Head of Communications
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS TrustJob overview
A rare opportunity to lead a phenomenally successful and high profile communications team.
We are seeking a highly motivated, creative and inspirational Head of Communications to take a pivotal role in leading our communications service. An excellent story-teller and highly skilled communicator you will have a proven track record of providing leadership and professional advice and expertise, whilst delivering highly effective communication and engagement strategies which are purposeful, data driven and accessible.
We are a values-led organisation and are looking for someone who can build relationships at pace, internally and externally, whilst being a champion for the communications. This is a 1 year secondment opportunity covering a secondment (that may extend).
In order to optimise team effectiveness for a communications team that is supports the business operations for two hospitals and their services, colleagues are required to be based in Coventry for a minimum of 4 days per week.
Reporting to the Director of Marketing and Communications, you will be a kind, compassionate leader who continues cultivating a culture of high performance, collaboration and innovation to optimise team and individual talent. The team of 7 delivers a full range of communications including plans, internal communications for 11,000 staff, media relations, social media, external relations, marketing campaigns, design, photography, video, and supports operational communications.
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The Head of Communications will work within a corporate communications team to deliver impactful, evidence-based messaging and story-telling that resonate with our audiences. This senior role will support the many innovations and transformations our organisation is involved with across all aspects of communications and marketing. We don’t expect you to have all the skills listed below but our team is able to offer this full range of advice and expertise to our Trust:
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Specialisms/Competencies |
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Strategic advice and support |
Internal communications and employee engagement |
Media relations and social media |
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Social media |
Stakeholder relations and management |
Issues and crisis management |
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Events management and marketing |
Campaigns |
Branding, design and corporate identity development |
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Performance reporting for the comms service |
Policies, standards and evaluation of activity |
Insight and marketing research |
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Public and patient engagement |
Operational Management |
Programme Management |
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Strategic Partnerships |
Organisational Development |
Consultations |
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Media planning |
Monitoring (channels) |
Communications Training |
Working for our organisation
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, rated as Good by the Care Quality Commission in August 2025, is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the UK.
We are extremely proud of our employees across our hospital sites, with high quality patient care at the heart of everything we do.
Boasting some of the most modern facilities in Western Europe, the Trust is renowned for being at the forefront of research and innovation as part of its blossoming reputation as a worldwide leader in healthcare.
We are proud to be recognised as a Pathway to Excellence® designated organisation – please click the link for further details about this prestigious award. Pathway To Excellence ® - University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire (uhcw.nhs.uk)
By joining our exciting journey, you will form part of a passionate, talented team and will be able to access a wide range of learning and development opportunities. There has never been a better time to join our team.
The Trust is committed to building an organisation that makes full use of the talents, skills, experience, and different perspectives available in our diverse society. We want everyone to feel they are respected, valued, can achieve their potential and receive the most appropriate and relevant care. We will create an environment where the equality and human rights principles of fairness, respect, equality, dignity and autonomy are promoted and are part of the organisation's core values.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Communications and Relationship Skill
- Supporting Director of Communications this role is responsible for development, implementation and evaluation of communications strategies, plans, projects, campaigns for UHCW Trust
- Provide communications, marketing communications and media, reputation management advice and training to Executive Team and senior colleagues including Director of Communications and Marketing and other senior managers; deputise for Director of Communications
- Act as communications link between organisation and stakeholders including local community, government departments, professional bodies, local and national government
Knowledge, Training and Experience
- To deliver strategic priorities as part of UHCW strategy to build a positive reputation and help the Trust realise our ambition as an organisation to be a national and international leader in healthcare
- A key communications management role in overseeing the day-to-day operations of the communications service leading and supporting 5 communications staff and ensuring activities are planned, coordinated and as efficient and effective as possible.
Planning and organisational Skills
- Oversight, development, monitoring and delivery of long term strategic and communications plans, often involving changing situations and environmental factors
- Partnership Liaison - Act as a communications link between organisations and stakeholders including local community, government departments, professional bodies, local and national government.
- Evaluating and reporting on metrics that demonstrate the value the communications function delivers and identify areas and plans for improvement.
Physical Skills
- Creative – responsible for ensuring that messages are effectively presented with high quality design and design solutions that achieve the right impact in print, video and images. Oversight of our corporate digital asset management (photography, video) in accordance with GDPR.
Responsibility for Patient/Client Care
- Patient communications – maintaining an overview on quality of communications for patients and their access to information, putting the patient first in all that we do.
- Respond to patients and issues relating to communications service concerns (e.g. Clinical Service Reviews, Court Cases)
- Work with patients on the development of communications e.g. patient stories
Responsibility for Policy/ Service Development
- Improvement – as one of five partners with Virginia Mason Institute in Seattle USA, this role will work closely with our Innovation Hub and improvement teams to showcase our journey of improvement across all services.
Responsibility for Financial and Physical Resources
- Resource management – responsible for effective management of resources including procurement, supplier management and communications budget.
Responsibility for Human Resources
- Lead, manage, motivate and develop the comms team to maintain the highest standard of staff morale and create a climate characterised by high standards, openness and living the Trust values.
- Ensure communications team personal and professional development through review, appraisal, objective setting and personal development plans.
- Training and Service Quality: Ensuring consistent quality of service delivery through governance (policies), standards, staff training and assurance of communications and engagement plans. Production of regular reports on performance and delivery of the communications service.
For further details of the role please see the attached job description.
To ensure that we provide world-class patient care, UHCW recruits people that can demonstrate the Trust’s Values and Behaviours in their everyday life. Therefore, if you are invited to interview, you will be undertaking a Values Based Interview/Assessment, which explores not only what you do but how and why you do it.
Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trust’s Values and Behaviours which can be accessed on the right side of this page under the job description.
The Supporting Information Section in your application should therefore reflect your understanding of the Trust’s Values and associated Behaviours. You will be expected to provide us with examples from work experience and/or personal life which demonstrate these values through your behaviour.
The Trust is committed to Equal Opportunities within the workplace. All vacancies will be considered for Job Share unless otherwise stated. All applicants who have a disability and who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be interviewed. Where a post has an overwhelming response, this Trust may use random selection in order to reduce numbers to interview, any disabled applicants will automatically be guaranteed an interview and will be exempt from this process.
In submitting an application form, you authorise University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust to confirm from your previous or current NHS employer and other prior employers; previous NHS service details and personal data held about you, including Occupational Health data (inoculations and screening tests). This data will be transferred using NHS Electronic Staff Record and third-party systems via an automated process and only used for the purposes of obtaining and maintaining accurate employment records, should you be appointed to the post.
UHCW NHS Trust, by virtue of its Green Plan, is committed to ensuring that the way we provide services minimises the impact on the environment and the future health of the public e.g. zero waste to landfill, reducing our carbon footprint and increasing our recycling and reuse percentages.
If you are successful at interview you will receive a conditional offer of employment and we’ll ask you for information so that we can carry out pre-employment checks. You must successfully complete all pre-employment checks to progress to a final unconditional offer.
We must confirm the identity of our staff and their right to work in the United Kingdom. We will ask you to submit proof of your identity and right to work documents via a secure digital platform approved by the Home Office, named TrustID. Alternatively, you may be asked to attend our office with original documents.
Depending on you level of exposure with patients you may be required to undertake a Standard or Enhanced DBS. The cost of this check will be charged to you and will be deducted from your salary over the first 3 months of employment at the current rate.
All correspondence will be sent by email; please check your account regularly including your Junk/SPAM folders