We are recruiting for a Project Support Officer to work in our Trust full-time, 37.5 hours per week.

You will support with the delivery of a range of programmes and projects that sit within the portfolio of the Transformation Management Office (TMO), often working to tight deadlines.

Main duties of the job

You will have a responsibility to lead on, co-ordinate and / or support (depending on the degree of complexity), with the provision of high-quality, comprehensive and efficient project and programme management working with internal and external stakeholders to support the delivery of transformational change. This will include - ensuring timely and accurate project and programme reporting, leading on, (and / or supporting) with project plan development and maintenance, supporting with the facilitation and delivery of quality assurance of individual projects, which will contribute to the production of papers and reports for assurance meetings.

You will work autonomously without daily supervision and will escalate any identified risks and issues within projects through the correct process and to the right escalation point.

About us

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust is a leading provider of mental health, social care, learning disability and substance misuse services in the West Midlands.

We are a forward-thinking Trust and are extremely proud to have attained the highest possible rating of Outstanding from the Care Quality Commission (CQC), one of only two specialist Mental Health Trusts in England to be awarded this.

We are also delighted to have won the prestigious award of 'Trust of the Year' at the national Health Service Journal Awards 2022, the only mental health Trust to have won this so far.

Our vision is 'To be Outstanding in all we do and how we do it' and the way we do inclusion is no exception. As a 'Disability Confident Employer', we very much believe that inclusion is something that you feel when you work at the Trust and we are continuously developing our culture of inclusion. Our teams pride themselves on compassion, team work and resilience.

Job description

Job responsibilities

• Support and contribute to all aspects of programme and project management that sit within the TMO portfolio, ensuring alignment to TMO processes and working with a variety of project management documentation, such as project initiation documents, project plans, highlight reports and closure reports incorporating lessons learned and benefit realisation.
• To support Projects Managers in the establishment and delivery of programmes and projects.
• Develop, update and maintain project plans and action logs for the implementation of projects.
• Co-ordinate projects and influence others to achieve project outcomes. This may include coordinating work streams.
• Communicate with leads, using negotiation and diplomacy, to ensure compliance with delivery timelines, assurance processes and strategic objectives.
• To provide and receive complex, detailed information relating to the TMO portfolio to support TMO Triage and TMO Assurance Meetings, including providing regular assurance on programme and project status to support the TMO team in tracking programme and project health to ensure completion of key deliverables and milestones and the escalation of issues and risks.
• Support in the development of papers and reports for the Executive Team, Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and Trust Committees, such as Business Cases and Options Appraisals.
• Ensure compliance to Trust governance mechanisms and identifying / escalating any risks / issues to the correct escalation point where applicable.
• Manage and prioritise own workload on a daily basis to support changing and competing priorities, recording appropriately and ensuring actions required are undertaken and completed within appropriate timescales.
• Ensure the TMO have a comprehensive set of information in relation to programmes and projects that is robust should there be absence, challenge or the need for a full audit trail.
• Work with project leads ensuring appropriate stakeholder engagement in the development of project plans, identifying resource requirements, performance impact assessments, investment needs, milestones, owners, KPIs, engagement and communication strategies.
• To maintain and promote an effective communication strategy, working collaboratively across providers, commissioners, and stakeholders, providing consistent and collaborative approach to transformation ensuring all stakeholders are fully informed and engaged.
• Throughout delivery, monitor progress and work with project teams to ensure actions are completed on time and in budget, escalating any issues, and offering solutions to potential risks and issues.
• Contribute to the future design of TMO processes and developments.
• Contribute to the ongoing promotion and embedding of TMO across the Trust.
• Contribute towards the development of project related training materials to improve knowledge and understanding of project management principles and methods for colleagues across the Trust.
• To proactively engage and build strong relationships with stakeholders from across partner organisations for portfolio delivery.
• To proactively develop and maintain good relationships, communication and teamwork with all disciplines and departments within the Trust.
• To communicate and present sometimes sensitive and contentious information on performance, change and improvement in an appropriate manner.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working within a Project Management or Transformation support role, ideally either within the NHS or an environment of equivalent complexity

Desirable

• An awareness of the current NHS commissioning landscape, financial and operational pressures, regulatory frameworks and the NHS Long-Term Plan.

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to degree level or equivalent level of experience ideally working within Project Management / NHS

Desirable

• Project or Programme Management Qualification (e.g. PRINCE2)

Knowledge and skills

Essential

• Ability to maintain comprehensive project management documentation, including project planning, reporting writing, monitoring of milestones and activity changes. Excellent Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) skills to facilitate day-to-day tasks and report writing.

Employer details

Employer name

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust

Address

Lawton House / Home Working

Bellringer Road

Stoke-on-Trent

ST4 8HH

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

232-COR-5776315