Job summary
If you are passionate about the power that data can have and understand the importance of utilising this to inform workforce planning to drive service delivery, the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) have the role for you!
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our successful and professionally accredited Workforce Management Team as a Forecast, Planning & MI Manager. The position will take a leading role in shaping planning across the service over the coming years as the organisation evolves and strives for greater efficiency as well as maximising new business opportunities.
What do we offer?
- 27 days leave (increasing with length of service) plus 8 bank holidays
- Flexible working
- Hybrid working model
- Career development
- Active wellbeing and inclusion networks
- Excellent pension
- NHS Car lease scheme
- Access to a wide range of benefits and high street discounts!
- This post is open to both sites in Newcastle and Fleetwood.
The role will be Hybrid Working / Newcastle (Bridge House) or Fleetwood (Hesketh House)
Main duties of the job
You will analyse and maximise data to ensure planning is reflective of the evolving nature of our Contact Centre Services, ensuring plans and modelling are aligned to the NHSBSA's digital agenda and utilising the opportunities this provides.
Working with the existing Forecasting and Planning Managers you will be jointly responsible for delivering accurate plans for the Contact Centre enabling teams to maximise resources to meet business requirements. The Workforce Team also provides planning and resource management expertise to other areas of the NHSBSA and therefore the ability to tailor plans to different services will be essential. This will involve Back Office environments as well as Contact Centre Services across multiple sites.
You will be responsible for managing and developing a team and will be required to work with Team Managers, Operational Management Team colleagues and the Head of Contact Centre Services. You will also be required to work closely with other services and build the appropriate relationships to ensure planning and forecasting in these areas is effective.
Experience of working in a similar role within a Contact Centre would be beneficial, as well as experience with a Managed Service environment. The post-holder will be naturally curious looking for improvements and new opportunities around both processes and technology but balancing the need to achieve tight deadlines.
About us
Here at the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), what we do matters.
We manage the NHS Pension scheme, process prescription payments and much more. Our services are used by NHS organisations, contractors and the public: we take pride in being part of something so meaningful, that touches millions of lives.
Just as we design our services around the needs of our customers, we place our people at the heart of our organisation. That's why when you join us, you'll be empowered and given the right support to help your career grow.
As one of the UK's Best Big Companies to work for, we're all connected to our values: Collaborative, Adventurous, Reliable and Energetic. We care about our people, our purpose, and your progress.
We strive to offer a fantastic colleague experience, where every voice is heard, and every colleague is supported and respected. Wellbeing, diversity and inclusion is at the centre of this, so when you join us, you can connect with our Lived Experience Networks who help us to bring our authentic selves to work.
We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and circumstances. We are committed and proud to be a flexible employer and will endeavour to offer a working pattern that suits you wherever possible, whether that be hybrid working, flexible hours, job sharing and more.
Ready to join us on our journey to be a catalyst for better health? Apply today and see where the NHSBSA can take you.
We are people connected to care.
Job description
Job responsibilities
In this role, you are accountable for:
- The Forecasting and Planning Manager will be responsible for delivering accurate manpower/forecast plans for the Contact Centre and Back Office enabling teams to maximise resources to meet contact centre business requirements.
- Managing and developing a team you will be responsible for development of new and innovative schedule/Forecast/Management Information system to aid the contact centre to maximise efficiency.
- Working with and through Team Managers, Service Delivery colleagues and the Head of Customer Operations to ensure that the centre meets all objectives, including output and accuracy targets
- Play a key role in driving service level consistency for Citizen Services customers and responsible for maximising workforce operational resource by driving cost-effectiveness and staff efficiencies. Support the change management agenda through building strong links with the appropriate parties
- Develop the formulation of service Forecasting, Planning, and Management Information strategies and objectives. Also contribute to business plans including formulation and development of options for the optimisation of Contact Centre and Back Office shift patterns including management of annual leave process.
- Design and develop the use of workforce management system.
- Deliver flexible schedules for the Contact Centre to provide an optimum resource fit against forecast demand.
- Broaden scheduling innovation and the supporting technology to deliver efficiency in line with contract constraints and working time directives.
- Identify and plan training, communication, team meetings and other off phone activities ensuring delivery of service targets.
- Identify shrinkage requirements and continually seek ways to improve resource wastage through challenge and innovation.
- Promote and develop flexible working practices that provide benefits to customers, NHSBSA and colleagues.
- Working with the Resource, Planning & Telephony Manager to understand predicted demand and achieve an optimal full-time/part-time balance and maintenance of appropriate team sizes and management ratios.
- Develop a strong partnership with Service Delivery managers and have responsibility for monitoring and planning output and KPIs to meet services standards in relation to call response times and completion of service and activity requests.
- In conjunction with the Resource, Planning & Telephony Manager agree strategies/policies for Resource Planning in the context of Scheduling/Forecasting & Management Information generation for the Contact Centre and analysis of their actual operational performance against planned, ensuring staff plans are signed off and accepted by the business and reporting against defined accountability and key performance measures.
- Demonstrate effective stakeholder management, with the other teams within Citizen Services, ensuring staff plan planning delivery within defined time, quality, and cost criteria.
- Identify, champion and manage technical opportunities to develop/improve scheduling solutions through a controlled change management process and be seen as the centre of excellence in providing scheduling solutions.
- Investigate any areas of underperformance acting at speed to rectify the situation, proposing solutions to key stakeholders engendering a partnership approach.
- Engender a model of continuous improvement within the teams ensuring opportunities for improvement are investigated and best practice is shared across Citizen Services.
- Provide impact assessments of proposed new and changes to scheduling, and high level estimation to support the operational planning teams feasibility studies.
- Provide all stakeholders with scheduling analysis, ensuring thorough detailed analysis that all scheduling solutions will meet or exceed operational risk criteria and are aligned to business scheduling and people strategies.
- Constantly strive to deliver highly efficient scheduling and planning process to reduce budgetary requirements.
- To provide recommendations to the Citizen Services management team on how best to manage the needs of real time service level impacts and appropriate courses of action to ensure targets are met
- Maximising performance through analysis, balancing of telephony traffic. Communicating performance achievements to senior management.
- To effectively manage network level traffic and call queues, ensuring that the contact centre offers the highest levels of service at all times of the day by maximising staffing efficiencies to help deliver the business agenda.
- Responsible for teams personal development. Provide a second level of support through coaching and guidance on management issues whilst also ensuring line managers remain fully empowered in a supportive environment.
Further detail is available on the Job Description.
Job description
Job responsibilities
In this role, you are accountable for:
- The Forecasting and Planning Manager will be responsible for delivering accurate manpower/forecast plans for the Contact Centre and Back Office enabling teams to maximise resources to meet contact centre business requirements.
- Managing and developing a team you will be responsible for development of new and innovative schedule/Forecast/Management Information system to aid the contact centre to maximise efficiency.
- Working with and through Team Managers, Service Delivery colleagues and the Head of Customer Operations to ensure that the centre meets all objectives, including output and accuracy targets
- Play a key role in driving service level consistency for Citizen Services customers and responsible for maximising workforce operational resource by driving cost-effectiveness and staff efficiencies. Support the change management agenda through building strong links with the appropriate parties
- Develop the formulation of service Forecasting, Planning, and Management Information strategies and objectives. Also contribute to business plans including formulation and development of options for the optimisation of Contact Centre and Back Office shift patterns including management of annual leave process.
- Design and develop the use of workforce management system.
- Deliver flexible schedules for the Contact Centre to provide an optimum resource fit against forecast demand.
- Broaden scheduling innovation and the supporting technology to deliver efficiency in line with contract constraints and working time directives.
- Identify and plan training, communication, team meetings and other off phone activities ensuring delivery of service targets.
- Identify shrinkage requirements and continually seek ways to improve resource wastage through challenge and innovation.
- Promote and develop flexible working practices that provide benefits to customers, NHSBSA and colleagues.
- Working with the Resource, Planning & Telephony Manager to understand predicted demand and achieve an optimal full-time/part-time balance and maintenance of appropriate team sizes and management ratios.
- Develop a strong partnership with Service Delivery managers and have responsibility for monitoring and planning output and KPIs to meet services standards in relation to call response times and completion of service and activity requests.
- In conjunction with the Resource, Planning & Telephony Manager agree strategies/policies for Resource Planning in the context of Scheduling/Forecasting & Management Information generation for the Contact Centre and analysis of their actual operational performance against planned, ensuring staff plans are signed off and accepted by the business and reporting against defined accountability and key performance measures.
- Demonstrate effective stakeholder management, with the other teams within Citizen Services, ensuring staff plan planning delivery within defined time, quality, and cost criteria.
- Identify, champion and manage technical opportunities to develop/improve scheduling solutions through a controlled change management process and be seen as the centre of excellence in providing scheduling solutions.
- Investigate any areas of underperformance acting at speed to rectify the situation, proposing solutions to key stakeholders engendering a partnership approach.
- Engender a model of continuous improvement within the teams ensuring opportunities for improvement are investigated and best practice is shared across Citizen Services.
- Provide impact assessments of proposed new and changes to scheduling, and high level estimation to support the operational planning teams feasibility studies.
- Provide all stakeholders with scheduling analysis, ensuring thorough detailed analysis that all scheduling solutions will meet or exceed operational risk criteria and are aligned to business scheduling and people strategies.
- Constantly strive to deliver highly efficient scheduling and planning process to reduce budgetary requirements.
- To provide recommendations to the Citizen Services management team on how best to manage the needs of real time service level impacts and appropriate courses of action to ensure targets are met
- Maximising performance through analysis, balancing of telephony traffic. Communicating performance achievements to senior management.
- To effectively manage network level traffic and call queues, ensuring that the contact centre offers the highest levels of service at all times of the day by maximising staffing efficiencies to help deliver the business agenda.
- Responsible for teams personal development. Provide a second level of support through coaching and guidance on management issues whilst also ensuring line managers remain fully empowered in a supportive environment.
Further detail is available on the Job Description.
Person Specification
Personal Qualities, Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Excellent verbal & written communication skills.
- Experience and developed skills in presenting complex data and information to non-technical managers and staff at senior levels
- Able to work on own initiative.
- Ability to see wider implications, consequences and connections for all issues.
- Excellent presentation skills needed for presentations to large groups
- Analytical Skills.
- Drafting and reporting skills
- Hands on knowledge of workforce management systems including system use, development and configuration
- Knowledge of outbound activity resourcing
- Knowledge of core concepts of contact centre planning including:
- Forecasting
- Scheduling design and creation
- Service level and intra-day management
- Analysis and reporting of contact centre performance
Desirable
- Demonstrate knowledge of complexity of scheduling in a multi skill, multi-channel, environment
- Experience of major working pattern redesign and implementation
Experience
Essential
- Significant previous experience of delivery in contact centre workforce planning
- Experience of managing staff.
- Experience of resource planning experience gained within a multi-site contact centre environment
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level in relevant discipline or significant relevant experience
Desirable
- Diploma in Resource Management (or equivalent)
- Post- Graduate qualification in relevant discipline.
Person Specification
Personal Qualities, Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Excellent verbal & written communication skills.
- Experience and developed skills in presenting complex data and information to non-technical managers and staff at senior levels
- Able to work on own initiative.
- Ability to see wider implications, consequences and connections for all issues.
- Excellent presentation skills needed for presentations to large groups
- Analytical Skills.
- Drafting and reporting skills
- Hands on knowledge of workforce management systems including system use, development and configuration
- Knowledge of outbound activity resourcing
- Knowledge of core concepts of contact centre planning including:
- Forecasting
- Scheduling design and creation
- Service level and intra-day management
- Analysis and reporting of contact centre performance
Desirable
- Demonstrate knowledge of complexity of scheduling in a multi skill, multi-channel, environment
- Experience of major working pattern redesign and implementation
Experience
Essential
- Significant previous experience of delivery in contact centre workforce planning
- Experience of managing staff.
- Experience of resource planning experience gained within a multi-site contact centre environment
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level in relevant discipline or significant relevant experience
Desirable
- Diploma in Resource Management (or equivalent)
- Post- Graduate qualification in relevant discipline.
Additional information
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).
