Executive Programmes Officer

Job Purpose

• Responsible for the management of staff and all associated duties within the NHS Leadership Academy (NHSLA) through intermediary line managers as appropriate.
• To oversee the processes and procedures in respect of marks entry, exam boards and extenuating circumstances in collaboration with the Programme Director.
• Build and maintain excellent collaborative relationships with stakeholders, both within the NHS Leadership Academy programmes and consortium and externally.
• Promote the programmes, HSMC and the School of Social Policy externally and to be a key contact for external organisations in the area of health-focused executive development education within HSMC.
• Keep up to date with information about the NHSLA Consortium and the its commissioners, and disseminate as appropriate, by horizon scanning and observing how the NHSLA programmes are perceived in the wider domain e.g. on Twitter and websites.
• Work closely with NHSLA programme academic leads, Consortium members and other key academic staff contributing to the design and strategic direction of the NHSLA programmes, playing a major role in the production of any reports and other documents associated with these strategies.
• Act as the School contact for relevant, senior points of contact in Corporate Services in relation to the NHSLA programmes.
• Participate in, and be responsible for providing support for relevant School, College and University committees and working groups covering health-focused executive development activities.
• To evaluate service provision within the NHSLA team and wider HSMC administration, and recommend and implement innovative solutions to improve service quality, efficiency and continuity. To identify areas of good practice to disseminate across HSMC and the School.
• To analyse business needs, identify solutions to these needs, and ensure regular reports are provided to the School Operations Manager, Programme Directors and HSMC Director.
• To be responsible for monitoring the budget of the NHSLA programme and all associated activities, monitoring accounts and ensuring that budget contributions to the department are realised.
• To oversee the preparation and delivery of NHS Leadership Academy events and residential workshops, ensuring that these are of a consistently high standard.
• To work with the School’s Business Manager on HSMC events and other activities by helping to identify speakers and sponsors, assure effective marketing and profile, and enable events of a consistent and successful nature.
• Where required, to work with the College Marketing Team to design and produce external relations materials, publications, website for NHS Leadership Academy programmes and other HSMC developments, ensuring that all aims and services are communicated across the board.
• To work with the HSMC Library and Information Service and Director of Policy in relation to NHS Leadership Academy programmes and the wider HSMC programmes of research and development, ensuring a vibrant and topical series of blogs and viewpoints for the HSMC website, up-to-date website content, and effective profiling of HSMC’s work.
• Lead on the planning and implementation of dissemination and profiling of HSMC research and policy analysis, and programmes, working closely with academic colleagues, HSMC Library and Information Service, and College marketing team.
• Day-to-day responsibility for managing the relationship between the NHSLA Consortium and the NHS Leadership Academy and stakeholders at all levels, including liaison with senior representatives from a diverse range of organisations in the UK and worldwide;
• Work proactively to build relationships with the NHS Leadership Academy and other NHS stakeholders through regular personal contact at events.
• Liaise with academics at the University of Birmingham and the Alliance Manchester Business School to ensure that engagement opportunities related to NHSLA programmes are maximised.
• Work with the School Operations Manager to support the HSMC Director with staffing matters, providing advice to staff working for HSMC, and ensuring that good management systems are in place and operated effectively in accordance with university policies.
• Act as a responsible team member and develop productive working relationships with others in HSMC, the School and wider University.
• Be responsible for working with the School Operations Manager, HSMC Director and others to ensure that appropriate recruitment and selection processes are implemented in accordance with University policy.
• Provide guidance and support for academic and research staff on additional resourcing for activity, e.g. temporary, casual, and student placements. To ensure that these meet with School policies and approval processes as agreed by the School Operations Manager.

Strategic Responsibilities and Supporting the Director of HSMC

• Help develop HSMC’s strategic and operational planning functions, in particular the formulation and integration of strategic plans (and the underpinning of operational plans) for key areas of development
• Play a leading role in the expansion of HSMC’s funding, identifying and analysing the impact on HSMC of national and international changes in the political and economic environment.
• Lead on writing and compiling progress and financial update reports as required.
• To lead the development (with academic colleagues) of a robust communications and public affairs strategy for HSMC, securing affiliated processes and resources to enable HSMC to effectively and quickly communicate details of publications, events and other work with a diverse range of audiences and stakeholders.
• Assist the Director with marketing HSMC and its work to academics, NGOs, business, government and other user communities. This will including talking in depth and at length about the work of the Centre, its programmes and the NHS Leadership Academy programmes.
• Be a member of the Departmental Management Team and other key committees, playing a key role in helping to shape the direction and development of HSMC
• Be responsible for and provide operational support to HSMC’s Director through the provision and collection of regular management information including financial forecasting/modelling and in respect of strategic obligations.
• In conjunction with the School’s Finance Officer, Operations Manager and HSMC Director, carry out budgetary and financial management for HSMC, including year on year operational plans, long term financial planning and forecasting.
• Set required level of service and implement, oversee and ensure the quality of management and administrative processes within HSMC.
• Identify sources of grants and other internal and external funding that will strengthen or expand the teaching and research of HSMC and assist in the preparation of funding applications.
• Take the lead on working with College Research Support Office (CRSO) on tenders and commission for projects, and management of associated databases for HSMC.
• Manage and administer the processes by which the Institute’s budgets will be allocated and the processes for academic and financial review of the use of these funds.
• Ensure compliance with University finance policy.
• Build and maintain good working relationships cross-University, with external organisations and with funding bodies, ensuring that necessary reports and returns are provided on behalf of HSMC
• Monitor the progress of research and development projects and ensure that paperwork and associated administration are submitted within required timescales and that project and staffing requirements are running to schedule, highlighting any areas of concern to the Director.
• Be responsible for the compilation of regular update and progress reports to HSMC funders.
• Build successful and well- developed relationships with funding bodies
• Research, collate, organise and edit material for inclusion in HSMC management reports.
• Proofread documents produced by HSMC staff and take responsibility to feedback corrections and advice on content where and when appropriate.
• Oversee and quality assure the production and formatting of HSMC reports, research summaries and other outputs, working within University standards and policies.

Person Specification

• Formal education to degree level (or equivalent)
• Significant experience in administration, preferably in higher education or a comparable field
• Excellent leadership and management skills and the ability to motivate teams and manage performance
• The ability to think critically, to analyse complex data and produce meaningful reports that influence policy and facilitate decision-making
• Evidence of working with a focus on excellence and continuous service improvement
• Strong interpersonal skills, comfortable operating at senior management level whilst also having the ability to work with colleagues at all levels both within the professional services teams and with academics
• Significant experience of business development and project implementation within a people- and service-driven environment
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to produce a variety of documentation including strategies, operational plans, business cases, minutes and other reports
• An ability to work on own initiative and under pressure, managing competing priorities, working to tight deadlines and demonstrating personal judgement and resourcefulness
• First class project planning and management skills
• A ‘can-do’ attitude and a solutions-driven approach
• The ability to work independently, to exercise professional judgement and when necessary make difficult decisions
• Excellent IT skills, in particular Excel, Word and desktop publishing, and willingness to learn new technologies
• Knowledge and significant expertise in:
  • Working with and influencing senior managers and professionals