This is an exciting time to join the Northern Care Alliance NHS FT and what better role than our new Associate Director of Application Services? A key member of the NCA Informatics and Digital senior leadership team, reporting to the Chief Digital and Information Officer, you will be responsible for the delivery of mission-critical information and software services across one of the largest NHS Foundation Trusts in the country.

This role is key to the overall strategic direction of our Informatics and Digital Services and will hold accountability for supporting, developing and managing our application portfolios as we continue to create a single service from three legacy organisations.

The postholder will be required to work across our NCA sites as well as travel to community sites as required. We encourage agile working at the NCA, so there is also the opportunity for some remote working.

Main duties of the job

The NCA Informatics and Digital team is undertaking an ambitious and complex programme to bring together infrastructure, data and operational support services from three legacy organisations to create a Single Digital Service for the NCA. The Associate Director of Application Services primary responsibility is to oversee the management and support of all clinical and business applications.

This is a senior leadership role in which you will be accountable for delivering high quality, customer services to our colleagues, not forgetting that their experience of using applications influences the experience of our patients. We expect you to challenge the way we currently work in order to drive the delivery of sustainable digital changes that enable us to operate as a single organisation.

You will not only provide and manage the core teams that support our existing application services but will also help shape an application strategy that enables the NCA to manage and support its digital infrastructure including our Electronic Patient Record Systems, Patient Administration System and other major business-critical applications. You will also hold responsibility for ensuring our applications comply with all aspects of clinical safety, cyber and IT security, including legal compliance, risk assessment and effective risk management.

About us

The Northern Care Alliance (NCA) is one of the largest NHS organisations in the country. Launched in April 2017, the NCA serves over one million people across Greater Manchester and employs over 19,000 healthcare professionals across Bury, Rochdale, Salford and Oldham. The sheer size, scale and potential of our combined service is huge. At the NCA, we can offer groupwide, flexible multi-site opportunities, as part of our connected, integrated and engaged team. We believe in saving and improving lives and are passionate about driving forward significant improvements to the provision of safe, high-quality integrated health and social care to our local community. If you share our vision, take your place with us.

Job description

Job responsibilities

This role is key to the overall strategic direction of our Informatics and Digital Services and will hold accountability for supporting, developing and managing our application portfolios as we continue to create a single service from three legacy organisations.

We want you to be passionate about leading a high performing team, so you will need to demonstrate that you hold excellent communication skills and a clear solution focus. In return we offer you the opportunity to work in an NHS organisation that is evolving to deliver real and meaningful change for our communities, and this comes with access to a wide range of development opportunities for you too.

You will be responsible for providing exceptional levels of customer experience, managing and monitoring the performance, availability, reliability and operability of our systems, so you will have an eye for detail that carefully considers new systems and interoperability whilst also working with a skilled team of IT Operational colleagues in the provision of services.

You will work closely with the Chief Digital and Information Office to ensure that the NCAs application service enables the Trust to achieve its strategic objectives and that allows us to transform our services in the future to improve health equality across the patients and communities we serve.

This individuals principal goals are to develop and manage application portfolios across the NCA, reflecting our Care Organisations and community needs and to attain all IT service level agreements for the user community within the organisation. This includes the management and support of our Electronic Patient Records Systems, our Patient Administration System and major business facing applications.

The Associate Director of Application Services role is to supervise and maintain the organisations repository of software applications through best practices and the appropriate staffing and management of a technical team. This individual will apply proven communication and problem-solving skills to guide and assist the user group on issues related to the design, development, and deployment of mission-critical information and software systems.

To read more information about the advertised role, and the main job duties/responsibilities please open the Job Description and Person Specification located under the supporting documents heading. You can also read more information about working at the Northern Care Alliance within the attached Candidate Information Pack or by visiting our careers website: www.careers.northerncarealliance.nhs.uk

Person Specification

Essential Qualification

Essential

• Educated to a minimum of Masters degree level, or equivalent post graduate qualification
• Degree level or equivalent qualification specifically in IT/Informatics
• IT Service Management (ITSM) certifications
• Evidence of management development through Continuous Professional Development and/or formal management course

Desirable

• Relevant professional body registration

Experience

Essential

• Significant relevant experience within application support and development environment including management of a significant Service with a high degree of complexity acquired through training and experience over extended period
• Significant relevant experience of Senior NHS Management including line management responsibility for teams
• Experience of preparing and presenting reports of complex, sensitive or contentious information at senior forums
• Experience of motivating and inspiring staff managed directly and indirectly to work together to achieve a common objective

Knowledge

Essential

• Highly developed specialist knowledge and experience of managing complex application portfolios acquired over a significant period
• Significant knowledge and experience of applying budgeting, benefits tracking and demand management principles to both capital and revenue allocations
• Significant knowledge and understanding of the NHS, including the political, strategic and operational environment in which it operates
• Significant knowledge and experience of risk management

Skills

Essential

• Demonstrates significant level of communication skills
• Ability to work to agreed goals, in a self-directed and professional manner.
• Ability to engage and influence and persuade a broad range of individuals and professional groups at all levels of seniority
• Proactive, creative and flexible approach to identifying and taking forward opportunities, shaping new ideas and partnerships

Employer details

Employer name

Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Northern Care Alliance

Salford Royal Hospital, Stott Lane

Salford

M6 8HD

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

236-NCA-AC388-23