Job summary
Our Board have clear ambition to be a 'Digital First' organisation. Our digital strategy is a collaboration between the Trust senior management team, the Digital Team, and a wide range of stakeholders who firmly believe in building upon our digital capabilities to ensure ELFT are regarded as pioneers in Digital. The scale of response to the COVID-19 pressures, particularly enabling remote and mobile working, and setting up the Stratford vaccination centre has been remarkable. However, there are also significant challenges to address. Digital tools and services are now fundamental to the management and delivery of our services. This is an extremely exciting time to be joining our Trust on this journey.
Main duties of the job
This is an excellent opportunity to help shape a leading digital function in the NHS. The Digital Solutions Architectis a key memberof our Systems and Development team. A highly technical role, you will have full ownership of the integration work stream and be responsible for the delivery, management, and support of the Trust's integration engine (TIE) ensuring that the function is delivered in accordance with HL7 standards whilst maintaining high levels of system availability and customer satisfaction.
Working as a Digital Solutions Architect you will lead the technical delivery for the Trust's integration engine and be responsible for the support and documentation of the TIE. You will provide specialist advice and strategic planning to the Trust for the full range of specialist areas which fall under the remit of software development.
As part of the Systems & Development Team, the role will work closely with Digital Leads and external suppliers to interface applications through the TIE then test and maintain the robustness of the interfaces.
We are looking for a Digital Solutions Architect who has systems integration experience including the development of interfaces utilising standards such as HL7, FHIR or SQL. You will also be used to managing change in a digital setting and previous experience of healthcare integration products such as intersystems healthshare.
About us
Originally formed in 2000, ELFT has long been recognised as a centre of excellence for mental health care, innovation and improvement. We care for a population of more than 750,000 and we are proud to serve one of the most culturally diverse parts of the UK. In Bedfordshire and Luton, we are now responsible for a further 630,000 people's mental health and community health care needs. Wherever patients receive our services and from whichever team, our values of care, respect and inclusivity underpin all that we do. Valuing the diversity of our local population is fundamental to realising our vision to provide outstanding healthcare to our diverse community. In September 2016, the Trust was proud to be rated as 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission, and the Trust was once again rated at 'Outstanding' by the CQC in June 2018 and 2021.
Job description
Job responsibilities
In return, you could be part of our digital first journey in which there is both permission and support to be innovative, to ensure the Trust develops a leading digital function.
If you would like a further discussion on the role, in the first instance please contact our executive search partner Luke Scott-Crowley at Hunter Healthcare on 07512 322 109 or LScott-Crowley@hunter-healthcare.com
Job description
Job responsibilities
In return, you could be part of our digital first journey in which there is both permission and support to be innovative, to ensure the Trust develops a leading digital function.
If you would like a further discussion on the role, in the first instance please contact our executive search partner Luke Scott-Crowley at Hunter Healthcare on 07512 322 109 or LScott-Crowley@hunter-healthcare.com
Person Specification
Education/ Qualification/ Training
Essential
- oEducated to Master's level or equivalent experience
- oPostgraduate qualification in an IT related area or equivalent relevant experience
- oEvidence of continued professional development
- oDigital Service Management qualification
- oPostgraduate qualification in an oIT related area or equivalent relevant experience
Experience
Essential
- oExperience of using tools appropriate to interface design, development and testing
- oProduces detailed interface specifications and translates these into detailed designs for development, testing and implementation
- oExperienced in the provision of well-informed advice, typically on more than one topic, taking steps to ensure that it is properly understood and appropriately exploited
- oExperienced in identifying and documenting interface requirements for a large application or suite of applications
- oProven ability in offering programmes alternative interface requirements that deliver similar capabilities for reduced cost/risk/timescales
- oDemonstrable responsibility for supplier technical interface documentation in conjunction with the Trust's strategic objectives and standards
- oDemonstrable responsibility for levelling comment responses from technical interface perspectives and working with the supplier to satisfactory resolution, escalating where necessary
- oExperience of ensuring documentation reviews follow the correct process, issues are resolved and appropriate risk mitigations are identified and implemented
- oDemonstrate a broad understanding of the commercial IT environment, how the organisation sources, deploys and manages internal and external partners
- oExperienced in the selection of suppliers and was responsible for the "point technical" liaison between the organisation and designated supplier(s) for interface matters
- oDemonstrable evidence of participating in meetings for contracts and suppliers and liaising with supplier senior technical staff and establishing supplier respect for the Trust's Digital technical staff Digital technical staff
- oProven ability in taking part in supplier negotiations over difficult technical issues and able to express organisation's position clearly and professionally
- oProven ability to decompose a solution design into a set of conceptual and logical components that can be mapped against the requirements
