Project Manager (XN06)

Job description

Job responsibilities

JOB PURPOSE

To project manage a project to improve psychosocial support pathways across the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance. This will involve working with cancer psychology services in acute trusts, NHS Talking Therapies, community mental health teams and voluntary sector organisations.

3. JOB DIMENSIONS

This fixed term project is funded by the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance. Until the end of March 2026, the aim is to build on work from a previous project looking at improving psychosocial care for people with cancer in the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance. This project identified three workstreams for the next phase:

Specialist Psychosocial Care Pathways development

Improving equitable access to specialist cancer psychology

Improving universal psychosocial support

This newly created post will be expected to work in collaboration with Consultant Clinical Psychologists and a Senior Project Manager at the Cancer Alliance to achieve the project aims. The work will be across the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance as required where cancer pathways / proposed new models of working crosses organisations. This may include working with community-based services and organisations providing clinical and / or supportive care. The Project Manager will be expected to work under their own initiative, developing links and establishing relationships as required to deliver outcomes.

The project manager will be mostly working from home* (with equipment from LTHT) but the post may require occasional travel.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

The core knowledge, skills and experience required in the post are set out in detail in the person specification. They can be summarised as:

Essential

Degree, preferably in a health services or health related field

ECDL or be able to demonstrate equivalent IT competencies.

Knowledge of how to influence patient care and clinical pathways

Project management experience including skills in leading and managing new and complex project development, strategy development and clinical pathway development.

Skilled in managing all required aspects of project development at any one time.

Experience of evaluating the progress and impact of projects and of taking responsibility for making recommendations to senior healthcare personnel regarding future service direction / development.

Experience in data evaluation methods and experience in analysing and presenting complex data in a clear and informative way.

Experience in compiling and effectively communicating findings of complex reports / data to senior healthcare personnel in group settings / meetings.

Experience in leading practice or service improvement.

Experience of how to influence patient care and clinical pathways.

Able to communicate the benefits of new clinical pathways to service planners and providers and achieve engagement.

Good knowledge of NHS commissioning practice and funding streams

Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.

Experience and confidence in approaching and influencing clinicians, healthcare and supportive care managers preferably in both primary and secondary care settings and be able to manage a range of opinions in an objective, unbiased and focused way.

An ability to work independently within a strategic framework.

Experience in and a proven ability to develop and write successful business cases to secure funding

Experience of facilitating large meetings and educational events with the aim of fostering stakeholder engagement and strategic agreement of future direction / required service developments.

Desirable

Health services related professional qualification

Management qualifications would be an advantage

Project management qualification (MSP or Prince 2)

Trained in use of service improvement methodologies

Working knowledge of cancer or mental health clinical pathways

Previous experience in healthcare commissioning.

Experience in budget management.

6. THE LEEDS WAY VALUES

Our values are part of what make us different from other trusts, so we see this as a strength, as well as a responsibility. They have been developed by our staff and set out what they see as important to how we work. Our five values are:

Patient-centred

Collaborative

Fair

Accountable

Empowered

All our actions and endeavours will be guided and evaluated through these values:

Additionally the following are core values which relate specifically to this post:

Integrity;

Flexibility;

Quality focus; and

A supportive style.

7. CORE BEHAVIOURS AND SKILLS

Applicants will need to demonstrate that they can self-manage, recover from set-backs and are highly motivated with a passion for the sort of patient care new and innovative clinical pathways and supportive frameworks can deliver. They need to have skill in drawing people together to work on common themes and need to be able to prioritise and flex both work management and their time. Enthusiasm and energy for the project are essential. They need to be committed to team working and staff development.

8. CORE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

The post holder must be experienced in project management and this should include experience in leading new project development. Sound knowledge of how to develop, maintain and implement clinical pathways is desirable. The post holder must be IT literate and be competent in working with Word, PowerPoint, Excel packages, Internet and email management.

The post holder must have experience and confidence in approaching and influencing clinicians, healthcare and supportive care managers, preferably in both primary and secondary care settings and be able to manage a range of opinions in an objective, unbiased and focussed way. They must have a good understanding of the changes currently underway in clinical commissioning and an understanding of the difficulties in identifying key individuals in the current climate. They must be able to communicate the benefits of new clinical pathways to service planners and providers and achieve engagement.

Good skills in healthcare user communication are essential as the project manager will have a responsibility to ensure patient involvement in proposed service re-modelling / development.

The post holder must be able to define useful data and co-ordinate its collection, which may be across a number of different organisations/ specialties/ services. They must be able to interpret data in such a way as to demonstrate outcomes and make recommendations.

Excellent skills in developing short and long term targets and strategies for organisations is necessary. In the short term, the testing of new clinical diagnostic pathway models is required which consider new ways of working and involvement from clinical teams and primary care and community settings. In the long term, proposed models need to be sustainable. This requires developing frameworks for measuring success and working with the clinical teams to develop business cases for funding. The post holder must have experience in measuring outcomes of previous projects which benefit healthcare service provision and development.

Person Specification

Skills & behaviours

Essential

• Enthusiastic with a positive vision of cross organisation/ service/ Network working
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to develop close working relationships with individuals, teams and organisations and work with a collaborative approach.
• Ability to problem solve as predictable or unexpected barriers to projects progress arise

Desirable

• Clean and current driving licence
• Ability to work flexibly as deadlines demand

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to degree level (or equivalent)
• ECDL or equivalent

Desirable

• Health related professional qualification
• Management qualification

Experience

Essential

• Project management experience including skills in leading and managing new and complex project development, strategy development and clinical pathway development.
• Skilled in managing all required aspects of project development at any one time.
• Experience in data evaluation methods and experience in analysing and presenting complex data in a clear and informative way.

Desirable

• Working knowledge of cancer clinical pathways and mental health services
• Experience in healthcare commissioning

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Leeds Teaching Hospitals

Address

St. James's University Hospital

Beckett Street

Leeds

LS9 7TF

Employer's website

https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)