Deputy Head of Engagement - Community Engagement (Infected Blood Compensation Authority)
| Posting date: | 07 April 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £55,403 to £61,939 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 20 April 2025 |
| Location: | Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 399885/1 |
Summary
The number one goal for this new organisation is to build and maintain trust with its users. Effective, open and transparent communications will play an important part in this.
The Communications and Engagement team sits at the heart of the IBCA to ensure we explain the new compensation scheme with clarity, simplicity and effectiveness.
Opportunities to move to the new Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA)
At the moment all IBCA roles are hosted by Cabinet Office within the Civil Service. However, once IBCA becomes operational, it is anticipated that most of these roles will transfer to IBCA, which is a new Arms Length Body (ALB) separate from the Cabinet Office. Roles that transfer to IBCA from Cabinet Office will maintain the same or substantially the same terms and conditions of employment that are overall no less favourable. It is anticipated that employees who move from Cabinet Office to IBCA will be able to continue to participate in the Civil Service Pension arrangements with no break in their pensionable service. Roles commencing after IBCA has become operational will be with IBCA itself on similar terms and conditions. All successful candidates will receive full details of the terms and conditions of employment for their role with their formal job offer.
Please note that the mission of IBCA means that it is likely to be operational for a period of approximately 5 to 7 years. When IBCA’s work begins to wind down, IBCA employees will receive support and practical guidance to find a new role, whether in the Civil Service, another Arms Length Body (ALB), or an external employer.
We are building a Communications and Engagement Team unlike any other with one aim: to deliver compensation to the infected blood community. As a Team we collaborate, we lead and we work at pace. With a big job to do you’ll be striving for innovation and excellence as we build the team together.
We’re looking for an experienced, driven and creative communications leader.
Our work requires pace, impact and sensitivity, putting the infected and affected community at the heart of our communications and making it easy for them to get the compensation and support they are entitled to. We are creative, fast-working and encourage collaboration. With a big job to do you’ll be striving for innovation and excellence as we build the team together.
The External affairs and engagement team plans, leads and delivers engagement for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, including engagement for senior officials and the Chair and Chief Executive. We are trusted advisors and facilitators who deliver strategic engagement as well as visits, speeches, events and roundtables. We also work closely and directly with stakeholders and members of the infected blood community to help to deliver IBCA’s core mission of paying compensation to every person who is eligible.
Main Responsibilities
We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic leader to lead the team responsible for IBCA’s community engagement work. You will ensure that IBCA can tell its story to those who have the most interest and influence in its success; parliament, MPs, regulators, partners and other potential advocates. This is a challenging and exciting opportunity to develop engagement strategies, and build a high-performing and motivated team to deliver high quality engagement for IBCA leadership and board members.
The job will require the candidate to:
- Be jointly responsible (with the Deputy Head of External Affairs) for the development and implementation of a robust and creative engagement strategy, implementation plans, and scoring criteria and an evaluation framework (according to the OASIS planning method) to support IBCA’S objectives.
- Be responsible for the strategy, oversight and delivery of high quality engagement and visits to support the senior leadership of IBCA with community engagement and engagement with other stakeholders and partners such as MPs, large charities and communications partners.
- Own, manage and coordinate relationships with the infected blood community and community-run organisations, including owning and managing key communications and engagement channels and products, such as the Communications Advisory Panel.
- Work with policy experts across IBCA, the Cabinet Office and other government departments to understand policy priorities and use this understanding to inform, develop and evaluate appropriate approaches to engagement that will clearly demonstrate the progress that IBCA is making.
- Maintain a regular awareness of the news cycle and other relevant stakeholder and community insight to ensure that engagement activity is planned with due regard to potential sensitive issues, and risks.
- Establish and sustain strong, proactive and measurable relationships across IBCA and with external stakeholders.
- Identify risks and opportunities and coordinate the input of all relevant internal and external stakeholders to ensure successful delivery of all of our engagement.
- Make sure community engagement fully aligns with the overall communications plan - in supporting the team’s delivery and providing content for other channels.
- Ensure that all products are delivered on time and to a high standard
- Work with the Deputy Head of External Affairs to devise and oversee regular stakeholder reviews, including stakeholder mapping, sentiment analysis, engagement strategies and evaluation, in order to inform and iterate our engagement strategies and provide persuasive arguments in favour of your recommended approaches to engagement.
- Support the G6 Head of Engagement and External Affairs and deputise where required.
- Travel will be required.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme