Job summary We are looking to recruit a highly organised Programme Manager, with demonstrable experience of working operationally in an acute or specialist Trust and across an integrated system with a number of specialties, clinical programmes and projects, to join the CMAST Elective Recovery and Clinical Pathways Transformation Programme. This is an exciting role which will help shape the delivery of the acute and specialist trust provider collaborative programme in Cheshire and Merseyside for the medium to long term. The post holder will represent in various Cheshire and Merseyside wide forums, including public meetings. The post holder will work with colleagues at all levels including senior clinicians, executives, project managers and teams across Cheshire and Merseyside and act in a highly autonomous capacity. The Senior Programme Manager will be expected to undertake direct project management activities on specified work streams. Please note that this recruitment process will involve an assessment centre. Assessment centre date will be Monday 17th March 2025. Main duties of the job The Senior Programme Manager will provide senior leadership, use extensive programme management skills and be responsible for the development and implementation of key clinical pathway transformation projects/programmes to support delivery of CMAST and Transformation Programme objectives, which includes elective restoration, transformation and productivity priorities. The Senior Programme Manager will oversee transformation projects/programmes across organisations in all sectors within Cheshire and Merseyside. The post holder will lead a team of project and specialist staff and line manage project managers within the team, delivering transformation projects and clinical pathway changes across the system. The post-holder will be a member of the management team. They will be required to consistently operate with a level of political awareness, personal influence and skill, working effectively with external partners including providers, commissioners, NHS England, regulators, patients and carers to deliver programme objectives and in accordance with the aims and ambitions of the CMAST Provider Collaborative. About us The Secretary of State has approved the partnership between St Helens & Knowsley and Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals. From 1st July we have come together as a single organisation under the name Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The Trust delivers acute hospital care, intermediate care, community, and primary care services to a population of over 600,000 people with a combined workforce of around 9000 dedicated and skilled staff from 17 locations including Whiston, Southport & Formby, St Helens, Ormskirk and Newton hospitals. The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales. Our Vision is to deliver 5 Star Patient Care: CAREthat is evidence based, high quality and compassionate SAFETY that is of the highest standards COMMUNICATION that is open, inclusive and respectful SYSTEMS that are efficient, patient centred and reliable PATHWAYS that are best practice and embedded, but also respect the individual needs of patients Our achievements include: Trust rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018 Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal) Awarded National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for our Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme Please see our Wellbeing & Benefits booklet for more information on our staff benefits. Accessible version available upon request. Date posted 19 February 2025 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 8b Salary £62,215 to £72,293 a year per annum Contract Permanent Working pattern Full-time Reference number 409-S6977902 Job locations Whiston Hospital Warrington Road Prescot L35 5DR Job description Job responsibilities KEY DUTIES Key work areas will include: Oversight and co-ordination of the Elective Recovery, Outpatient and Theatres transformation programmes/projects Line management of project team members Programme management and day to day running of one or more large scale transformation programmes / projects. Setting up and planning of the programme and its projects including project steering groups, assurance function and any project teams, including project documentation using the CMAST & transformation documentation. Identifying resources to enable programme/project delivery and assuring delivery on time and to budget. Programme reporting compliant with the programme governance framework. Identifying and managing the risks associated with each programme/project within the programme. Maintaining knowledge of local, regional, and national projects that are current and pending. Providing expert programme management advice and support to other staff and teams within the CMAST provider collaborative and partner organisations. Communication Present sensitive and contentious messages requiring the use of highly developed negotiation and communication skills to groups, teams and individuals enabling clear decisions to be made and delivery of programme objectives. Deliver presentations to stakeholders including Trusts and programme teams, and other senior external and internal audiences. Use developed negotiation, persuasion, and motivational skills to gain support for the Transformation programmes across a breadth of stakeholders, including commissioners, providers and patients as well as managing interdependencies across the system. Represent the Elective Recovery and Outpatients Transformation programme and Networks at internal and external stakeholder meetings. Analytical and Judgement Skills Support the production of key strategic documents such as strategic outline cases and business cases. Programme management and day to day running of one or more large scale, highly complex programmes applying a standard methodology consistent across the programme. Overall responsibility for delivering the programme to agreed timescales and within budget. Monitor progress of the programme against agreed project plans and makes adjustments to the plans, if necessary, e.g., if a milestone date has not been met. Co-ordinate project teams within the programme to deliver agreed quality standards. Analysis and interpretation of highly complex information and the ability to translate strategic information into operational deliverables. Interpretation of national policies, guidance and emerging policy development and development of new local policies and plans where required. Demonstrate effective and transparent decision making, basing decisions on full option appraisals. Clearly articulate relative benefits and dis-benefits of options and support recommendations with a clear and concise rationale. Audit and Research Research