Job summary
Shape the future of workforce systems, data and insight in the NHS
We are seeking an experienced, forward-thinking Head of Workforce Systems & Data Analytics to lead one of the Trust's most critical and high-impact transformation agendas.
This is a senior, strategic role at the heart of our People Services Division, with end-to-end responsibility for workforce systems, workforce data and workforce analytics. You will lead the integration, governance and continuous development of a single, coherent workforce systems and analytics capability that supports workforce planning, productivity, transformation and evidence-based decision-making across the Trust.
Main Base: Buckingham Row, Wigan. With hybrid working arrangements and Travel to all Trust sites required.
About you
You will have:
- Significant experience leading workforce systems, analytics or digital workforce functions in a complex organisation
- A strong track record of delivering large-scale, multi-workstream programmes
- Deep understanding of workforce systems such as ESR, e-rostering or equivalent platforms
- Expertise in data governance, assurance, analytics and reporting
- The confidence to influence, challenge and advise at senior leadership and Board level
- A leadership style that is inclusive, compassionate and values-led
Please note that this vacancy may close early if a sufficient number of applications are received. We encourage interested candidates to apply promptly to avoid disappointment.
Main duties of the job
About the role
Reporting to the Associate Director of Workforce Planning & Transformation, you will:
- Act as the Trust's senior lead for workforce systems, workforce data and analytics
- Ensure workforce systems and analytics operate as a joined-up, future-ready ecosystem
- Lead the Trust's readiness for, and transition to, the new NHS Workforce Solution
- Drive digital maturity, automation and data quality, reducing reliance on manual and paper-based processes
- Provide senior assurance for workforce reporting, analytics and statutory submissions
- Lead complex programmes and portfolios spanning systems, data, analytics and organisational change
- Build strong partnerships across People Services, Finance, Payroll, Digital, IT and Corporate Data
- Represent the Trust at Greater Manchester, regional and national workforce forums
You will lead and develop a skilled, multidisciplinary team, creating a high-performing, inclusive and psychologically safe culture aligned to WWL values.
About us
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are the proud providers of acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff believing that 'happy staff, makes for happy patients'. We have a recognised track record in staff engagement and living our values.
WWL are committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and in the provision of safe, effective care that acknowledges and ensures dignity. We are seeking to recruit people who share our values and beliefs.
At WWL we value the benefits a rich and diverse workforce brings to our community and therefore welcome applications from all sections of society.
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are the proud providers of acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff believing that 'happy staff, makes for happy patients'. We have a recognised track record in staff engagement and living our values.
WWL are committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and in the provision of safe, effective care that acknowledges and ensures dignity. We are seeking to recruit people who share our values and beliefs.
At WWL we value the benefits a rich and diverse workforce brings to our community and therefore welcome applications from all sections of society.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Integration
Act as the Trusts lead for workforce systems, workforce data and workforce analytics.
Own the long-term coherence and integration of workforce systems and analytics, ensuring they operate as a unified capability rather than discrete functions.
Ensure workforce systems generate data that is analytically robust, decision-ready and aligned to workforce planning and transformation needs.
Provide expert advice, assurance and risk-based escalation to the Associate Director of Workforce Planning & Transformation.
Workforce Systems Strategy & Digital Enablement
- Own the strategic direction and roadmap for workforce systems, including ESR, e-rostering and successor national platforms.
- Provide senior leadership for the stabilisation, optimisation and governance of current workforce systems.
- Lead organisational readiness for the NHS Workforce Solution, including data quality, configuration standards, process redesign and analytics enablement.
- Drive digital workflows and automation to reduce reliance on manual, paper-based workforce processes.
- Ensure workforce systems evolve in line with national policy, digital standards and service needs.
Workforce Data, Analytics & Insight
- Lead the development and sustainability of a modern workforce analytics capability, including dashboards, visualisation and self-service insight.
- Ensure workforce analytics deliver deep analysis, narrative insight and clear recommendations for senior leaders.
