Job summary As Project Support Officer, you will be expected to not only support, but lead on a number of projects within the Radiotherapy SSCN portfolio, to support Trusts in the North West to deliver the NHS England Radiotherapy Service Specification. You should be comfortable working as part of a team, being directed by others, as well as using your own initiative to support and lead change projects across the North West. Since the role will work across multiple organisational boundaries, the post-holder should be able to work efficiently and proactively to effectively manage a range of projects and stakeholder relationships. The Project Support Officer post is an excellent opportunity for an individual who is passionate about improving cancer services and is looking to develop their project management and service improvement skills and experience. In this post, you should be willing to undertake training and be ambitious for advancement. The environment is fast-paced and challenging, and you will be expected to engage fully with the SSCN programme. In return you can expect a supportive and engaged Programme Manager who will support you to broaden your experience and develop a wide range of skills in organisational development, project management, and service transformation. There are a number of progression opportunities for the post-holder. Main duties of the job The Project Support Officer role will provide efficient and effective administrative business support to facilitate and monitor the progress of projects across the Radiotherapy SSCN. This could include resolving day to day administrative problems, organising meetings and workshops, managing correspondence, maintaining electronic files and information, taking notes and minutes of meetings, managing stationery supplies, and raising purchase orders. The Project Support Officer for the North West Radiotherapy SSCN will also be expected to play in a role in a number of different projects and programmes; they should be comfortable and confident working in teams and being directed, but equally will also be expected to lead some projects as part of the wider improvement portfolio of work. This role will ensure the SSCN programme continues to deliver its objectives and works towards delivering the NHS England Radiotherapy Service Specification. The post holder will also act administrative assistant across the SSCN, supporting management and the team on all areas of programme and project initiation and delivery. In addition, the post-holder will be expected to undertake a range of reporting and as such should be comfortable working with a range of information and reporting formats. About us The Christie is one of Europe's leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 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 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country. We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK. Date posted 24 February 2025 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 5 Salary £29,970 to £36,483 a year per annum Contract Permanent Working pattern Full-time Reference number 413-92123-STG-SD Job locations Strategy - E00460 Manchester M20 4BX Job description Job responsibilities Responsibility for Physical and Financial Resources and General Administration Monitor the use of resources within the SSCN Team and highlight areas of concern to the Programme Manager. Ensure the effective use of all financial resources and act as the main requisitioner. Ensure that all requirements for procurement and schemes of delegation are adhered to as stated in local standing financial instructions. Support the running of meeting by developing and distributing agendas, board papers, relevant documentation, meeting minutes, action logs, project governance documentation, and project logs, as set by the Programme Manager. Be responsible for producing letters, reports, and presentations that may contain technical, medical, or financial terminology, as well as tables, graphs, and diagrams. This may require establishing or updating databases, researching and collecting information, and displaying the information in an informative, easy to understand manner. Act as administrative assistant to the Radiotherapy SSCN, taking responsibility for all administrative activities required (e.g. arranging meetings, room bookings); in doing so develop strong cross-network relationships e.g. liaising with administrators/PAs to secure diary time. Junior Project Management Deliver relevant projects within the Radiotherapy SSCN as requested to by the Programme Manager. Undertake short- and long-term planning to support programme governance; may lead and support improvement initiatives where required. Assist Programme managers in all administrative duties in the delivery of projects, including the management of changing demands and pressures that may impact project delivery. Develop and maintain project documentation, including project logs, risk registers, action logs, board papers, workplans, annual reports, and local and national reports. Produce clear visual materials for use in both internal and external reports, briefings, workshops, and meetings when required. Produce and present information in a clear and concise manner at both local and regional meetings. Communication and Leadership Be a point of contact for the SSCN, dealing with verbal and written enquiries and correspondence in an effective, courteous, and timely manner. Assist Programme Manager to present complex, sensitive, and contentious information at a range of levels. Support the development and dissemination of formal reports to relevant Board Meetings. Influence and align others towards a common purpose to empower and inspire people to achieve project success, enabling the project to proceed in an environment of change. Regularly collect, analyse, present, and disseminate quantitative and qualitative data as required. This may include the use of questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups. Planning and Organising Planning of long-term deliverables on a number of interdependent activities, regularly