Communications Advisor (Covid-19 Public Health Response)

Dunedin (Wakari) or Queenstown

• Help the Southern district stay safe from COVID-19
• Support the community, businesses and organisations to stay informed and manage the risks of COVID-19
• Utilise your skills across a diverse range of media and channels
• Fixed term role through to July 2022

COVID-19 is the most significant public health issue of our time, and has affected us all. As Communications Advisor (Covid-19 Public Health Response) at the Southern District Health Board, you’ll help keep the community, businesses and wider organisations informed and prepared to manage the risks of COVID 19.

The next 6 months will see this journey unfold further, as more of the population becomes vaccinated, and decisions are made around the future of our borders and the management of the disease.

Working closely with the Public Health Team, Communications team and the Ministry of Health, you will focus on the communications needs for a wider range of stakeholders to prevent outbreaks of the virus, and stay appropriately informed should they occur.

About the Team

You’ll be working closely with teams in Public Health, Communications and the Ministry of Health.  

You’ll be supported by our other communications advisors and designer, as well as our many clinical, management and administration colleagues across the organisation.

About the Role 

As Communications Advisor (Covid-19 Public Health Response), you will be responsible for providing trusted communications advice and expertise to support this critical work.

The main focus areas of your role will be (but are not limited to):

• Planning, overseeing and implementing communications with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders
• Implementing communications strategies across a range of channels; online (internal and external), print, external media, websites, social media
• Participating in promotion and engagement activities, including workshops and meetings.
• Building positive working relationships with key media agencies, and facilitating their queries on a range of issues
• Contributing to the strong values-based internal culture of the Southern DHB
• Continually improving communications systems and channels.

About You

We are looking for a positive, pro-active and motivated individual to step into this varied and busy role. You will ideally bring the following skills and experience with you:

• Extensive experience within a communications, media, marketing or public relations field
• Very strong writing skills, and the commitment to produce accurate and high quality communications and work to a deadline
• Resilience, judgement and the ability to pick up new ideas
• A can-do attitude and commitment to continuous improvement
• A team player with a strong focus on internal and external ‘customers’ and the ability to build strong working relationships with people from diverse backgrounds and experiences
• Photography and/or video skills while not essential would definitely be beneficial
• A relevant tertiary qualification.

It goes without saying that you will also need to be an excellent communicator with the ability to successfully get your ideas across in both the written and spoken form. You’ll enjoy being at the frontline in a sometimes pressured and often ambiguous environment.

If you think you have the skills we need and are looking for an opportunity to shine in the communications space we would love to hear from you!

About Southern DHB

Southern DHB has the largest regional coverage of all the New Zealand health boards, providing services to over 320,000 people. We take pride in the services we provide and our aim is to improve, promote and protect the health of our population. Our customers – patients, staff and communities - are at the heart of everything we do, and projects from reshaping primary and community care to the building the new Dunedin Hospital all aim to improve the care we provide. 

See position description

Closing Date: Monday 28 February 2022

Due to the fast paced nature of the DHB, our vacancy close dates may be subject to change. Don’t delay, make sure you apply as soon as possible.

Pre-Employment checks

In the interests of protecting our people and our patients, all appointments will be subject to:

• Occupational Health Assessment
• Police Vetting / Ministry of Justice safety checks
• Serious misconduct checks (previous Public Service departments and statutory Crown entities only)
• Following the update to COVID-19 Public Health Response (Vaccinations) Order 2021, to be employed with Southern DHB you will be required to be fully vaccinated and have received a booster vaccine against COVID-19. You will need to provide proof of this to Occupational Health staff.