To work initiate research with colleagues from Networks in relation to innovation. To draft options appraisals based on the outputs of the research findings and present these at Network and Regional levels. Audit To develop a culture of continuous quality audits for the purpose of improving patient outcomes for example against compliance with new guidelines as they are issued. To audit project finances against plan and to investigate and report and variance. To audit patient waiting list to ensure inequality of access across the network and to promote mutual aid as required. Planning and Organisational Skills Responsible for supporting in the development, delivery, and implementation of the transformation programme. Deploy the skills and resources of the team flexibly to support different workstreams within the programme. Provides programme management support and input to all workstreams as required. Liaises with stakeholders across the C&M system including Health and Care Partnership leadership, and other cross-cutting themes to develop agreed local and regional strategies to deliver cancer service transformation. Lead, plan and organise complex programmes, ensuring that individual project deadlines are met with the agreed deliverables and within agreed budgets. Manage and monitor a number of competing deadlines and ensuring delivery of the programme, instigating corrective action where possible. Physical Skills Regular use of IT equipment including advanced use of all Microsoft Office applications. Responsibility for Patient and Client Care Act as a champion for patients and their interests and involve the public and patients in the policy development and decision-making of the Outpatients Transformation Programme. Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Support the development and refinement of the programme plan for Cheshire and Merseyside, ensuring close alignment with local, national and regional transformation priorities. Develops and implement a project and programme management methodology, ensuring that all workstreams are managed with clear accountabilities within a consistent framework, including PIDs, project plans, KPIs, interdependencies, risk registers and benefits realisation. Ensures that nationally mandated transformation goals for associated pathways are clearly aligned to the transformation workstreams, with clear accountability for delivery. Interprets external policies, advice, and guidance to determine relevance to the programme. Leads on development and implementation of policies for own area where applicable, including office-based management issues. Responsibility for Financial and Physical Resources Managerial responsibility for senior project staff. Act as a senior budget holder, ensuring compliance with the appropriate Standing Financial Instructions and all budgetary management responsibilities with regard to pay and non-pay expenditure relating to the Programme. Ensures that systems are in place to report on how significant allocations of national transformation monies have been invested. Support the development and approval of funding bids and business cases including compelling case of need required to support the implementation of programmes. Responsibility for Human Resources Provides line management support for the members of the team. This will include recruitment, induction, development and appraisal, ensuring adherence with all key HR policies. Ensure that all members of the team are briefed regularly as to the overall work of the team and the wider internal and external operating context. Create an inclusive working environment where diversity is valued, everyone can contribute, and everyday action ensures we meet our duty to uphold and promote equality. Model a collaborative and influencing style of working, negotiating with others to achieve the best outcomes, embedding this approach, and using insight and evidence for improvement. Ensure programme/project teams have the right skill mix and resources to effectively deliver programmes. This will include the development of new roles/job specifications, working with other partner organisations or commissioning additional specialist services. Manage the relationship with the staff from key delivery partners/host organisations by establishing effective and robust processes for partnership working governance and performance. Responsibility for Information Resources Required to access information using multiple software systems in order to analyse information and provide reports to various stakeholders. Update the Outpatients Transformation on programme status, identifying risks, achievements, milestones and interdependencies. Responsibility for Research and Development Undertakes audits of own work areas as required including the assurance of returns relating to programme governance from local delivery systems, clinical work stream leads, project steering groups and core team office staff. Freedom to Act Significant autonomy in the role and high levels of professional judgement required. Exercises own judgement to allocate resources within the team to different workstreams. Monitors and reviews workstream activity and exercises judgement in terms of deciding which issues should be escalated. Personally, intervenes to effect corrective action where required, using influence and personal authority to challenge senior clinical and non-clinical managers leading different workstreams. Ensures that systems are in place to provide timely and high-quality reporting to the CMAST PMO and other key stakeholders Physical Effort The job is mostly desk based with regular use of VDU, however significant travel is required across Cheshire and Merseyside and beyond. Act as the Senior Programme Manager working closely with the Project Manager, Clinical Lead, Delivery Group and C&M Endoscopy Units. Build on existing relationships to develop an engaged network and forum for Outpatient Transformation programme improvement across Cheshire and Merseyside. Mental Effort Concentration will be required over prolonged periods of time to review and interpret documents and reports and to analyse complex information from a number of different sources. Ability to react promptly according to urgency of various interruptions in accordance with service needs. Job description Job responsibilities KEY DUTIES Key work areas will include: Oversight and co-ordination of the Elective Recovery, Outpatient and Theatres transformation programmes/projects Line management of project team members Programme management and day to day running of one or more large scale transformation programmes / projects. Setting up and planning of the programme and its projects including project steering groups, assurance function and any project teams, including project documentation using the CMAST & transformation