monitoring and adjusting plans as required. Co-ordinate the preparation of submissions to Programme Board Meetings, National and Local reports, and project working groups. Be responsible for compiling work together from a range of stakeholders and sources to create SSCN documentation, including regular reports, presentations, minutes, project logs, and risk/issue registers. Research, Development and Audit/Data Regular development and collation of information to enable audit and monitoring of performance against relevant service specifications. Identify and proactively support the management of individual risk and issue events and overall project risks across the portfolio of projects. Active management of the internal and external inter-dependencies across programmes and/or projects. Freedom to Act Work autonomously prioritising own workload. Encourage self and others to take responsibility for making decisive decisions to move projects forward. Proactively engage with wider organisational context (beyond the SSCN) and identifies opportunities to take action and make improvements. Work to local and national policies and procedures. Other Duties Maintain confidentiality and integrity at all times. Adhere to all Christie policies. Maintain a flexible approach to work in order to meet required targets. Undertake any other duties that may be required which are consistent with the grade and responsibility of the post-holder. Job description Job responsibilities Responsibility for Physical and Financial Resources and General Administration Monitor the use of resources within the SSCN Team and highlight areas of concern to the Programme Manager. Ensure the effective use of all financial resources and act as the main requisitioner. Ensure that all requirements for procurement and schemes of delegation are adhered to as stated in local standing financial instructions. Support the running of meeting by developing and distributing agendas, board papers, relevant documentation, meeting minutes, action logs, project governance documentation, and project logs, as set by the Programme Manager. Be responsible for producing letters, reports, and presentations that may contain technical, medical, or financial terminology, as well as tables, graphs, and diagrams. This may require establishing or updating databases, researching and collecting information, and displaying the information in an informative, easy to understand manner. Act as administrative assistant to the Radiotherapy SSCN, taking responsibility for all administrative activities required (e.g. arranging meetings, room bookings); in doing so develop strong cross-network relationships e.g. liaising with administrators/PAs to secure diary time. Junior Project Management Deliver relevant projects within the Radiotherapy SSCN as requested to by the Programme Manager. Undertake short- and long-term planning to support programme governance; may lead and support improvement initiatives where required. Assist Programme managers in all administrative duties in the delivery of projects, including the management of changing demands and pressures that may impact project delivery. Develop and maintain project documentation, including project logs, risk registers, action logs, board papers, workplans, annual reports, and local and national reports. Produce clear visual materials for use in both internal and external reports, briefings, workshops, and meetings when required. Produce and present information in a clear and concise manner at both local and regional meetings. Communication and Leadership Be a point of contact for the SSCN, dealing with verbal and written enquiries and correspondence in an effective, courteous, and timely manner. Assist Programme Manager to present complex, sensitive, and contentious information at a range of levels. Support the development and dissemination of formal reports to relevant Board Meetings. Influence and align others towards a common purpose to empower and inspire people to achieve project success, enabling the project to proceed in an environment of change. Regularly collect, analyse, present, and disseminate quantitative and qualitative data as required. This may include the use of questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups. Planning and Organising Planning of long-term deliverables on a number of interdependent activities, regularly monitoring and adjusting plans as required. Co-ordinate the preparation of submissions to Programme Board Meetings, National and Local reports, and project working groups. Be responsible for compiling work together from a range of stakeholders and sources to create SSCN documentation, including regular reports, presentations, minutes, project logs, and risk/issue registers. Research, Development and Audit/Data Regular development and collation of information to enable audit and monitoring of performance against relevant service specifications. Identify and proactively support the management of individual risk and issue events and overall project risks across the portfolio of projects. Active management of the internal and external inter-dependencies across programmes and/or projects. Freedom to Act Work autonomously prioritising own workload. Encourage self and others to take responsibility for making decisive decisions to move projects forward. Proactively engage with wider organisational context (beyond the SSCN) and identifies opportunities to take action and make improvements. Work to local and national policies and procedures. Other Duties Maintain confidentiality and integrity at all times. Adhere to all Christie policies. Maintain a flexible approach to work in order to meet required targets. Undertake any other duties that may be required which are consistent with the grade and responsibility of the post-holder. Person Specification Qualifications Essential Level 4 qualification (e.g. higher apprenticeship/NWQ/L4 diploma/award/certificate) Willingness to undertake additional training and qualifications for the role as required Desirable Relevant degree level qualification plus post graduate qualification, or equivalent experience