- oExperienced in initiating and facilitating communications between stakeholders, acting as a single technical point of contact for defined groups
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- oHas strong supplier facing presentation and facilitation skills
- oAbility to identify and analyse issues and problems and to plan a logical sequence of appropriate actions to resolve them
- oStrong computer skills, including Microsoft Office suite
- ooEnsures change control processes are in place and executed
- oKnowledge and experience of large system deployment within a healthcare environment
- oA track record of delivery within budget and timescales
- oHigh level understanding of NHS systems and environments
- oA working understanding of PRINCE 2 Project
- oProven knowledge of designing and managing highly secure and complex systems
- oManagement Methodology Project plans, manages and controls to budget and time
- oA working understanding of ITIL Service Management and Methodology Processes
- oExcellent problem solving and high level negotiation skills
Personal
Essential
- oGood analytical and problem solving skills - ability to analyse highly complex data/information and make judgements/draw conclusions - including ability to respond to unexpected demands
- oAbility to work independently and make autonomous decisions
- oStrong communication skills both written and verbal - able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive information and use persuasion, influencing and negotiation with individuals and groups including stakeholders
- oAbility to embrace, lead and drive change
- oAbility to organise and prioritise own workload and direct the work others and adjust plans as required both in the short and long term
- oAble to work flexibly to meet the demands of the role
- oDemonstrates a strong desire to improve performance and services
Person Specification
Education/ Qualification/ Training
Essential
- oEducated to Master's level or equivalent experience
- oPostgraduate qualification in an IT related area or equivalent relevant experience
- oEvidence of continued professional development
- oDigital Service Management qualification
- oPostgraduate qualification in an oIT related area or equivalent relevant experience
Experience
Essential
- oExperience of using tools appropriate to interface design, development and testing
- oProduces detailed interface specifications and translates these into detailed designs for development, testing and implementation
- oExperienced in the provision of well-informed advice, typically on more than one topic, taking steps to ensure that it is properly understood and appropriately exploited
- oExperienced in identifying and documenting interface requirements for a large application or suite of applications
- oProven ability in offering programmes alternative interface requirements that deliver similar capabilities for reduced cost/risk/timescales
- oDemonstrable responsibility for supplier technical interface documentation in conjunction with the Trust's strategic objectives and standards
- oDemonstrable responsibility for levelling comment responses from technical interface perspectives and working with the supplier to satisfactory resolution, escalating where necessary
- oExperience of ensuring documentation reviews follow the correct process, issues are resolved and appropriate risk mitigations are identified and implemented
- oDemonstrate a broad understanding of the commercial IT environment, how the organisation sources, deploys and manages internal and external partners
- oExperienced in the selection of suppliers and was responsible for the "point technical" liaison between the organisation and designated supplier(s) for interface matters
- oDemonstrable evidence of participating in meetings for contracts and suppliers and liaising with supplier senior technical staff and establishing supplier respect for the Trust's Digital technical staff Digital technical staff
- oProven ability in taking part in supplier negotiations over difficult technical issues and able to express organisation's position clearly and professionally
- oProven ability to decompose a solution design into a set of conceptual and logical components that can be mapped against the requirements
- oExperienced in initiating and facilitating communications between stakeholders, acting as a single technical point of contact for defined groups
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- oHas strong supplier facing presentation and facilitation skills
- oAbility to identify and analyse issues and problems and to plan a logical sequence of appropriate actions to resolve them
- oStrong computer skills, including Microsoft Office suite
- ooEnsures change control processes are in place and executed
- oKnowledge and experience of large system deployment within a healthcare environment
- oA track record of delivery within budget and timescales
- oHigh level understanding of NHS systems and environments
- oA working understanding of PRINCE 2 Project
- oProven knowledge of designing and managing highly secure and complex systems
- oManagement Methodology Project plans, manages and controls to budget and time
- oA working understanding of ITIL Service Management and Methodology Processes
- oExcellent problem solving and high level negotiation skills
Personal
Essential
- oGood analytical and problem solving skills - ability to analyse highly complex data/information and make judgements/draw conclusions - including ability to respond to unexpected demands
- oAbility to work independently and make autonomous decisions
- oStrong communication skills both written and verbal - able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive information and use persuasion, influencing and negotiation with individuals and groups including stakeholders
- oAbility to embrace, lead and drive change
- oAbility to organise and prioritise own workload and direct the work others and adjust plans as required both in the short and long term
- oAble to work flexibly to meet the demands of the role
- oDemonstrates a strong desire to improve performance and services
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
