The opportunity

If you have the appetite to lead a small but ambitious team in demonstrating the powerful impact of our work this is an exciting time to join Health Innovation South West. 

The challenges for health and health care have never been greater and so the need for innovation to improve people’s lives has never been more relevant. We have an ambitious strategy which seeks to achieve a step change in the scale of innovation needed to meet the distinctive healthcare needs of our region's communities. The South West is a remarkable place with a distinct rural and coastal makeup that drives a specific set of challenges for health and care.

To achieve our goals, we need to tell a consistent and compelling story of health innovation that is rooted in this context, shaped by the experiences of people living here and fuelled by the collective expertise and experience of partners across the region. And crucially, Health Innovation South West’s position at the centre of the South West’s innovation ecosystem – working in collaboration to help find, test and prepare solutions for adoption at scale that are aligned to national and local priorities, but adapted for our people and place.

We’re looking for a Head of Communications and External Affairs who shares our ambition and can work across the comms and marketing mix to build our profile, credibility and reputation - as a leading voice and preferred partner on innovation in rural and coastal health.  The health innovation landscape is dynamic and multi-sector, so audiences are varied from regional health and social care teams to big pharma and Medtech. With an emphasis on targeted B2B comms and engagement, we’re taking our communications to the next level so we can stand out from the crowd, engage and influence our target audiences.

There’s a lot to shout about.

•      We’ve built an integrated, place-based, partnership approach to drive innovation at scale to benefit a population of 2.2million. To maximise impact, we work cross-sector, at local, regional and national levels, developing solutions with the potential to benefit rural and coastal areas across the country.

•      We’re making real progress. From scaling up GPs use of AI to predict the risk of hospital admissions to testing new approaches in coastal towns to improve early detection of cancer. We are repositioning the South West Peninsula as an effective strategic partner for life science companies who are seeing the region's potential as a rural and coastal innovation cluster. We are increasingly highlighting the potential of the South West as a test bed for preparing and adapting innovation for adoption in rural and coastal populations; and opportunity to accelerate economic growth.

•      We have an ambitious board, an executive team with a clear vision, and a team that are highly committed to putting the South West on the map in rural and coastal health. And we are based in a really great place to live and work.

We believe we have a unique offer for someone who is passionate about driving the uptake of health innovation and economic growth, enabling patients to benefit from earlier diagnosis, more effective treatments, and faster recovery.

Role profile:

Responsibilities

Strategic communications

·      Build our profile, credibility and reputation as a high performing health innovation network organisation, a leading voice and preferred partner on innovation in rural and coastal health.

·      Combine impact storytelling, thought leadership, convening and marketing to achieve our communications strategy objectives:

o  Demonstrate our contribution to the regional innovation ecosystem as a proactive, committed partner that works across sectors to deliver impact.

o  Demonstrate support for medium and longer-term government priorities for the health and care, life sciences and economic growth.

o  Grow our reputation as the partner of choice for innovation in rural and coastal health – supporting business development to showcase partnership approach and communicate our value proposition to different audiences.

o  Increase understanding and the profile of rural and coastal health as a key place-based approach and opportunity for innovation.

·      Translating strategy into implementation to engage target audiences with a focus on quality over quantity to drive maximum returns on effort and investment

Communications delivery

·      Development of impact focussed plans, campaigns and content that engage audiences and achieve operational and strategic goals.

·      Work with other senior leaders to ensure the highest quality communications are used in the development, delivery, and evaluation of projects. And to ensure the capture and dissemination of insight and impact to drive interest of external audiences including regional partners, investors, funders, and policy makers. 

·      Ensure we communicate our proposition to potential commercial partners, including overseeing the production of marketing to help secure and deliver income generation opportunities.  

·      Measure and report on our communications and engagement activity to improve performance through metrics including digital insights, customer satisfaction and income from facilities.

Leadership

·      Oversee digital communications functions within the business including website, CRM online and hybrid events facilities and business IT contracts and commissions.

·      Brand guardianship, overseeing the management and evolution of our brand, design, tone of voice, ensuring it is distinctive and aligned with the national network of Health Innovation organisations and champions our work with regional partners.

·      Manage a thriving innovation-hub, curating and delivering a series of targeted engagement events (in-person and hybrid) involving our expert staff and partners.

Working in partnership

·      Develop strong regional and national relationships with communications, public relations, and policy teams to cultivate and support opportunities for thought leadership and impact stories.

·      Represent, and enable other staff to represent, Health Innovation South West at relevant forums and networks ensuring our values and business aims are effectively communicated and represented and that we are recognised as a strategic influencer and driver for change.

·      Demonstrate the values of the organisation in all your work as impact led, improvement focused and collaborative. 

Person specification:

Experience we are looking for

·      Senior leadership experience leading and managing communications and marketing to develop partnerships, raise profile, funds or investment.

·      Experience of budget management and driving income generation, preferably through facilities and/or events.

·      Substantial and demonstrable experience of overseeing relevant functional roles including digital communications, events facilities and external affairs.

·      Demonstrable experience of evolving powerful communications and event projects working within a dynamic, complex, and changing sector.

·      Track record of managing, motivating, and directing teams

Experience and capabilities you will develop in the role

·      Communicating new approaches demonstrating impact of innovation in health and care.

·      Working collaboratively to share the game-changing outcomes from our work as a region.  

·      Influencing national audiences with impact stories.

·      Role modelling leadership in a matrix structure.

Abilities and attributes we are looking for

·      An agility and confidence to delegate within a busy team – prioritising exceptionally strategic, proactive and reactive tasks.

·      Highly proficient in influencing communication, with the ability to rapidly translate complex information for a range of audiences.

·      Skilled in marketing and positioning services and consultancy within sales and bid context.

·      Confidence to network and influence within regional and national policy and communications settings.

·      Motivating setting clear expectations and supporting staff development.

·      Ability to learn from experience and collaborate with others to find solutions and new ways of working.

·      Thrive in a busy, ambitious working environment.

Reporting to: Anna Lodge, Executive Director of Corporate Operations