Improvement methodology qualifications APM/other Project Management Qualifications Experience Essential Experience in working within a project management office/transformation team environment supporting the delivery of a portfolio of projects Experience of managing multiple priorities and meeting deadlines Experience of writing complex reports for a wide range of audiences Experience of planning and management using a structured project management methodology Experience of working collaboratively to deliver successful outcomes Highly self-motivated with high work standards Demonstrable project management experience with evidence of affecting change, process redesign, and establishing monitoring/evaluation mechanisms Experience in managing budgets/effective resource management Previous experience of working in the NHS, particularly within roles that cross organisational boundaries Desirable Demonstrable Service Improvement experience Training in and experience of utilising improvement techniques Skills Essential Ability to set own priorities with guidance and to work under own initiative Project planning, implementation and control gained through experience using formal project planning tools and recognised project management methodology Good oral, written, presentation, and negotiation skills Well-developed time management skills with an ability to deliver to multiple and conflicting deadlines Good negotiating and influencing skills, ability to communicate with impact and be able to convince through personal credibility Ability to record and report accurate minutes at relevant meetings Ability to organise multiple diaries with minimal intervention from management Desirable Good understanding of improvement techniques Knowledge Essential Extensive IT knowledge across a range of areas including Microsoft Office In particular, the post-holder must be comfortable in using Excel and PowerPoint Knowledge of risk and issue management processes and utilising these to ensure that all dependencies and the risks that these may pose to the project/programme are minimized Desirable Knowledge of clinical processes and NHS administration procedures Understanding of the NHS its structure and governance Knowledge and experience of developing and implementing policies and procedures Values Essential Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours Other Essential Ability to think creatively with excellent problem solving skills Organised and logical approach to work and high level attention to detail, able present complex information in a clear and logical manner Commitment to improving services for staff and patients Excellent communicator with strong negotiation and facilitation skills and the ability to influence and effect change at both a clinical and managerial level Person Specification Qualifications Essential Level 4 qualification (e.g. higher apprenticeship/NWQ/L4 diploma/award/certificate) Willingness to undertake additional training and qualifications for the role as required Desirable Relevant degree level qualification plus post graduate qualification, or equivalent experience Improvement methodology qualifications APM/other Project Management Qualifications Experience Essential Experience in working within a project management office/transformation team environment supporting the delivery of a portfolio of projects Experience of managing multiple priorities and meeting deadlines Experience of writing complex reports for a wide range of audiences Experience of planning and management using a structured project management methodology Experience of working collaboratively to deliver successful outcomes Highly self-motivated with high work standards Demonstrable project management experience with evidence of affecting change, process redesign, and establishing monitoring/evaluation mechanisms Experience in managing budgets/effective resource management Previous experience of working in the NHS, particularly within roles that cross organisational boundaries Desirable Demonstrable Service Improvement experience Training in and experience of utilising improvement techniques Skills Essential Ability to set own priorities with guidance and to work under own initiative Project planning, implementation and control gained through experience using formal project planning tools and recognised project management methodology Good oral, written, presentation, and negotiation skills Well-developed time management skills with an ability to deliver to multiple and conflicting deadlines Good negotiating and influencing skills, ability to communicate with impact and be able to convince through personal credibility Ability to record and report accurate minutes at relevant meetings Ability to organise multiple diaries with minimal intervention from management Desirable Good understanding of improvement techniques Knowledge Essential Extensive IT knowledge across a range of areas including Microsoft Office In particular, the post-holder must be comfortable in using Excel and PowerPoint Knowledge of risk and issue management processes and utilising these to ensure that all dependencies and the risks that these may pose to the project/programme are minimized Desirable Knowledge of clinical processes and NHS administration procedures Understanding of the NHS its structure and governance Knowledge and experience of developing and implementing policies and procedures Values Essential Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours Other Essential Ability to think creatively with excellent problem solving skills Organised and logical approach to work and high level attention to detail, able present complex information in a clear and logical manner Commitment to improving services for staff and patients Excellent communicator with strong negotiation and facilitation skills and the ability to influence and effect change at both a clinical and managerial level 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 The Christie NHS FT Address Strategy - E00460 Manchester M20 4BX Employer's website https://www.christie.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)