Head of Digital Systems

Job overview

This is a senior IM&T management post, reporting to the Chief Information Officer.

This will involve major support for the increasing dependence on existing and emerging Digital technologies in the Trust and the postholder must ensure the ongoing development and management of a flexible and effective Digital Literacy Support Function.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work as a key senior member of the IM&T and corporate management teams and will be accountable for the Trust’s Digital systems with a strong focus on the electronic Clinical Record System.

The post holder will be responsible for developing Digital systems and processes by which the Trust will continually improve its delivery of systems functionality in order to facilitate the provision of accessible and high-quality care.

The scope of this role is to hold senior management responsibilities for the following IM&T services:

• Digital Systems Operations & Maintenance
• Digital Systems Development
• Digital Systems Training
• Digital Literacy Skills Development

Working for our organisation

Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7000 members of staff, who deliver services from more than 160 locations.

We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford, Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.

Greater Manchester is one of the world's most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options.

Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.

Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

See attached detailed job description & person specification

• Pay Enhancements:

Band

Saturday (midnight to midnight) and any week day after 8pm and before 6am

All time on Sundays and Public Holidays (midnight to midnight)

1

Time plus 47%

Time plus 94%

2

Time plus 41%

Time plus 83%

3

Time plus 35%

Time plus 69%

4 – 9

Time plus 30%

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising to 29 after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years
• Excellent pension
• Cycle to work scheme
• Salary sacrifice car scheme
• Wellbeing programme
• Blue Light Card Discounts
• fuelGenie Fuel Cards (for applicable roles)

Person specification

Education / Qualificaitons

• Educated to degree level or relevant management experience
• Evidence of on-going personal development

• Other IM&T management or project management related qualifications

Experience

• Extensive management experience of working in an IM&T systems/training related role
• Demonstrable experience of working with complex information and using persuasive and effective negotiating skills in connection with this information
• Proven ability to manage/human/financial resources effectively, demonstrating staff management and leadership skills
• Experience of developing associated departmental budgets and regular monitoring involving meetings with senior Finance staff.
• Experience of developing and managing budgets for IM&T projects
• Demonstrable experience of handling negotiation situations involving highly complex, sensitive or contentious information which requires agreement or co-operation with internal and external parties.
• • Demonstrable experience in managing large IM&T contracts to ensure that service delivery from suppliers is of the highest quality and demonstrates value for money.

• Experience of working for the NHS and/or mental health
• Experience of managing large scale systems and/or contracts

Knowledge

• To have an expert knowledge of NHS IM&T and data standards and best practice guidelines
• To have an expert knowledge of project management techniques
• To have knowledge of training techniques and technologies

• To have an expert knowledge of mental health IM&T standards and best practice guidelines
• Prince 2, Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) or equivalent qualification

Skills and Abilites

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills (with the ability to train and deliver presentations, and the ability to write clear, concise reports)
• Ability to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information and to present this information to multi-disciplinary groups.
• Excellent organisation skills, with the ability to work under pressure and to deadlines
• Strong interpersonal & leadership skills. Proven ability to manage large teams
• Highly developed systems and IT skills
• Ability to work freely and autonomously within the boundaries of the job description.
• Ability to work strategically
• Ability to maintain an understanding of numerous Trust wide processes
• Excellent analytical skills

• Ability to interpret Trust wide priorities into IM&T deliverables

Qualities and Attributes

• Self-confident and motivated, with the ability to enthuse and motivate others to succeed
• Team player, open and honest
• Able to work utilising own initiative with little support
• Capacity and ability to operate and think laterally
• Capability to effectively plan and monitor progress of departmental activities
• Completer finisher

• Innovative and thought-provoking idea generation
• Capability to effectively plan and monitor progress of numerous departmental activities
• Strategic thinker

Other Requirements

• There is an occasional requirement to travel to relevant regional/national events. Also, to regularly travel across the wide footprint of the Trust to attend meetings relevant to the role.

Important Information about working for GMMH:

All positions within the Trust are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, for further information on the checks required please visit the NHS Employers website www.nhsemployers.org

The Trust mandates all post holders who require a DBS for their role to subscribe to the DBS Update Service. You will be required to enrol for this service for a fee of £16 per year and maintain registration throughout your employment with GMMH.

Applicants are encouraged to apply for posts at Greater Manchester Mental Health who have direct experience of mental health, learning disability or drug and alcohol services either as a service user or a carer.

The Trust is also committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to have an informal chat about the recruitment process for this role or would value some additional support, we’d love to hear from you.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications

A candidate may utilise the help of AI when writing job application. The assessment of an application is made on its entirety and most times AI-generated content does not fully grasp the context and requirements of the job one applies for thus producing inaccurate and misleading information, especially in the supporting statement section of an application that can lack real life examples of one’s achievements, success and challenges.

We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored. GMMH reserves the right to follow up with a candidate at the interview on specific responses and those examples used in the supporting statement to explore it further.

Sponsorship

We are proud to be an approved sponsor for the Skilled Worker visa. Applications from individuals who require sponsorship will be considered alongside all other applications. Please be aware that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible roles and salary requirements on the UK Government’s website – click here.

If you are offered a role with us and you require sponsorship, we will check your eligibility in line with the information on the above website. Your offer of employment could be withdrawn if the role is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not otherwise able to evidence your right to work in the UK.

The Home Office introduces new changes from 09/04/2025 that impact the health and care sector, you may wish to familiarise with it here.

Do you have experience outside the NHS?

We want to attract and retain people with diverse skills and experience, to deliver inclusive healthcare services to our communities.

We will consider relevant experience outside the NHS to calculate your salary on appointment. Please contact our Recruitment Team for more information.

**Please note, this vacancy may be closed at any time if sufficient applications have been received**