Communications and Engagement Manager - Stakeholders

Job summary

This is an on-site/hybrid role. The post requires a minimum of 60% on-site working, as much of the work involves in-person engagement, filming, photography and supporting colleagues across the hospital.

Main duties of the job

To develop and deliver strategies and plans to support the Trust in its communications with partners, patients and the public.

To develop and deliver strategies and plans to support the Trust in its communications around transformation and modernisation plans for Addenbrooke's, including plans for a new Acute Hospital and the Trust's vision for Neighbourhood Health, focussing especially on partners within the health system, patients and the public.

Contribute to and help deliver our patient engagement programme and the communications programmes for the CUH Major Projects.

Work with the Head of External Affairs to plan and deliver high quality stakeholder engagement, including use of a customer relationship management database.

Create compelling and high quality content around our wider modernisation and transformation plans that is suitable for a wide range of stakeholders.

Develop and lead engagement events for high-profile events involving stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership, staff, partners and patients.

Work with the media where appropriate to support external relations at the Trust.

About us

Our Trust

Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust comprises Addenbrooke's Hospital and the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge. With over 13,000 staff and over 1100 beds the priorities of the Trust focus on a quality service which is all about people - patients, staff and partners. Recognised as providing 'outstanding' care to our patients and rated 'Good' overall by the Care Quality Commissioner, is testament to the skill and dedication of the people who work here. CUH's values - Together - Safe, Kind, Excellent - are at the heart of patient care, defining the way all staff work and behave. The Trust provides accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge, together with specialist services, dealing with rare or complex conditions for a regional, national and international population.

CUH is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves. We value our differences and fully advocate and support an inclusive working environment where every individual can fulfil their potential. We want to ensure our people are truly representative of all the communities that we serve. We welcome applications for all positions in the organisation irrespective of people's age, disability, ethnicity, race, nationality, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity status or social economic background.

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached Applicant Information Pack (combined Job Description and Person Specification) for key duties and responsibilities.

Please note:- Internal applicants on permanent contracts can apply for this post as a secondment or fixed term contract. For secondments you must have the approval of your line manager before applying. If you are an internal applicant currently on a fixed term contract you are able to apply for this as a fixed term position.

This vacancy will close at midnight on 26th August 2026.

Interviews are due to be held on 11 September 2026.

Benefits to you

At Cambridge University Hospitals, we want to do all we can to support good working days. We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits, including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse and day nurseries. Our good work programme currently includes providing reduced cost Stagecoach bus travel to and from Cambridge University Hospital site. Park and Ride bus journeys between Babraham Road and Trumpington sites are free, as is the route to and from Cambridge train station and our hospitals. We also subsidise the cost of parking on site for eligible staff.

On CUH campus, hot food is available 24/7 and at a reduced cost for colleagues. Recently we launched the first of our staff pod break spaces. Located in the Deakin Centre, we have a purpose-created colleague-only caf, with free tea and coffee, a break space and private outside area for colleagues to rest, refuel and recharge. Just one of the ways we are working hard to support good working days at CUH.

CUH is committed to assisting employees in achieving a good work-life balance irrespective of role or personal circumstances. Flexible arrangements may include, but are not limited to, part-time working, job-share, term-time working and flexible start and finish times.

Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.

We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to degree level and/or equivalent level of skills or experience plus training and/or experience in the communications field to degree-level equivalent
• Evidence of continuous professional development

Desirable

• Either an under-graduate or post-graduate qualification in journalism, marketing, public relations or related field
• Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing or Public Relations

Experience

Essential

• Experience of leading external communications at a senior level in a large complex organisation
• Dealing with a variety of professionals and staff at all levels
• Experience of dealing with senior executives, providing advice where appropriate
• Evidence of successful communication strategy, development and implementation
• Experience in measuring and evaluating communications and designing channels that target audiences precisely
• Practical experience in using different approaches to communications across all mediums
• Experience of leading public engagement projects and consultations
• Experience in stakeholder mapping techniques applied to large-scale change management projects
• Experience in working with CRM-type databases as a tool for tracking public engagement projects
• Experience of working with the media

Desirable

• Experience of leading stakeholder communications strategies within large NHS organisations
• Experience of creating new ways of engaging stakeholders

Knowledge

Essential

• Understanding of how to identify and target specific audience groups
• Solid understanding of the law in relation to public engagement and consultation surrounding major service change in the NHS
• Knowledge of customer relationships management databases and how they can be used to track delivery against a given strategy
• Knowledge of the media and how it operates as well as the law in relation to media relations
• Knowledge of editorial guidelines, content creation and channel management in communications practice

Desirable

• Knowledge of stakeholder communications approaches from across the industry sector and how they can be implemented in the NHS

Skills

Essential

• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communications skills
• Political skills and knowledge of public sector issues, including those surrounding the NHS
• Able to persuade and influence senior decision makers and develop highly effective working relationships with colleagues across a wide range of organisations
• Ability to manage matrix stakeholder relationships in projects involving major change
• Ability to represent the organisation and reflect its aims and objectives, speaking publicly on its behalf
• Able to plan complex multi-stakeholder communications projects and monitor their successful delivery with a high degree of attention to detail
• Flexibility in handling a wide range of projects, managed to tight deadlines
• Politically aware
• Ability to take the lead on projects involving external stakeholders at all levels
• Emotionally resilient
• Able to cope and function effectively when working in a demanding environment
• Ability to act with tact and diplomacy at all times

Additional Requirements

Essential

• The ability to understand and behave at all times, towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of safe, kind, excellent