Programme Manager
Base: Health Innovations KSS’s primary place of business is The Beehive, located in Gatwick/Crawley, West Sussex.
Location:
The role is predominantly remote, although Health Innovation KSS work on a hybrid basis. Post holders are expected to be based in, or be able to attend meetings in the Kent, Surrey, Sussex geography.
Reports to: Head of Portfolio – Patient Safety
Direct reports: Project delivery resource and access to a pool of team members if required.
Job Purpose
- Working as part of the programme and project resource team within Health Innovation, taking a leadership role for a portfolio of programme areas.
- The specific area of responsibility for the role (at appointment and/or as appropriate for individual role holders) will be outlined in Appendix A. Please note that any specific area of responsibility is subject to change, according to future programme delivery requirements.
- Managing a programme which may include some Head of Portfolio or Associate Director involvement.
- Taking a lead responsibility for the organisation and delivery of collaborative learning events in conjunction with Clinical Leads.
- Supporting innovation focused colleagues in the delivery of tailored packages of support to industry.
- Supporting innovation focused colleagues in having a range of conversations with organisations to help deliver the spread and adoption of innovation into practice, developing the innovation eco-system and pipeline.
- Making a contribution to income and the income generation pipeline to generate income for Health Innovation KSS to ensure long-term sustainability by:
o contributing to bids or grant applications for funding to support services offered by Health Innovation KSS.
o working closely with innovation focused colleagues in the identification and securing of contracts of tailored packages, in support of industry.
o delivering tailored packages of support to industry according to the agreed contract and reporting via ‘consultancy timesheet approach’
o working closely with the appropriate Head of Portfolio and Associate Directors to support and facilitate:
o the development of new service offerings for our stakeholders and ensuring that a clear customer focus is maintained
o the cultivation of existing customer demand through the marketing of existing service provision
o the cultivation of new customers through service development opportunities.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
- To work closely with the relevant Head of Portfolio and Programme Managers, and where appropriate, Clinical Leads in the management and delivery of an assigned portfolio, which may include both local and national commissioned programmes of work.
- To create good working relationships with teams in organisations participating in those projects and programmes. Building expertise, trust and commitment to the goals of the projects and programmes.
- To create and exploit links between clinical teams, industry and academia wherever it supports delivery of project and programme goals.
- To horizon scan for examples of innovation within the project areas that can be spread and adopted.
- To make a contribution to income and the income generation pipeline through projects and programmes to generate income for Health Innovation KSS to ensure long-term sustainability.
- To support organisations to adopt NICE Technology Appraisals relevant to the project areas.
- To ensure that any risks relating to the delivery of programmes within an assigned portfolio (including risks to the programme delivering within budget) are managed wherever possible and/or proactively alerted to the appropriate Head of Portfolio, Associate Director and/or Service Delivery Director.
- To lead and facilitate meetings with clinical practitioners within and across health, social care, independent and voluntary sector organisations within Kent Surrey and Sussex.
- To identify and make recommendations on developmental needs across teams.
- To identify examples of best practice and solutions that can be shared and networked.
- To participate in data quality assurance audits and peer reviews in provider organisations.
- To work closely with external partners to ensure the provision of appropriate and timely analysis to support the implementation of programmes.
- To support and facilitate providers in the development of metrics and impact measures.
- To prepare reports, briefings and presentations as required and present at meetings and conferences.
- To interpret relevant national policy with regard to service and productivity improvement and ensure appropriate implementation.
- To represent Health Innovation KSS at meetings with NHSI/NHSE and other national bodies as appropriate.
- To work closely with commissioners to support the implementation of Health Innovation KSS objectives.
General responsibilities
- To act as part of 'one team'.
- To promote the values of Health Innovation KSS.
- To ensure effective communications within and between project teams, be involved in and participate in meetings, team briefings, development days, corporate events etc.
- To engage with line manager in regular performance and development reviews against agreed objectives. To be responsible for actively identifying own development needs and committing to a personal development plan based on continuous learning.
Diversity and equal opportunities
It is the desire of Health Innovation KSS to broaden diversity within its workforce.
Health Innovation KSS is an equal opportunities employer and ensures that all new, existing and prospective employees are treated fairly through the principles of equal treatment and promotion of diversity.
This includes:
- ensuring that all individuals who come into contact with Health Innovation KSS, whether as employees, stakeholders or in any other capacity are treated with dignity and respect;
- ensuring that the opportunities Health Innovation KSS provides for learning, personal development and employment are made available on a non-discriminatory basis and;
- providing a safe, supportive and welcoming environment for employees, stakeholders, visitors and others.
Along with 15 HINs in the HIN Network, we are committed to a series of pledges to further support the diversity and innovation agenda.
Person Specification: Programme Manager
Education, Qualifications & Training
Essential-
- Educated to degree standard or equivalent in a relevant discipline
- Project or portfolio management qualification or equivalent experience
- Evidence of continuous professional development; record of CPD shows strong self-development ethos and learning
Desirable-
- An appropriate professional qualification or Master’s degree
Knowledge & Experience
Essential-
- Significant recent management experience in the NHS or other organisation in a relevant sector
- Evidence of effective partnership working
- Proven experience of managing large scale projects or programmes in the public sector
- Managing resources to support the delivery of projects / programmes.
