Policy and Engagement Manager

We have an excellent opportunity for two Policy and Engagement Managers to join our Acute Network team.

The Policy and Engagement Manager will play a critical role in supporting the NHS Confederation's work on acute hospitals, particularly for Urgent and Emergency Care Services and Elective Recovery. This includes:

• Providing support across projects related to urgent and emergency care/elective recovery.
• Assisting with organising meetings and events.
• Engaging and building relationships with internal and external stakeholders and supporting engagement activities.
• Focusing on elective recovery, urgent and emergency care, and improving patient flow (attendance, admission, and discharge processes).

Main Duties of the Job

The Policy and Engagement Manager will be responsible for providing support across a range of projects, including managing parts of our out of acute network programme and putting the NHS on a sustainable footing workstream. The role will provide engagement support, building relationships with members and supporting engagement activities.

The role will provide support for meetings and events such as webinars, liaising with NHS Confederation members and external stakeholders, including potential funding partners.

The postholder will help manage our membership administrative data and support communication to members, ensuring we build and maintain an excellent reputation with our members.

The role will also provide policy support for our focus on elective recovery and improving patient flow, keeping up to date with NHS England policy, relevant events and briefings, and understanding the context our members operate in.

This role will also focus on whole system flow and understanding how other parts of the system can help support reducing elective backlogs and reduce attendance/demand in urgent and emergency care services, including aspects of social and community care. The postholder will work collaboratively with other colleagues in the organisation on integrated cross-sector work.

The postholder maintains a good understanding of issues facing Acute members in order to create high-quality member events and communications and build positive relationships with senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Specific accountabilities include:

Policy and Influencing

• Responding to member and stakeholder insight and developing policy influencing plans on key issues, including positioning on priority areas and topics.
• Identifying influencing opportunities and developments that will affect our members.
• Supporting and delivering products in partnership with funding partners within our focus areas of elective/urgent and emergency care and putting the NHS on a sustainable footing.
• Delivering high-quality and insightful products that provide value for members and are influential on their behalf.
• Aligning with work across the organisation and creating synergies with the work of other teams and Networks.
• Preparing briefings to help inform health and care leaders of the key issues of the day.
• Contributing to the NHS Confederation's events programme, including meetings with health and system leaders, and high-profile events and conferences.

Job Description Communications and Events

Your role will promote the work of the NHS Confederation through:

• Making a strong case for change and writing and speaking persuasively with a range of external audiences.
• Delivering high-quality case studies for promotion through relevant NHS Confederation challenges or external influencing.
• Supporting the delivery of relevant events (e.g., NHSConfedExpo), including developing content and organising speakers.
• Ensuring members receive relevant and timely updates from the NHS Confederation about its work and national developments of interest to members through blogs and member updates.
• Presenting at external meetings and events as necessary to support our policy and influencing work.
• Drafting content for bulletins, developing social media content and web text.
• Assisting in the delivery of communications plans and delivering communications projects.

Person Specification Qualifications

• Knowledge of contemporary UK health policy, policy priorities and service delivery challenges and the wider NHS.
• Understanding of the UK political environment and the operation of government, preferably related to healthcare.
• Experience of engaging stakeholders via roundtables/forums for shared purposes.
• Digital communications experience, particularly developing content, drafting bulletins and social media.
• Well-developed analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to grasp complex issues quickly, and to interpret and present them for a variety of audiences.
• Excellent communication and the ability to build strong personal relationships.
• High levels of self-motivation, the ability to be responsive and agile in a rapidly changing environment and to work under pressure to meet deadlines.
• Experience of delivering change/improvement.
• Ability to write accessible and compelling policy narratives and make a strong case for change.

£45,239 a year and £4000 London Weighting (if applicable).

Contract

Permanent

Working Pattern

Full-time, Flexible working, Home or remote working.