Experience working on projects that require cross-organisational collaboration, and an understanding of the concept and aims of whole-system working
Governance and Assurance
- Previous experience of leading projects that require collective decision-making and how to negotiate success in those situations
- A good understanding effective corporate governance and the route for decision making within the ICB
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