Head of Communication and Engagement

HEIW is seeking an Interim Head of Communications and Engagement to provide operational leadership, professional oversight and strategic support during a six month secondment period.

The role will focus on maintaining a stable, well managed and high performing Communications and Engagement function during a period of significant organisational delivery, prioritisation and ongoing service development.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced communications and engagement professional who is ready to step into a broader leadership role within a supportive but fast paced environment.

The postholder will work closely with the Assistant Director, Strategic Partnerships, Engagement and Insight to support delivery of organisational priorities, strategic communications activity and wider stakeholder engagement objectives, while providing day-to-day leadership and oversight of the Communications and Engagement function.

Interviews are scheduled to be held on 6 and 7 July 2026.

We appreciate the emerging role of AI in the workplace. However, as a senior communicator we are keen to see your own written skills demonstrated in your application.

The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post;
English and/or Welsh speakers are equally welcome to apply.

The role will focus on:

• Providing day-to-day operational oversight of the Comms and Engagement function, ensuring effective delivery against agreed organisational priorities and objectives
• Working closely with the Communications and Engagement Manager to maintain coordinated operational delivery, prioritisation and effective day-to-day management across the team
• Working closely with the Assistant Director, Strategic Partnerships, Engagement and Insight to support strategic comms activity, national messaging and stakeholder engagement across priority areas
• Overseeing delivery of comms and engagement activity across priority programmes and organisational work streams
• Leading coordinated media handling, reputational management and communications responses across organisational and national priority issues
• Maintaining effective governance, standards, accountability and performance management across the Comms and Engagement function
• Managing operational communications risks, including appropriate escalation and issue management
• Supporting effective planning, reporting, team development and collaborative working across the Comms and Engagement function
• Providing line management and development support for the Senior Comms Officers

Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) is the strategic workforce body for NHS Wales with statutory functions that include education and training, workforce planning, workforce development and transformation, leadership and succession planning, and careers. Our purpose is to develop a workforce that delivers excellent care to patients/service users and excellent population health. We are a Special Health Authority working closely with our partners;
Social Care Wales, education providers, professional and regulatory bodies and Welsh Government.

HEIW is committed to developing an internal culture of choice. Our Values reflect our thoughts, feelings and beliefs in how we will, and will not, behave and treat others:

• Respect for All in every contact we have with others
• Ideas that Improve:
  Harnessing creativity and continuously innovating, evaluating and improving
• Together as a Team:
  Working with colleagues across NHS Wales and with partner organisations

HEIW received the HPMA Award for Employee Engagement in 2019.

What you can expect:

• A corporate induction and 90 day Welcome itinerary
• A meaningful values based performance appraisal process
• The opportunity to impact upon health and social care services and the lives and wellbeing of the people of Wales

Many of our colleagues and stakeholders have commented on the buzz and atmosphere we create by working together as "One HEIW Team". Do you want to join that team?

This post is being offered for a fixed term period. Applications from any NHS employees (excluding those employed by independent contractors) will be considered only as a secondment opportunity. In this case, all NHS employees must have their line managers approval before making an application.

This post is fixed term/secondment for 6 months to cover a secondment.

It may be extended or made permanent at the end of that period depending on available funding and business requirement, but there is no guarantee of continued employment in HEIW.

You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click Apply now to view in Trac.

• Educated to Masters level (or equivalent senior level experience in a communication, marketing and journalism or other post graduate qualification)
• Professional qualification (e.g. Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) Or Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM))…