documentation. Identifying resources to enable programme/project delivery and assuring delivery on time and to budget. Programme reporting compliant with the programme governance framework. Identifying and managing the risks associated with each programme/project within the programme. Maintaining knowledge of local, regional, and national projects that are current and pending. Providing expert programme management advice and support to other staff and teams within the CMAST provider collaborative and partner organisations. Communication Present sensitive and contentious messages requiring the use of highly developed negotiation and communication skills to groups, teams and individuals enabling clear decisions to be made and delivery of programme objectives. Deliver presentations to stakeholders including Trusts and programme teams, and other senior external and internal audiences. Use developed negotiation, persuasion, and motivational skills to gain support for the Transformation programmes across a breadth of stakeholders, including commissioners, providers and patients as well as managing interdependencies across the system. Represent the Elective Recovery and Outpatients Transformation programme and Networks at internal and external stakeholder meetings. Analytical and Judgement Skills Support the production of key strategic documents such as strategic outline cases and business cases. Programme management and day to day running of one or more large scale, highly complex programmes applying a standard methodology consistent across the programme. Overall responsibility for delivering the programme to agreed timescales and within budget. Monitor progress of the programme against agreed project plans and makes adjustments to the plans, if necessary, e.g., if a milestone date has not been met. Co-ordinate project teams within the programme to deliver agreed quality standards. Analysis and interpretation of highly complex information and the ability to translate strategic information into operational deliverables. Interpretation of national policies, guidance and emerging policy development and development of new local policies and plans where required. Demonstrate effective and transparent decision making, basing decisions on full option appraisals. Clearly articulate relative benefits and dis-benefits of options and support recommendations with a clear and concise rationale. Audit and Research Research To work initiate research with colleagues from Networks in relation to innovation. To draft options appraisals based on the outputs of the research findings and present these at Network and Regional levels. Audit To develop a culture of continuous quality audits for the purpose of improving patient outcomes for example against compliance with new guidelines as they are issued. To audit project finances against plan and to investigate and report and variance. To audit patient waiting list to ensure inequality of access across the network and to promote mutual aid as required. Planning and Organisational Skills Responsible for supporting in the development, delivery, and implementation of the transformation programme. Deploy the skills and resources of the team flexibly to support different workstreams within the programme. Provides programme management support and input to all workstreams as required. Liaises with stakeholders across the C&M system including Health and Care Partnership leadership, and other cross-cutting themes to develop agreed local and regional strategies to deliver cancer service transformation. Lead, plan and organise complex programmes, ensuring that individual project deadlines are met with the agreed deliverables and within agreed budgets. Manage and monitor a number of competing deadlines and ensuring delivery of the programme, instigating corrective action where possible. Physical Skills Regular use of IT equipment including advanced use of all Microsoft Office applications. Responsibility for Patient and Client Care Act as a champion for patients and their interests and involve the public and patients in the policy development and decision-making of the Outpatients Transformation Programme. Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Support the development and refinement of the programme plan for Cheshire and Merseyside, ensuring close alignment with local, national and regional transformation priorities. Develops and implement a project and programme management methodology, ensuring that all workstreams are managed with clear accountabilities within a consistent framework, including PIDs, project plans, KPIs, interdependencies, risk registers and benefits realisation. Ensures that nationally mandated transformation goals for associated pathways are clearly aligned to the transformation workstreams, with clear accountability for delivery. Interprets external policies, advice, and guidance to determine relevance to the programme. Leads on development and implementation of policies for own area where applicable, including office-based management issues. Responsibility for Financial and Physical Resources Managerial responsibility for senior project staff. Act as a senior budget holder, ensuring compliance with the appropriate Standing Financial Instructions and all budgetary management responsibilities with regard to pay and non-pay expenditure relating to the Programme. Ensures that systems are in place to report on how significant allocations of national transformation monies have been invested. Support the development and approval of funding bids and business cases including compelling case of need required to support the implementation of programmes. Responsibility for Human Resources Provides line management support for the members of the team. This will include recruitment, induction, development and appraisal, ensuring adherence with all key HR policies. Ensure that all members of the team are briefed regularly as to the overall work of the team and the wider internal and external operating context. Create an inclusive working environment where diversity is valued, everyone can contribute, and everyday action ensures we meet our duty to uphold and promote equality. Model a collaborative and influencing style of working, negotiating with others to achieve the best outcomes, embedding this approach, and using insight and evidence for improvement. Ensure programme/project teams have the right skill mix and resources to effectively deliver programmes. This will include the development of new roles/job specifications, working with other partner organisations or commissioning additional specialist services. Manage the relationship with the staff from key delivery partners/host organisations by establishing effective and robust processes for partnership working governance and performance. Responsibility for Information