Project Manager

The Mental Health Team is responsible for contributing to a key NHS England priority during this parliament as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan and the corresponding Mental Health Implementation Plan. This role provides an opportunity to be at the cutting edge of strategy and policy development.

This post sits within the Children, Young People & Perinatal Mental Health (CYP & Perinatal MH) Team, a dynamic team responsible for a major programme to lead whole system transformation for children and young people’s mental health, perinatal and early years mental health in England in line with Future in Mind, Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, Children and Young People’s Mental Health Green Paper and the NHS Long Term Plan. Improving mental health services for children, young people and their families currently has a very high national profile and the post holder will be working in a fast moving and highly political environment.

We encourage applicants who are driven and team players with excellent stakeholder management and written and verbal skills, and with the ability to use their own initiative in a fast-paced and continuously-evolving environment. Successful applicants will be able to coordinate and deliver a range of projects and manage the business of the team.

Location: London, Leeds, Hybrid.

The post holder will support the Heads of CYP & Perinatal MH and their team to ensure that their programmes are planned and managed effectively, and will take the lead in assisting in their successful delivery.

This may include:

1. Using project management tools to assist Head of Departments in tracking, monitoring and implementing their programmes.
2. Manage the team’s business support function, including developing and managing the team’s business plan, progress and reporting risk and issue management.
3. Manage all corporate business returns, including governance, planning and workforce returns.
4. Work collaboratively with key stakeholders, both internally and externally, to develop policy to meet the needs of the organisation and all of its stakeholders, including liaising with appropriate functions within the regions, organisation and the Sector and supporting effective engagement with clinicians and policy makers to inform the work of the team.
5. Support communications with the Department of Health & Social Care and others to ensure that appropriate advice is provided and to support Parliamentary and ministerial accountability (including preparing briefings, supporting media queries, responding to correspondence from Ministers, MPs and members of the public in relation to specified policy areas).

The NHS England board have set out the top-level purpose for the new organisation to lead the NHS in England to deliver high-quality services for all, which will inform the detailed design work and we will achieve this purpose by:

1. Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities.
2. Making the NHS a great place to work, where our people can make a difference and achieve their potential.
3. Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care.
4. Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation.
5. Delivering value for money.

If you would like to know more or require further information, please visit https://www.england.nhs.uk/.

Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person.

Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.

NHS England hold a Sponsor Licence; this means that we may be able to sponsor you providing the Home Office requirements are met. To be eligible for sponsorship through the Skilled Worker route you’ll usually need to be paid the ‘standard’ salary rate of at least £38,700 per year, or the ‘going rate’ for your job, whichever is higher.

Key Functional Responsibilities

Project Management

1. Contribute to performance improvement, taking a lead for identified areas.
2. Provide coordination of and participate in relevant working groups and provide project advice, expertise and support where requested.
3. Provide relevant and timely specialist advice and guidance on own portfolio.
4. Work with members of the Team to investigate the causes of any variance from plan and proactively contribute to the implementation of solutions.
5. Management of a risk and issues tracking mechanism and the resolution and escalation processes.

Financial and Physical Resources

1. Provide regular reporting on the targeting of resources and monitoring their implementation from a value for money perspective.
2. Provide oversight and monitoring of all aspects of team budgets or manage budgets as required.
3. Ensure project expenditure is monitored accordingly.

People Management

1. Take a lead in the coordination of training, development and recruitment activity across the Team.
2. Assignment management and supervision of staff, including contributing to appraisals, and resolution of any employee relations issues.

Information Management

1. Devise and provide improvements to current management information, analysing, reporting and suggesting procedures to enhance decision making processes.
2. Ensure timely and accurate detailed information analysis and reporting to management on agreed areas of work.

Research & Development

1. Contribute to the development of key performance indicators.
2. Delegate aspects of research and development activities, collating information, analysing and reporting findings.

Planning and Organisation

1. Contribute to the strategic planning of team projects, identifying interdependencies, and potential impacts on wider organisation, resource requirements and building in contingency and adjustments as necessary.
2. Contribute to short, medium and long-term business plans.
3. Coordinate governance and reporting processes, and systems for the team.

Policy and Service Development

1. Develop policies and procedures in own work function with an impact on the wider organisation, as required.
2. Contribute to the development of an integrated approach to service management.
3. Support accountability to the public and Parliament by preparing briefings and responding to correspondence from Ministers, MPs and members of the public.

Key Working Relationships

The post holder will be required to maintain constructive relationships with a broad range of stakeholders. Participate in relevant working groups/projects, services and initiatives to provide information and analytical advice and expertise. Develop and implement data collection systems that will provide accurate and timely data. Present information and issues, explaining highly complex issues, to a wide range of stakeholders.