- Own the triangulation and reconciliation of workforce data across systems, analytics and finance to maintain a single version of the truth.
- Ensure analytics capability remains forward-looking, supporting scenario modelling and strategic planning.
Accountability for Workforce Reporting & Returns
- Hold overall accountability for the quality, accuracy and assurance of all internal and external workforce reporting.
- Provide senior oversight of workforce information presented to Trust governance forums, such as the Trust scorecard, Integrated Performance Reporting (IPR), People Committee and Board-level reporting.
- Be accountable for statutory and national workforce data submissions, including the Provider Workforce Return (PWR) and NHS England mandated returns.
Programme & Portfolio Leadership
- Act as Programme or Project Lead for complex workforce systems, data and digital initiatives.
- Lead and coordinate a portfolio of inter-dependent projects, managing scope, milestones, risks, dependencies and benefits.
- Chair or lead appropriate project boards and workstreams, ensuring alignment with Trust governance and delivery frameworks.
- Provide clear reporting and assurance on progress, risks and outcomes to senior leaders.
Workforce Planning Enablement & Transformation
- Enable workforce planning and transformation through robust data standards, analytics models, tools and methodologies.
- Ensure workforce planning assumptions and outputs remain transparent, consistent and evidence-based.
- Support productivity, CIP and service redesign initiatives through system enablement and high-quality insight.
Stakeholder Engagement & External Leadership
- Build and maintain senior-level relationships across People Services, including HR Business Partners, OD, L&D and Medical Workforce.
- Act as the senior workforce digital and data partner to Finance, Payroll, IT, Digital and Corporate Data teams.
- Represent the Trust at Greater Manchester, regional and national workforce systems, workforce analytics and digital workforce forums.
- Lead external benchmarking and translate learning into sustainable local standards and improvements.
Information Governance & Data Asset Ownership
- Act as the Information Asset Owner or delegated senior data owner for workforce systems and workforce data.
- Ensure compliance with GDPR, DSPT and Trust information governance requirements.
- Lead Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) and ensure appropriate access controls, audit and assurance arrangements.
- Be accountable for workforce data integrity, lineage, retention and appropriate use.
Leadership, Culture & People Development
- Provide visible, inclusive and values-led leadership to direct reports and wider teams.
- Lead leaders and specialists, setting clear expectations, providing coaching and holding people to account.
- Ensure consistent communication, engagement and alignment across teams.
- Build a high-performing, psychologically safe culture aligned to Trust values.
- Support staff development, resilience, wellbeing and succession in a changing environment.
Finance & Resource Responsibilities
- Manage the delegated budget for the team, ensuring value for money in supplier contracts.
- Support Payroll and Finance colleagues in reconciliation, establishment control, and audit compliance.
- Monitor roster efficiency, aligning workforce deployment with financial targets (including agency/bank spend reduction).
Other
Act as an ambassador for the Trust, representing the organisation to relevant partners, other NHS bodies, regulators, voluntary sector, and other relevant organisations, developing constructive relationships to the benefit of the Trust.
Participate in relevant internal and external working groups/projects, services and initiatives to provide, information and expertise.
Promote the values, behaviours, vision, and goals of the organisation.
Protect sensitive employee data at all times, in line with the Data Protection Act
Please Note: This role is PENDING AFC SALARY BANDING APPROVAL; therefore, salary cannot be fully confirmed until the Banding is approved.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Strategic Leadership & Integration
Act as the Trusts lead for workforce systems, workforce data and workforce analytics.
Own the long-term coherence and integration of workforce systems and analytics, ensuring they operate as a unified capability rather than discrete functions.
Ensure workforce systems generate data that is analytically robust, decision-ready and aligned to workforce planning and transformation needs.
Provide expert advice, assurance and risk-based escalation to the Associate Director of Workforce Planning & Transformation.
Workforce Systems Strategy & Digital Enablement
- Own the strategic direction and roadmap for workforce systems, including ESR, e-rostering and successor national platforms.