Resources Required to access information using multiple software systems in order to analyse information and provide reports to various stakeholders. Update the Outpatients Transformation on programme status, identifying risks, achievements, milestones and interdependencies. Responsibility for Research and Development Undertakes audits of own work areas as required including the assurance of returns relating to programme governance from local delivery systems, clinical work stream leads, project steering groups and core team office staff. Freedom to Act Significant autonomy in the role and high levels of professional judgement required. Exercises own judgement to allocate resources within the team to different workstreams. Monitors and reviews workstream activity and exercises judgement in terms of deciding which issues should be escalated. Personally, intervenes to effect corrective action where required, using influence and personal authority to challenge senior clinical and non-clinical managers leading different workstreams. Ensures that systems are in place to provide timely and high-quality reporting to the CMAST PMO and other key stakeholders Physical Effort The job is mostly desk based with regular use of VDU, however significant travel is required across Cheshire and Merseyside and beyond. Act as the Senior Programme Manager working closely with the Project Manager, Clinical Lead, Delivery Group and C&M Endoscopy Units. Build on existing relationships to develop an engaged network and forum for Outpatient Transformation programme improvement across Cheshire and Merseyside. Mental Effort Concentration will be required over prolonged periods of time to review and interpret documents and reports and to analyse complex information from a number of different sources. Ability to react promptly according to urgency of various interruptions in accordance with service needs. Person Specification Qualifications Essential Masters level / relevant professional qualification and/or equivalent experience. Evidence of complex project delivery using recognised project methodology Evidence of continued professional development and/or equivalent experience Knowledge & Experience Essential Experience of managing risks and reporting Experience of delivering improvement across organisational boundaries Experience of managing and delivering clinical service change across a system Experience of successful management of complex project management Practical experience of working within and across complex health systems Experience of business case development and presentation Process redesign skills and experience Production and delivery of reports and presentations to audiences of various sizes and levels Experience of working in an acute hospital or project management in a healthcare related environment Experience and understanding of major service change for clinical services Experience of extensive operational management in acute elective care within the NHS Knowledge and experience of service performance improvement techniques focused on productivity Desirable Experience of operational management across theatres/surgical pathways within the NHS Skills Essential Excellent interpersonal skills - influencing, negotiating, presentation and communication (written and verbal) skills Skills of creativity, innovation and self-motivation - challenging and enquiring mind set Aptitude and confidence for working in a rapidly changing environment Excellent leadership qualities in line with NHS Leadership Qualities Framework Be able to develop both formal and informal contacts and networks to share learning and knowledge across multiple organisations Skilled in change management tools and techniques Ability to plan and organise workload to meet deadlines Ability to access and interpret data to support decision making Ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders in service improvement and design and achieve consensus Ability to work under pressure and produce high quality work to tight deadlines IT literate; proficient in the use of Microsoft Office packages Ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels Other Essential Ability to travel various locations by own car/assisted driver Person Specification Qualifications Essential Masters level / relevant professional qualification and/or equivalent experience. Evidence of complex project delivery using recognised project methodology Evidence of continued professional development and/or equivalent experience Knowledge & Experience Essential Experience of managing risks and reporting Experience of delivering improvement across organisational boundaries Experience of managing and delivering clinical service change across a system Experience of successful management of complex project management Practical experience of working within and across complex health systems Experience of business case development and presentation Process redesign skills and experience Production and delivery of reports and presentations to audiences of various sizes and levels Experience of working in an acute hospital or project management in a healthcare related environment Experience and understanding of major service change for clinical services Experience of extensive operational management in acute elective care within the NHS Knowledge and experience of service performance improvement techniques focused on productivity Desirable Experience of operational management across theatres/surgical pathways within the NHS Skills Essential Excellent interpersonal skills - influencing, negotiating, presentation and communication (written and verbal) skills Skills of creativity, innovation and self-motivation - challenging and enquiring mind set Aptitude and confidence for working in a rapidly changing environment Excellent leadership qualities in line with NHS Leadership Qualities Framework Be able to develop both formal and informal contacts and networks to share learning and knowledge across multiple organisations Skilled in change management tools and techniques Ability to plan and organise workload to meet deadlines Ability to access and interpret data to support decision making Ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders in service improvement and design and achieve consensus Ability to work under pressure and produce high quality work to tight deadlines IT literate; proficient in the use of Microsoft Office packages Ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels Other Essential Ability to travel various locations by own car/assisted driver Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Employer details Employer name Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Address Whiston Hospital Warrington Road Prescot L35 5DR Employer's website https://www.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)