The Christie NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Workforce Systems Lead to join our team. This is an exciting opportunity to lead the development, optimisation and integration of the Trust's workforce systems, ensuring they support the delivery of high-quality workforce services and our digital transformation ambitions.
Reporting to the Resourcing & Systems Manager, you will provide leadership for workforce systems, payroll and employee information management systems. You will act as the Trust's subject matter expert, ensuring systems are secure, compliant, fully integrated and used effectively across the organisation.
The role is pivotal in supporting the Trust's People Plan through a digital-first approach, driving innovation, improvement and service excellence. You will work closely with stakeholders across internal departments and external suppliers to maximise system functionality, improve processes and enhance the user experience for managers and staff.
As a team leader, you will manage and develop the Workforce Systems team, fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement. You will also lead system upgrades, governance activities, reporting frameworks and training initiatives, ensuring workforce data is reliable, accessible and supports informed decision-making.
The Workforce Systems Lead will oversee the day-to-day management, development and governance of the Trust's workforce systems, ensuring they operate effectively, securely and in line with organisational and statutory requirements.
You will act as a specialist for workforce systems, providing expert advice and support to managers and staff, resolving complex system issues and upgrades and integration projects. Working closely with Digital Services, Payroll, Learning and Development, Resourcing and external suppliers, you will ensure systems are configured to meet evolving business needs and deliver maximum value.
A key aspect of the role is maintaining high standards of data quality, governance and reporting. You will lead audits, oversee user access and security arrangements, support information governance requirements, and ensure workforce information is accurate, reliable and available to support operational and strategic decision-making.
The post holder will lead the development and delivery of workforce systems training, create accessible learning resources and support users across the organisation to maximise system adoption and capability. You will also champion continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to streamline processes, enhance functionality and improve customer experience.
The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, looking after more than 64,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 25% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.
We are the largest radiotherapy provider in the NHS with one in 20 treatments delivered at The Christie. We have up to 15 linear accelerators operating across our network of sites. We operate the largest chemotherapy unit in the UK on our main site and treatments are also provided at 13 other networked sites, and in patients homes. And as a specialist tertiary surgical centre, we focus on rare cancers, complex procedures, and multidisciplinary approaches to cancer surgery, specialising in colorectal, peritoneal, gynaecological, urological and plastic surgery.
We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We have been named by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), as one of the best hospitals providing opportunities for patients to participate in clinical research studies, with more than 800 studies open at any time, caring for over 3,000 patients.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Strategy
- Responsible for being the senior adviser in relation to use of workforce information and systems. Collaborate effectively with other functions within the wider HR team and Trust, to strategically drive the service and utilisation of HR systems.
- Participate in the development and transacting of the Workforce plan with responsibility for ensuring Workforce systems are set up to support the education and development of staff.
- Participate in the development, exercising, maintaining and reviewing of business continuity plans.
- Responsible for creating a continuous improvement culture for the team and driving through change at a fast moving pace.
HR Systems and Processes
- Responsible for providing specialist advice to managers and staff on all aspects of HR systems and processes, and act as a specialist in the field, interpreting and giving advice on national and local terms and conditions, and policies to all mangers within the Trust, as required.
- Responsible as the point of escalation for HR systems and processes, providing effective advice and support in a timely and pro-active manner to managers and providing solutions to complex queries including system, essential training and pay related. To tactfully handle complaints and escalating serious issues as appropriate.
- Responsible for developing and maintaining local protocols detailing the key processes in maintaining the system administration of the HR systems.
- Responsible for communicating effectively both internally and externally regarding the HR systems and resource function, ensuring continuity and quality throughout each step of the process.
- Liaising with Digital Services and the system suppliers, with regards to any system update and informing the relevant individuals and providing training accordingly.
- To act as an expert adviser on system queries from users offering support and guidance as necessary including the reporting of system faults to the systems suppliers for action and resolving these in a timely manner.
- Investigate systems issues/errors and ensure that these are identified, logged and rectified through relevant helpdesk.
- Manage system upgrades including assessment of functionality change, testing, communications, supplier liaison, implementation co-ordination and training. Deal with complex queries escalated from system managers.
