Senior Project Manager

Job overview

The implementation of the One Devon Electronic Patient Record (EPR) is the largest digital transformation ever undertaken within the Devon healthcare system.

This exciting and challenging programme aims to fundamentally change how we deliver health and care in Devon in a way that is both clinically and financially sustainable. In implementing the programme, we will be guided by ensuring we do the right thing for our patients and carers, people and communities as well as creating a working environment which better enables our staff to deliver the best care, they can every day.

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (RDUHFT) will be working with Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust (TSDFT) and University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust (UHPT) to develop a Devon-wide EPR using Epic software.

The solution will be jointly owned, implemented and supported in a truly collaborative programme. We will be working as one system to collectively adopt standardised best practice of clinical, operational and administrative pathways.

This is not just an implementation of a digital solution; this is clinically led transformation programme ensuring the programme is focused on what is right for the patients and staff across Devon.

The key to unlocking this major programme of change is the engagement and involvement of service users and staff in delivering the changes needed. Our EPR will drive improved standards across our services.

• The scope of projects will vary depending on the needs of the partner hospitals.
• The Senior Project Manager directly controls a number of projects, some of which may be complex and large-scale.
• Responsible for planning and organising a broad range of complex project activities strategies or programmes, including the formulation and adjustment of those plans should targets not be met.
• Manages and delivers a variety of projects across the Trusts.
• Manages the delivery of complex projects and project stages with conflicting and competing pressures on the workload and the team, including dealing with the mixed expectations of customers.
• Deals with cultural change, presenting positively the benefits and risks to the customers.
• Creates and develops solutions to complex problems within confined budgetary constraints and to an agreed schedule.
• Manages and employs meticulous planning skills to manage the scope of projects in a fast-changing health environment including clinicians, nursing staff, support staff, voluntary workers, suppliers, IT experts, and contractors.
• Ensures that the products delivered meet specified quality standards and that negotiated purchase contracts with suppliers and appropriate service level agreements are in place.
• Ensures effective communication of results, variances and problems to Principal Project Managers and to stakeholders, offering solutions and options when problems arise.

Working for our organisation

Why Work With Us

This vacancy is being advertised by Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust however applications from individuals employed by Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust are encouraged.

By applying for one of these vacancies you are agreeing for your application and personal information to be shared between the three organisations as necessary to complete the recruitment process.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Initiate projects, as directed by the Principal Project Managers, and assess them for feasibility.
• Identify, analyse and document the project requirements with the clients and undertake an impact analysis to feed into service changes required after project delivery.
• Identify, in conjunction with clients, the benefits to be realised by meeting the project requirements, and the key success factors to be used to measure the project.
• Manage a number of concurrent projects, as assigned by the Principal Project Managers in a variety of customer areas and across different disciplines, ensuring effective and regular communication at all levels with all interested parties.
• Co-ordinate and manage internal and external parties to ensure their effective involvement in change management, according to the policies of the customer organisations, project delivery and ongoing service.
• Meet defined Project management standards as defined by the host Trusts and work with PMO to ensure that these standards are met.
• Maintain Project plans and documentation ensuring that information that feeds into PMO reporting is accurate and timely.
• Ensure that quality standards are maintained throughout, such that each project deliverable is fit for purpose and meets its documented requirement.
• Define project risk parameters and escalate to the Principal Project Managers or Programme /Project Board where necessary, instigating contingency plans where appropriate.
• Create, direct and motivate representative project teams, schedule and monitor their work.
• Present project aims and objectives to suppliers, staff, patients and/or support groups, engendering enthusiasm and commitment.
• Define quality standards and coordinate and take part in system and hardware testing of the delivered system; this will also be required for system upgrades.
• As required train clients in the use of the new systems and provide training material as required, this may be in conjunction with the IT practice educators and training teams.
• Work with appropriate IT operational and support teams to ensure a smooth handover of the project to the support departments of IT, including agreeing support processes and procedures and Service Level Agreements where necessary.
• At times project delivery and implementation will involve working long and unsocial hours under stressful conditions in order to minimise service disruption

• Develop and implement and recommend procedures and guidelines supporting the policies and strategies, around new services and changes to existing services.
• Develop and present business case(s) and where required, financial project summaries to Programme Leads, Project Boards and/or Management Teams.
• Maintain, update and manage project level plans, assessing the impact of issues and changes to ensure that the project stays within agreed tolerances.
• Maintain and manage all risk and issue registers, ensuring information and actions are managed, escalated and are timely according to the appropriate strategy documentation.
• Manage all changes in project scope to ensure that the project remains deliverable within the estimated effort and time parameters or ensure that any required extensions or changes of scope are escalated, highlighted and agreed as appropriate.
• Undertake and document post implementation reviews of projects to ensure that process improvement can benefit from the experiences of each project delivery
• Arrange, chair /participate in and document structured project meetings, and collective discussions with clients, suppliers and system users.
• Complete all mandatory departmental and national documentation within specified timescales.
• Assist the customers in the measurement of benefits realisation once the project has been satisfactorily implemented.

Person specification

Qualifications and training

• Knowledge of specific area, acquired through degree or equivalent experience or training, plus further staff and project management knowledge to post graduate diploma level equivalent.
• Prince 2 Practitioner (with current registration) or willingness to achieve in next 6 months if expired.
• Supervisor, Management or Leadership Qualification or work based experience & knowledge.
• Evidence of sustained professional development.

• MSP Foundation.
• MS Project.

Knowledge and experience

• Proven experience in managing, leading and developing a project management team.
• Substantial relevant experience in health service or other major large-scale customer-service oriented organisation.
• Proven experience in supplier management and contract negotiation, gained in a senior role.
• Experience of service change management / business transformation.
• Proven experience in organising and prioritising multiple tasks and workloads and meeting deadlines.
• Extensive practical knowledge of Project Management procedures (Prince 2, Agile).
• Knowledge of current legislation affecting managing, using and storing information such as Confidentiality, Freedom of Information, Data Protection and Caldicott.

• NHS project management experience.
• Use of Microsoft Project within an enterprise solution.

Specific Skills

• Excellent verbal, including strong presentation skills, written and interpersonal skills
• Has identified the need for, supported the set up and worked with project boards and staff of various levels on complex projects.
• Able to deliver complex formal presentations to large groups
• Excellent negotiating and diplomacy skills, coupled with the ability to remain objective when dealing with issues.

You will be joining the organisation at an exciting time. As the first fully integrated care organisation in England, we are working to improve the way we deliver safe, high-quality health and social care. We have a positive and vibrant working atmosphere, we are proud of our investment in our staff both in terms of developing potential career skills and valuing people.

If you provide support to a family member or friend with health or care needs, we aim to be a Carer-friendly employer. We have a ‘Staff Carers’ policy which includes flexible working where possible and a Carer’s Passport scheme that links you into support and discounts.

• We reserve the right to close vacancies early if we receive a high volume of applications. Please apply promptly
• Please read the job description and tailor your application to reflect the role
• Correspondence will be via Trac, text and email. Please check your email and Trac account regularly.
• Applicants with no previous NHS experience will ordinarily be appointed to the minimum of the band
• If you have not received an invitation to interview within 28 days of the closing date, please assume that your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion
• It is your responsibility to assist us in the timely receipt of appropriate references

If you require support you can obtain this from our Equality Business Forum which has representatives from all protected groups.