Job Description

Healthwatch Cornwall (HC) is one of 152 local Healthwatch formed in response to the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Healthwatch England provides representation at national level and Healthwatch Cornwall is funded by the Department of Health via Cornwall Council.

Our vision is to inspire positive change in Cornwall's health and social care through effective public engagement and we exist to ensure people and communities have a strong voice to influence and challenge how health and social care services are provided within their area.

HC is a Community Interest Company (CIC) and we act as a 'critical friend' to the commissioners and providers of health and social care services to enable progressive and beneficial decisions to be made

Job Purpose:

The Engagement & Partnerships Manager will act as the key link between the CEO, the engagement team, and the residents of Cornwall.

They will oversee the delivery of Partnership Boards, Community Engagement, and the Enter & View programme, ensuring that the voices of residents are amplified, empowered, and used to influence health and social care improvements.

This role is about maximising reach and representation, ensuring as many residents as possible can share their experiences, and that those experiences are transformed into meaningful evidence and outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership & Oversight

Deliver the established engagement strategy in a way that broadens reach across Cornwall and strengthens impact. Provide operational leadership that connects the team's activity directly to Healthwatch Cornwall's vision and objectives. Keep the CEO fully informed so resident voice is always represented at a leadership level.

Community Engagement

Coordinate activity that enables large-scale and inclusive resident participation, ensuring voices from diverse communities are represented. Work with colleagues in communications, research, and engagement to ensure that every voice gathered is counted and used to influence change.

Partnership Boards

Oversee the coordination and delivery of Partnership Boards, ensuring they provide a platform where lived experience is amplified and acted upon. Ensure meetings are effectively planned, managed, and followed up, with clear outcomes and accountability. Enter & View Programme Oversee delivery of visits that go beyond compliance, ensuring they capture resident voice powerfully and lead to tangible improvements.

Team Management

Line manage, support, and enable staff to deliver effectively and confidently, while encouraging autonomy and ownership of roles. Build a culture where the team see themselves as champions for resident voice. Remove barriers, address issues early, and ensure the team remain focused and accountable.

Data & Reporting

Ensure all engagement data is captured, analysed, and transformed into clear evidence of impact. Provide insight and updates to the CEO that demonstrate the reach and effectiveness of engagement work.

Accountability & Communication

Operate a "no surprises" approach, escalating issues early and ensuring the CEO is fully briefed at all times. Ensure the CEO remains sighted on all engagement, Partnership Board, and Enter & View activity, outcomes, and risks. Recognise that final accountability sits with the CEO; the manager role supports and enables, not replaces, this leadership. Promote a culture of openness, humility, and collaboration, always ensuring organisational alignment.

Reporting Structure

The Engagement & Partnerships Manager will report directly to the CEO. The Engagement & Partnerships team will report to this role.

Additional Information

This job description outlines your main tasks and responsibilities, but you may be required to undertake further duties when necessary.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: 37,946.00-40,575.00 per year

Benefits:

Company pension Health & wellbeing programme On-site parking
Work Location: In person