- To provide support and guidance on report development and production to ensure all information reporting for the organisation is effective and valuable.
Lead on the ESR IAT, ensuring the process is established and working effectively.
- Attend external meeting representing the Trust and lead on delegated aspects of project work according to the needs of the Trust, ensuring that outcomes are communicated effectively and by discussing all relevant details with all stakeholders before decisions are made
- In collaboration with the Integrated Governance Team ensure that lessons are learnt from issues arising from risk reports/complaints etc, and that they are promptly and positively addressed through the Education and Training committee.
- Develop and maintain systems and processes to establish and maintain effective communication, and confidentiality of information.
Training
- To act as the lead for workforce systems training for the Workforce Department. Ensuring systems training is relevant, up to date and accessible to all. Acting a conduit for collaboration on training and training needs and system utilisation across the Trust.
- Assist to ensure Workforce Systems are set upto meet the legal requirements of the Trust regarding Mandatory training, according to the requirements of Trust policy.
- Analyse and act on information to proactively manage agreed targets, standards, training activity producing regular reports. With responsibility to produce the monthly performance and divisional reporting matrix.
- To develop and implement all training materials required to ensure effective and accurate use of all systems through employee self-service and within the HR team, working closely with the systems to deliver all training requirements.
Audit and Governance
- Responsible for ensuring national regulation and policies are implemented and adhered to.
- To have oversight and auditing responsibility for the national Spine system and Smartcard access
- To be responsible for the security and development of the HR systems, creating and maintaining username accounts and passwords and to action requests accordingly.
- To be responsible for the data quality in HR systems and ensure accurate and timely transfer of all data to third parties as required, to also undertake periodic validation checks of data held on the Workforce systems, being accountable for the accuracy and utilisation capability of all data within the systems
- Work with other system stakeholders and the Systems Integration Officer to ensure that data is transferred automatically and accurately between various systems taking the lead to resolve problems or issues when they arise taking into consideration any impact on other systems.
- Responsible for developing auditing systems and ensure these take place and that feedback from users is sought and relevant actions are completed
- To work with senior management on all contract management with HR systems including payroll, to ensure that the service is in line with SLA and KPI requirements.
- Provide Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for allocated incidents and problems as directed; instigating emergency action, when required, liaising with other Trust Managers, as appropriate.
- Participate in Information Governance and security as required and ensure appropriate governance and security in own area.
Service Improvement and Change Management
- Maintain systems and processes to continually monitor standards, e.g. identifying risks, benchmarking, audit, and prepare and implement action plans to improve quality of services.
- To develop and attend networks and work with suppliers and other third parties to build a positive partnership approach to managing the systems, and ensure all systems are working to their highest potential and innovative changes are made.
- Identify, suggest and implement changes to continuously improve efficiency and customer service.
- Undertake basic analysis of management information on a regular basis to demonstrate the performance of the team.
- To develop and support staff across the organization by leading system user groups to ensure that the key stakeholders and users are represented. The purpose of the user group is to ensure that the system(s) is used effectively, efficiently and safely.
- Provide training for all staff from own or other disciplines on own subject area, on one to one and group basis to all staff, adopting a flexible approach, and assess competence development to ensure appropriate use of systems going forward. .
- In times of change, conduct system demonstrations and actively promote and champion the use of systems at every opportunity.
- Attend relevant departmental meetings to contribute to the organisational development of the department, and to ensure information is cascaded to the relevant staff.
General
- Work on ad-hoc projects as directed by the Head of Workforce Transformation and system to support initiatives in local and national HR strategy.
- Develop appropriate policies and procedures in relation to the operation and administration of systems.
- Ensure that invoices relating to systems are checked for accuracy and passed for payment where required and when appropriate.
Team Management and Leadership
- Responsible for the Workforce Systems Team ensuring development professionally in their roles and provide a high quality and continuously improving service.
- To provide cover for colleges in Workforce Transformation and Systems, ensuring continuity of services across the team not just in own area of responsibility.
- Demonstrate at all times the Christie values and behaviours, supporting and developing the team and personally seeking support, advice and help when required.