- Provide senior leadership for the stabilisation, optimisation and governance of current workforce systems.
- Lead organisational readiness for the NHS Workforce Solution, including data quality, configuration standards, process redesign and analytics enablement.
- Drive digital workflows and automation to reduce reliance on manual, paper-based workforce processes.
- Ensure workforce systems evolve in line with national policy, digital standards and service needs.
Workforce Data, Analytics & Insight
- Lead the development and sustainability of a modern workforce analytics capability, including dashboards, visualisation and self-service insight.
- Ensure workforce analytics deliver deep analysis, narrative insight and clear recommendations for senior leaders.
- Own the triangulation and reconciliation of workforce data across systems, analytics and finance to maintain a single version of the truth.
- Ensure analytics capability remains forward-looking, supporting scenario modelling and strategic planning.
Accountability for Workforce Reporting & Returns
- Hold overall accountability for the quality, accuracy and assurance of all internal and external workforce reporting.
- Provide senior oversight of workforce information presented to Trust governance forums, such as the Trust scorecard, Integrated Performance Reporting (IPR), People Committee and Board-level reporting.
- Be accountable for statutory and national workforce data submissions, including the Provider Workforce Return (PWR) and NHS England mandated returns.
Programme & Portfolio Leadership
- Act as Programme or Project Lead for complex workforce systems, data and digital initiatives.
- Lead and coordinate a portfolio of inter-dependent projects, managing scope, milestones, risks, dependencies and benefits.
- Chair or lead appropriate project boards and workstreams, ensuring alignment with Trust governance and delivery frameworks.
- Provide clear reporting and assurance on progress, risks and outcomes to senior leaders.
Workforce Planning Enablement & Transformation
- Enable workforce planning and transformation through robust data standards, analytics models, tools and methodologies.
- Ensure workforce planning assumptions and outputs remain transparent, consistent and evidence-based.
- Support productivity, CIP and service redesign initiatives through system enablement and high-quality insight.
Stakeholder Engagement & External Leadership
- Build and maintain senior-level relationships across People Services, including HR Business Partners, OD, L&D and Medical Workforce.
- Act as the senior workforce digital and data partner to Finance, Payroll, IT, Digital and Corporate Data teams.
- Represent the Trust at Greater Manchester, regional and national workforce systems, workforce analytics and digital workforce forums.
- Lead external benchmarking and translate learning into sustainable local standards and improvements.
Information Governance & Data Asset Ownership
- Act as the Information Asset Owner or delegated senior data owner for workforce systems and workforce data.
- Ensure compliance with GDPR, DSPT and Trust information governance requirements.
- Lead Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) and ensure appropriate access controls, audit and assurance arrangements.
- Be accountable for workforce data integrity, lineage, retention and appropriate use.
Leadership, Culture & People Development
- Provide visible, inclusive and values-led leadership to direct reports and wider teams.
- Lead leaders and specialists, setting clear expectations, providing coaching and holding people to account.
- Ensure consistent communication, engagement and alignment across teams.
- Build a high-performing, psychologically safe culture aligned to Trust values.
- Support staff development, resilience, wellbeing and succession in a changing environment.
Finance & Resource Responsibilities
- Manage the delegated budget for the team, ensuring value for money in supplier contracts.
- Support Payroll and Finance colleagues in reconciliation, establishment control, and audit compliance.
- Monitor roster efficiency, aligning workforce deployment with financial targets (including agency/bank spend reduction).
Other
Act as an ambassador for the Trust, representing the organisation to relevant partners, other NHS bodies, regulators, voluntary sector, and other relevant organisations, developing constructive relationships to the benefit of the Trust.
Participate in relevant internal and external working groups/projects, services and initiatives to provide, information and expertise.
Promote the values, behaviours, vision, and goals of the organisation.
