Communications & Engagement Officer

Do you love talking to people? Are you interested in NHS and social care services? Do you care about improving services for people in Surrey?

We’re looking for someone who can confidently seek out what people are saying about health and care services across Surrey, help us raise awareness of our services and communicate our insight to make a difference.

As our Communications & Engagement Officer you will;

• Work with our team and our volunteers to identify groups and people to talk to.
• Raise awareness of the work of Healthwatch Surrey.
• Build relationships with stakeholders, communities and groups across Surrey.
• Plan, organise and conduct engagement events.
• Listen to people and help them share their stories.
• Oversee the delivery of our external, internal and stakeholder communications strategy.
• Manage our branding, website, email and social media content.
• Produce influential summaries and reports of our insight (videos, written reports, social media etc).
• Promote Healthwatch Surrey in local places and publications.
• Lead on our influencing work in one geographic area of Surrey.
• Help manage our Communication & Marketing Apprentice.

The work will be varied, and you will interact with many different people (please see the Job Description for more details).

You will need to be interested in the NHS and social care (ideally with some experience of the sector); excellent at talking to people; caring and curious about their experiences; interested in communications and marketing; confident to be the face of Healthwatch Surrey in meetings to help amplify people’s voices. We are particularly interested in reaching out to those who are less well-served by services, who may face barriers to accessing services, and who may be at risk of health inequalities. You will need to be proactive, responsive and able to prioritise/manage your own workload.

You will be part of a team who are all passionate about hearing from local people, and that has a real say in developing health and social care services, liaising with senior professionals and clinicians to help deliver change for local people.

In return we can offer flexible working, a fun, supportive, well-organised team and a Guildford office location combined with home working. We offer 25 days leave increasing after 3 years of service. We provide ongoing training and development and, most importantly, give you an opportunity to help improve health and social care services for local people.

The role is up to 37.5 hours per week, however we also welcome applicants who may wish to work around 30 hours per week. The role will require you to travel across Surrey to attend engagement events, mainly on weekdays, but sometimes at weekends and in the evening. This often involves transporting promotional and engagement materials. You will need to be able to organise transport to do this.

How to Apply:

Please visit www.healthwatchsurrey.co.uk for the job description and person specification. To apply please send your CV and cover letter to recruitment@healthwatchsurrey.co.uk

ONLY applications that include a cover letter which demonstrates how you meet the person specification will be considered for the post.

Deadline for applications: Monday 13^th September (5pm)

Please note: depending on the volume of applications we receive for this post we may not be able to respond individually to all applications. Successful candidates will be notified by 16^th September. Candidates will need to be available to attend interview on 21^st /22^nd Sept 2021.

NOTE: We are holding a virtual recruitment webinar on Tuesday 7^th September at 11.30am. This will be an opportunity to find out more about Healthwatch Surrey and the current vacant roles. There will be an opportunity to ask questions (anonymously if you wish) and meet some of the team. If you would like to attend the webinar, please contact; recruitment@healthwatchsurrey.co.uk for joining details.