Hospital Ambulance Liaison Officer

Job overview

An opportunity has arisen to join the Programme Transformation team on a 1-year Secondment as Project Support Officer.

The Project Support Officer will work flexibly across programme areas as needed, providing high-quality project support including strategic research, information analysis, report writing, and maintenance of project plans and risk logs amongst other duties.

The post holder will support the smooth running of the Team and manage the heavy workload a busy office demands.

The successful candidate will have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and work to tight deadlines, providing exemplary administrative and organisation skills.

Main duties of the job

The role of the Project Support Officer is:

• To support the Project Portfolio Manager in the setting and creation of frameworks, guidance and templates for managing change across SCAS.
• To provide guidance, and where appropriate assistance, to project managers, ensuring that relevant project documentation is completed to the right standard.
• To monitor incoming projects and maintain the Teams intranet page.
• To monitor and request updates on the progress of projects, including issues, risks, inter-dependencies, resources and benefits across the programme of change.
• To manage the virtual project 'library' within SCAS
• To collect, analyse and prepare project updates in support of the Executive Transformation Board.
• Any other reasonable duties as required by the SCAS Transformation Programme Director and the Project Portfolio Manager.

Working for our organisation

Benefits we offer:

• Full training and support when you join and ongoing throughout your employment with us.
• Holiday entitlement is 27 days rising to 29 days after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years, plus 8 bank holidays (pro rata for part time).
• Enrolment into the NHS Pension Scheme.
• Access to continual professional development and opportunities within SCAS and the NHS.
• Occupational Health support along with an Employee Assistance Programme.
• NHS Discounts in over 200+ stores including Holidays, Days out, Car insurance, Restaurants and Clothing.
• Staff networking and support groups.

About Us

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of emergency, urgent care and non-emergency healthcare services, along with commercial logistics services.

The Trust delivers most of these services to the populations of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire as well as non-emergency patient transport services in Surrey and Sussex.

We serve a population of over 7 million and answer over 500,000 urgent calls a year. We employ 4,551 staff who, together with over 1,100 volunteers, enable us to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In SCAS, we know that colleagues who are cared for and valued are enabled to provide the right care, first time, every time. That is why we strive to foster a culture that balances fairness, compassion, learning and accountability; a 'just and learning culture'.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To support the Project Portfolio Manager in the setting and creation of frameworks, guidance and templates for managing change across SCAS.
  • To liaise with the SCAS Project Portfolio Manager, in order to develop an appropriate framework based on the current SCAS frameworks and templates, adapting them as required.
  • To support to roll out and maintenance of the framework, providing support, guidance and advice to Project Managers and other personnel in preparing and reviewing project documentation.
• To provide guidance, and where appropriate assistance, to project managers, ensuring that relevant project documentation is completed to the relevant standard.
  • To offer guidance and support to managers involved in planning or delivering projects and other initiatives to implement the changes agreed through the partnership programme
  • To review the detailed project plans, highlighting areas requiring further work and feeding back to the relevant manager
  • To review lessons learned reports and to present findings that are relevant, promoting dissemination of innovative best practice
  • To offer guidance, and when appropriate training or assistance, to managers implementing change (especially those who are new to project management) for example by advising them on how to prepare project documents or plans, reviewing a draft document and sharing useful examples from other projects.
  • To use the postholder's own knowledge of project management and other change management methodology for the wider team involved in the delivery of the changes agreed through the partnership programme
  • To work with Project Managers and other relevant personnel to develop the remedial actions required to bring project delivery back into line if required
• To monitor incoming projects and maintain the Teams intranet page.
• To receive, acknowledge and record all incoming projects into the Service Development Team.
• To manage and maintain the team's intranet page, ensuring project processes, advice, guidance and case studies are kept up to date.
• To monitor and request updates on the progress of projects, including issues, risks, inter-dependencies, resources and benefits across the programme of change.
  • To monitor on the progress, issues and risks across the projects and other changes initiatives
  • To ensure regular reporting from all projects and change initiatives, in order that the relevant information is available for analysis and interpretation
  • To analyse and interpret the information to track delivery of each change in terms of progress against high level milestones, benefits realisation, key risks and issues, expenditure and use of resources against plan
  • To liaise with relevant personnel, in order to challenge or confirm the information provided, especially if there are inconsistencies or conflicts between the reports from different projects or sources and escalate where necessary.
  • To assess progress across the overall programme, by analysing the combined progress of all projects, interpreting the cumulative risks and implications of combined variances to plan, particularly in relation to inter-dependencies.
  • To review and report on realisation of the benefits planned through implementation of changes agreed through the partnership programme
• To manage the virtual project 'library' within SCAS.
  • To manage the virtual 'library' with information about the changes being implemented, closed projects, templates and guidance, plus lessons learned from relevant projects.
  • To support the roll out and maintain the PMO Toolkit used to manage project information, becoming a champion of its use.
  • To manage the folders for current change initiatives, managing the balance between making key information accessible to relevant personnel whilst also ensuring appropriate security and control for confidential information
  • To maintain an archive of all previous projects and change initiatives
  • To review lessons learned and to prepare and disseminate summary reports on key lessons that are relevant to other projects
  • To ensure adherence the framework and 'rules' for ensuring version control is preserved
  • To maintain a library of other useful information
  • To support relevant personnel in finding the information that they need
• To collect, analyse and prepare project updates in support of the Executive Transformation Board.
  • To gather, analyse, interpret and present information in a clear and concise manner, as required to support timely interventions and effective governance of the overall programme of change.
  • To prepare summary information on progress, benefits, risks and issues on a routine basis to the Executive Transformation Board.
  • To prepare additional analysis and reports where issue or risks are highlighted.
• Any other reasonable duties as required by the SCAS Director of Transformation and Project Portfolio Manager.

Person specification Qualifications Essential criteria

• Educated To degree level or equivalent experience
• PRINCE2 Practitioner

Desirable criteria

• Project or programme related qualification, e.g. MSP or P30 Practitioner

Skills Essential criteria

• Highly flexible and adaptable
• Ability to think methodically

Knowledge Essential criteria

• Significant experience of working in similar professional environment
• Previous experience of working with PRINCE2 and MSP methodology, LEAN and other improvement techniques

We actively welcome job applications from candidates who have a disability or who are members of the BAME, LGBTQ+ and Armed Forces community (including: Reservists, Veterans, Spouses and Cadets). Here at SCAS we are proud to have a workforce that reflects the diverse community we serve. Applicants who have a disability or are members of the armed forces community who meet the minimum shortlisting criteria for their post of interest will be invited for an interview and/or assessment (where applicable).

As well as standard NHS benefits like generous holiday entitlement and an excellent pension scheme, we offer lots of extras for our staff.

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