Job requirements
Essential
8 listedRequirements the employer expects applicants to meet.
- Values
Shows collaborative approach across organisational and sector boundaries
- Qualifications and Experience
Good knowledge of the healthcare environment and roles and responsibilities within it, with a thorough understanding of current issues and challenges and the wider political and public sector context.
- Qualifications and Experience
Thorough understanding of the role and value of public affairs in a complex and evolving landscape.
- Qualifications and Experience
Substantial experience of delivering communications at senior practitioner level, within a public service environment.
- Qualifications and Experience
Substantial experience of giving professional advice and gaining the confidence and respect of senior colleagues and stakeholders, with the gravitas to provide challenge.
- Qualifications and Experience
Specialist knowledge over more than one discipline and function acquired over a significant period.
- Qualifications and Experience
Experience multiple communications disciplines, with in-depth professional knowledge of media management (proactive and reactive), public affairs, high-profile campaign development and delivery, internal communications and engagement and digital communications and public and stakeholder engagement.
- Qualifications and Experience
Experience of developing and delivering strategic communications and engagement plans, using a range of channels and tactics to effectively communicate and engage with internal and external audiences.
Desirable
Not listed in the available specification.
Job overview
We are inviting applications for the role of Director of Communications and Involvement on a 6-month fixed term contract.
The postholder is responsible for setting the strategic direction for how the organisation communicates and engages internally and externally. The role is part of the Executive Team, providing insight to support the organisation to communicate and involve well. The postholder provides oversight of the Communication and Involvements Team’s functions and delivery of them. You will have extensive experience in communications and involvement and worked at very senior level.
Main duties of the job
- In this senior leadership role, the postholder will play a key role in protecting and enhancing NHS Kent and Medway and the NHS in Kent and Meway’s reputation and embedding its narrative with staff and stakeholders.
- As a member of the Executive Team, you will proactively profile and position NHS Kent and Medway, its ambitions and its achievements overseeing an approach to media and public affairs that builds awareness and support for our work to improve population health and reduce inequalities with a wide range of audiences.
- You will be accountable for a proactive and reactive media service, delivering timely and accurate responses to incoming media enquiries, while proactively sharing positive news across corporate and system-owned channels and with media channels and publications.
- You will strengthen the ICB’s approach to public affairs, ensuring a coherent and joined-up approach to engaging stakeholders with key activity or programmes. This is particularly important for members of parliament and other elected officials representing their communities.
Please note, this vacancy does not meet the criteria for skilled worker sponsorship and therefore, we are unable to accept applications from candidates that cannot provide documentary evidence of right to work in the United Kingdom
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this.
Still have questions? The recruiting manager would love to hear from you, their contact details can be found in the job advert.
We can get a lot of applications for some roles so to be in with the best chance of being shortlisted please make sure you apply as soon as possible. A vacancy may close early if there is a lot of interest in the job.
If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know so they can help you with this.
All information you supply on your application should, to the best of your knowledge, be true and accurate.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Director of Communications and Involvement with NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board in Maidstone, United Kingdom. It is listed as a Band 9 Administrative and IT role. The advertised salary is £112,782 - £129,783 pro rata, per annum. The contract type is 6 months (Fixed term/Secondment). The application deadline is 28 Oct 2026.
Before you apply, compare the job description with the person specification and mirror the employer's essential criteria in your supporting information. Use the vacancy title, employer, location, salary, contract type, closing date and posted date (15 Oct 2026) to decide whether this role fits your current NHSjob search. If the employer can close applications early, prepare the application before the stated deadline rather than waiting for the final day.
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