South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust

OPMU Project Manager

The closing date is 05 November 2025

Job summary

South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) is committed to being "Trusted to provide safe, effective, compassionate care." Our Operational Programme Management Unit (OPMU) is central to delivering transformation across the Trust, supporting projects that improve patient flow, safety, and experience.

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Project Manager (Band 7) to join our team. This role will lead complex operational and transformation projects across divisions and corporate services, ensuring delivery of key Trust priorities.

The post holder will:

Manage high-profile projects from initiation through to delivery and evaluation.
Apply recognised project management methodologies (e.g. PRINCE2) to ensure projects run to time, scope, and budget.
Work closely with clinicians, operational leaders, and system partners to design and embed improvements.
Track project outcomes, benefits, and risks, providing clear reports to senior stakeholders.
Support the Trust in achieving major priorities such as Emergency Access, Inpatient Transformation, and elective recovery.

This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference to patient care and service delivery. The successful candidate will need excellent organisational, analytical, and communication skills, and a proven ability to manage stakeholders and deliver change at pace.

For more information contact Jen Nicholls, jenny.nicholls@swft.nhs.uk

Main duties of the job

To be the accountable person for the delivery of key operational and transformation projects within OPMU , aligned to the Trusts strategic priorities and improvement framework.

The role will be focused initially upon the delivery of core projects supporting operational improvement, patient flow, and service transformation across clinical areas such as hospital discharge, frailty, and long term condition management.

Prince 2 methodology will be adopted including maintaining a risk register and an issue log and regular reporting to governance bodies will feature.

The role will liaise with the Head of OPMU who will co-ordinate reporting to relevant meetings and ensure appropriate escalation if required.

The post holder will need to have an ability to develop and manage key working relationships across a wide range of partners to deliver their projects. This will include but not be limited to:

Local acute hospital specialisms
Coventry & Warwickshire ICB
Warwickshire GP's and Practice Managers
Warwickshire County Council
Local hospices
Associate Chief Operating Officers and divisions
Internal services such as communications, finance, business intelligence, estates, IT, HR
Patient representatives

The post holder will need to have an understanding of budget management and be able to liaise with the finance lead to ensure the project remains financially on track.

About us

Come and join a Trust rated Outstanding by the CQC. South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust have been rated as outstanding following our latest inspection by the CQC and we are recruiting new staff to come and help us improve even further.

We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the county. We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity.

Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are 'Trusted to provide safe, effective and compassionate care'. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work. It doesn't matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.

Date posted

22 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£47,810 to £54,710 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working, Home or remote working, Compressed hours

Reference number

203-C541

Job locations

Warwick Hospital

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust

Warwick

CV34 5BW

Job description

Job responsibilities

Project Management

To be the accountable person for implementation of designated significant divisional projects, with overall responsibility for the successful planning, monitoring and implementation of the designated projects.

To ensure that a suitable framework is in place for the project management and co-ordination, responsible for developing implementing and monitoring as required, to ensure the successful implementation of the new projects

To be responsible for the identification and benchmarking of project benefits. Taking personal responsibility for the tracking, reporting and monitoring against baseline targets and explanation of any variance at project Board level.

To be the accountable person and overall responsibility for maintaining comprehensive Project Plans, developing, implementing and maintaining as required, outlining clear milestones and identifying accountability and to monitor and report on progress against the plans. Direct responsibility for the authoring, identification and management of milestones ensuring that comprehensive monitoring and reporting processes are developed and implemented.

To have overall responsibility for resolving problems that arise during the project and to document/report/escalate any problems that cannot be resolved to the relevant project board or other group.

To prepare Project Briefs and Project Initiation Documents as required, liaising with operational Managers as required. Securing the necessary approval and authority to proceed as needed.

To be responsible for resource planning, ensuring that required resources are available to deliver the project and escalating concerns as appropriate.

To be responsible for completing / coordinating required work to create new project Board e.g. Terms of reference, Board membership, Terms of Reference.

To be responsible for tactical planning / implementation / monitoring the transition of projects successfully to business as usual.

To Chair workstream/project meetings relevant to the project.

To manage the project team and the delivery of associated work packages.

To mentor and take line management responsibility for Project Support Officers as required.

Day to day management of the project budget, taking responsibility for ensuring that budgets are monitored and tracked, and that spending is in line with agreed tolerances, escalating where necessary.

Regularly review financial information to ensure consistent with guidelines and budget.

Able to use a variety of software to support the development of each project, including MS Office (e.g. Excel, Word, PowerPoint, MS Project), Office 365 including MS Teams, and other systems as required for example Visio, Tableau, and/or the Trust project management system for project reporting as appropriate.

To use MS Office (including MS Project) and Trust project/programme management system for project reporting as appropriate.

Contribute to identifying opportunities, resources and benefits across projects within the division.

To support the Divisional management teams to communicate complex project information to a wide range of listeners including formal presentations to senior colleagues and groups of staff as required.

To develop and be responsible for maintaining comprehensive Project Plans outlining clear milestones and identifying accountability and to monitor and report on progress against the plans.

Strategy

To develop business cases and bids for available funding. Also to identify opportunities, resources and obtain commitment for other projects that offer benefits to the STP.

To build and manage effective working relationships with key partners across the STP footprint.

Skills and Training

To liaise with the training manager to ensure that any training programmes meet the needs of the implementation plan and that quality is assured.

To liaise with the Information manager, as appropriate, to ensure that planned reporting activities meets the needs of the implementation plan and that quality is assured.

To liaise with the communications manager, as appropriate, to ensure that planned communication activities meets the needs of the implementation plan and that quality is assured.

To support operational teams, as appropriate, with training and advice on new or changed working procedures associated with the project implementation.

R&D

To analyse processes and activity prior to new systems being introduced and to establish baselines for changes introduced through the implementation working ensuring process changes are documented and agreed by clinical and operational users.

To work with key stakeholders to ensure that there is clear understanding of the problems and commitment to the proposed solutions.

Policies and Procedures

To ensure that PRINCE project management principles are followed within the projects and to promote these principles to others within the project team as appropriate.

To ensure all projects have appropriate documentation developed to support new ways of working, such as standard operating procedures (SOPs), process maps, risk assessments and mitigation plans, and data privacy impact assessments, including where relevant across multiple services/organisations.

Communications

To provide and receive highly complex, sensitive and contentious information to Project Boards and stakeholders at senior levels. Will need to persuade project boards and staff of the importance of complex projects and negotiate with stakeholders.

Specifically ensure the following key communications tasks are included in the role

Attendance and active participation in project operational meetings and conference calls
Attendance and active participation in the monthly Projects and Innovation Group
Engagement of key stakeholders for each project on a regular basis
Work with the finance lead and Programme manager to ensure projects remain within budget
Ensure successful implementation and transfer to business as usual
Work with operational teams to update business continuity plans
Liaising with colleagues across the division

To develop project communications strategy and ensure that effective communications regarding the project take place, targeted as appropriate to all relevant audiences including internal and external stakeholders.

To co-ordinate actions arising from the Project Boards and Implementation Groups, and to provide leadership and co-ordination to various other implementation working groups as required.

To involve clinical and operational managers to ensure that analysis and implementation stages of the project are fully supported by clinical and operational staff.

To provide complex formal presentations to senior and large groups, communicating sensitive information about performance and change.

Staff Management and Leadership

To operationally manage the project team and the delivery of associated work packages as the project develops.