Overview

Are you an accomplished programme manager with experience designing and delivering projects and programmes across complex stakeholder landscapes to against tight timelines?

Do you thrive in fast moving, dynamic environments working with passionate, inspiring colleagues who share a wealth of expertise and learning in change, programmes, spread and QI methods, from across a range of public and private sectors?

We’re looking for 4 interim Programme Managers for 6 months to help us deliver a broad portfolio of projects and programmes, at various stages across the project lifecycle.

Specifically we are particularly interested in candidates who are clinical, allied health practitioner or mental health service providers and/or who have worked in:

o   quality improvement and spread methods

o   health and digital equality

o   digital transformation

Health and care systems around the world are facing an unprecedented challenge. Even before the emergence of COVID-19, increasing demand on health and care services required us to rethink how we help people to stay healthy and support them to manage health conditions.

The South West has been stepping up to that challenge – and with an ageing population spread over three large counties, with considerable variation in life expectancy, it’s a significant one. Nearly a quarter of people living across Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly are aged 65 and over and, despite numerous thriving communities, the region includes some of the most deprived areas in the country.

What’s clear is that tackling this challenge will require us to innovate, improve and evolve how we deliver health and care services. That’s where we come in. Established by NHS England in 2013 as one of fifteen Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs), we help health and care partners across the South West to develop and spread innovative practice.

Our existing programme portfolio is broad. Current commissions include programmes to spread proven innovation in partnership with NHS England, improve patient safety through our commission with NHS Improvement, and to support the uptake of innovation from the life science sector in the health and care system with the Office of Life Sciences.

As Programme Manager (Interim) you will join our programmes business function and a peer group of Programme Managers.

We are an ambitious, forward- thinking organisation and over the next five years we are aiming to build our profile and reputation as experts in spreading innovation in health and care.

Purpose of the role

The Programme Manager (Interim) is at the heart of our work to spread innovative practice. From increasing the uptake of new diagnostic tools, to programmes targeted towards patient safety outcomes, to driving transformation through digitally enabled care, including helping to implement the latest innovations in digital health. You will take personal and collective responsibility for ensuring our work translates into improved health and care for the people in our region.

Your responsibilities will include to:

• Leading the co-design, delivery and benefits realisation of a portfolio of complex projects and programmes according to national, regional and local Commissioner requirements, aligned to the strategic priorities of the AHSN and existing work.

• Collaborate with colleagues across the Programme function, SW AHSN and the wider AHSN network to deliver sustainable impact at pace.

• Bring deep project management expertise and either specialist knowledge, or local networks and strong relationships within a defined area of the regional health and care system and/or discrete portfolio of projects.

• Establish strong internal relationships that draw on expertise from across the programmes team and wider organisation to support the delivery of our programme aims.

• Develop our methodologies to spread innovative practice.

• Provide regular, accurate and detailed reporting on programme performance.

• Work with our communications and engagement function to engage partners in our programmes, communicate the impact of our work and raise our profile at a regional and national level.

• Work with our evaluation and learning function to define and measure the impact of our programmes.

• Work with our partnerships function to identify and develop new partnership opportunities to grow our work.

• Manage external contractors, associates and clinical advisors to deliver programme aims as required.

• Build strong relationships with other AHSNs and contribute to the success of the national AHSN Network.

What you’ll need to succeed:

Key success factors

• Track record in managing programmes and delivering results in complex stakeholder environments.

• Proven ability to build and maintain partnerships to generate mutual benefit.

• Flexible and adaptable, comfortable with change and working in uncertain environments.

• An accomplished communicator with the ability to influence others to problem solve, make decisions and overcome challenges

Essential

• Knowledge of change methodologies such as Quality Improvement (QI) frameworks, Lean or Six Sigma, and project and programme management frameworks such as PRINCE2 or Agile.

• Working in or with the health sector, local government, third sector, academia (impact-led research) or life sciences – from a customer, supplier or intermediary perspective.

• Experience managing a pipeline of projects – assessing ideas for relevance, validity and impact to identify high-value opportunities.

• A track record of influencing stakeholders to change their perspectives.

• Experience leading the delivery of projects and programmes.

Desirable

• A good working knowledge of the health and care system, NHS commissioning and procurement.