- Financial and performance management experience.
- Experience of working with a range of staff at all levels, including clinicians.
- Experience of clinical transformation projects
- Significant knowledge of the health and/or social care sectors
Desirable-
- Experience undertaking reviews of national policy.
- Experience providing advice to senior managers and consultants.
Skills & Abilities
Essential-
- Sound knowledge of the NHS, social care, current government policies and change /innovation programmes
- Able to think strategically and analytically
- Ability to develop strong working relationships
- Analysis and synthesis of complex information
- Able to make a contribution to Health Innovation KSS income generation pipeline through innovation programmes
- Excellent communication, influencing and negotiating skills.
- Advanced IT skills and good working knowledge of IT systems e.g. Excel and Access.
- Drive, energy, enthusiasm and determination.
- Creative and lateral thinker
- Facilitation skills to direct and support teams to achieve change through measurable outcomes
Desirable-
- Sound knowledge of the NHS, social care, current government policies and change /innovation programmes.
- Bid writing skills.
Personal Style & Behaviours
Essential-
- Constructively challenges current practice
- Takes a visible lead
- Has a flexible and adaptable approach to work
- Helps others to develop themselves
- Values diversity and looks for opportunities to improve equality
- Acts with integrity and presents themselves as a good role model
- Smart, professional appearance and outlook
Other requirements
- Reliable work record
- Travel, as required, within the KSS patch.
Desirable-
- Possesses a driving licence.
APPENDIX A
Specific responsibilities of this role:
Programme Manager – Medicine Safety Improvement Programme Manager (0.6 WTE)
Programme Manager – System Safety, PSIRF: Insight to Learning (0.8 WTE)
In addition to the main Programme Manager Job Description, outlined here are specific tasks related to the focus of the role of Programme Manager Medicine Safety Improvement Workstream and Programme Manager System Safety within our ‘Patient Safety Improvement Programme’ workstreams. These are initial specific responsibilities of the role (i.e., upon appointment) and are subject to change, according to programme delivery requirements.
Background:
Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) Patient Safety Collaborative (PSC) is part of Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex, supporting the delivery of NHSE Safety Improvement Programmes. You will work towards achieving aspects of the NHS Improvement Specification contract and Network Support plan and you will be focused upon leading programmes within that commission, specifically the MedSIP and/or System Safety Improvement Programmes.
As the Driver Diagram below indicates the current safety improvement programmes of work include Maternity & Neonatal Safety, Medicines Safety, System Safety and Managing Deterioration.
Location and skills preference:
- You will cover the whole of Kent, Surrey Sussex geography.
- You will support local clinical teams / systems to drive the spread and adoption of new commissioned improvement programmes across health & social care systems.
- A background of clinical experience or significant interaction with clinicians and health & social care systems is essential for this role, due to the specific focus on clinical improvement and clinical engagement.
Additional duties and responsibilities:
- To deliver a programme of work specifically commissioned by NHS England and within the NHS Improvement Specification contract and Support Network implementation plan.
- Report progress to Patient Safety Lead / Head of Portfolio - Patient Safety on a regular basis.
- To support the relevant Clinical Leads with the management and delivery of projects within Patient Safety Improvement programmes across Kent Surrey and Sussex.
- To identify opportunities across all programmes of work within the Patient Safety Collaborative and across the wider Innovation Network Kent Surrey Sussex, where alignment of work ensures more efficient & effective progress.
- To work across other PSCs (primarily in SE region) and other workstream leads nationally ensuring a wide sharing of ideas and resources.
- To be the point of contact and lead for the MedSIP and/or System Safety programme.
- Be responsible for supporting the delivery of a national programme; planning and delivering specific QI and spread projects and must be comfortable using a range of improvement, scale up and project management techniques to deliver and monitor milestones and outcomes of work.
- Your work will include undertaking diagnostics, supporting small tests of change (for example with PDSA cycles) and supporting teams to use measurement for improvement.
- To deliver regular virtual and periodic face-to-face events supporting our programmes through their improvement cycles eg `Breakthrough Series`.
- To be responsible for contributing to the production of and input to monthly informal and quarterly formal assurance reports; working alongside the Head of Portfolio - Patient Safety / Patient Safety Lead, Programme Manager, and Programme Co-ordinator
- To support our communication colleagues in a vibrant communication strategy in cascading case studies and areas of good practice throughout all media channels and input to Futures Platform.
- To participate in the regular nationally workstream lead calls, ensuring KSS is continually aware of national changes / amendments to the commission.
- To support, seek out and identify new innovations and technologies matched to locally articulated needs alongside the Health Innovation Network Kent Surrey Sussex team.
- To build strong relationships with clinicians across Kent, Surrey and Sussex for spreading changes & improvements in practice, where appropriate.
- To support building improvement capacity and capability across Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
- The post holder will have an oversight of programme budgets and where appropriate, processing expenditure and liaising between the programme team and management teams.
- To work closely with the Innovation and Industry team and provide relevant advice to support other Innovation Network programmes as aligned to the ABC programme.
- Supporting ICS Lead Directors with clinical engagement and needs articulation
- 2026/27 MedSIP and/or System Safety Commission Specification available on request.