Protect sensitive employee data at all times, in line with the Data Protection Act
Please Note: This role is PENDING AFC SALARY BANDING APPROVAL; therefore, salary cannot be fully confirmed until the Banding is approved.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Masters level in relevant subject or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level in specialist area - information / data analysis, programme management, Human Resources
- Evidence of relevant continued professional development
Desirable
- MCIPD
- Professional qualification relevant to HR, informatics, data or analytics
- Formal project or programme management qualification (e.g. PRINCE2, MSP, Agile) or equivalent experience.
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience within a data analysis role
- Experience of undertaking complex analysis of information from a number of sources
- Experience of producing, developing and designing workforce reports/dashboards
- Experience of dealing with conflicting priorities and meeting deadlines
- Experience of leading and managing a team/function
- Project Management experience
- Experience of developing and implementing service improvements/developments/ transformation
Desirable
- Experience within an NHS workforce information/systems department at a senior level
- Experience working with HR and Workforce data
- Experience of using ESR
- Experience of using Power BI
- Experience of sourcing & implementing digital workforce solutions
Knowledge
Essential
- Excellent understanding of confidentiality and data protection
- Knowledge of statistical techniques and their application
Desirable
- Good working knowledge of NHS workforce challenges
- Knowledge of NHS People Plan and the role of digital innovation within this
Additional
Essential
- Commitment to the deliver of the highest standard of customer service
- Commitment to promotion of equality, diversion and inclusion
Desirable
- Able to travel and work flexibly across the geographical footprint of the organisation
Skills
Essential
- Clear communicator with excellent writing, report writing and presentation skills; capable of constructing and delivering clear ideas and concepts concisely and accurately for diverse audiences
- Advanced data manipulation & interpretation skills using MS Excel, tools and techniques
- Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands
- Attention to detail combined with the ability to extract key messages from complex analysis
- Ability to prioritise and manage own workload and the workload of others
- Ability to build purposeful and lasting relationships and command the confidence of people at every level
- Ability to produce clear and concise reports from a variety of data sources, including statistical and narrative reports
- Ability to audit data, maintain high standards of data quality and interrogate errors
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Masters level in relevant subject or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level in specialist area - information / data analysis, programme management, Human Resources
- Evidence of relevant continued professional development
Desirable
- MCIPD
- Professional qualification relevant to HR, informatics, data or analytics
- Formal project or programme management qualification (e.g. PRINCE2, MSP, Agile) or equivalent experience.
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience within a data analysis role
- Experience of undertaking complex analysis of information from a number of sources
- Experience of producing, developing and designing workforce reports/dashboards
- Experience of dealing with conflicting priorities and meeting deadlines
- Experience of leading and managing a team/function
- Project Management experience
- Experience of developing and implementing service improvements/developments/ transformation
Desirable
- Experience within an NHS workforce information/systems department at a senior level
- Experience working with HR and Workforce data
- Experience of using ESR
- Experience of using Power BI
- Experience of sourcing & implementing digital workforce solutions
Knowledge
Essential
- Excellent understanding of confidentiality and data protection
- Knowledge of statistical techniques and their application
Desirable
- Good working knowledge of NHS workforce challenges
- Knowledge of NHS People Plan and the role of digital innovation within this
Additional
Essential
- Commitment to the deliver of the highest standard of customer service
- Commitment to promotion of equality, diversion and inclusion
Desirable
- Able to travel and work flexibly across the geographical footprint of the organisation
Skills
Essential
- Clear communicator with excellent writing, report writing and presentation skills; capable of constructing and delivering clear ideas and concepts concisely and accurately for diverse audiences
- Advanced data manipulation & interpretation skills using MS Excel, tools and techniques
- Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands
- Attention to detail combined with the ability to extract key messages from complex analysis
- Ability to prioritise and manage own workload and the workload of others
- Ability to build purposeful and lasting relationships and command the confidence of people at every level
- Ability to produce clear and concise reports from a variety of data sources, including statistical and narrative reports
- Ability to audit data, maintain high standards of data quality and interrogate errors
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
