Project Support Officer

Job summary

The Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance is looking for an enthusiastic and committed Project Support Officer to work on an exciting agenda.

Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance wants more people than ever to reduce their risk of developing those diagnosed,we want to improve survival outcomes and experiencesthrough earlier diagnosis, better treatment and supporting people to live well with and beyond cancer.

Our Alliance brings together clinical and managerial leaders from health and social care organisations across the region, alongside patient representatives and other partners, including VCSFE (voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise) also collaborate with the thriving research bodies in Greater Manchester. By bringing together world-class researchers, clinicians and operational delivery, we have a unique opportunity to improve the lives of people affected by cancer.

We are looking to recruit a Project Support Officer to support the work of our Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement Team.

This is an exciting time for applicants with significant experience in a similar administrative or project support officer role to join our team.

The post is full-time although flexible working will be considered. The contract will be until 31st March 2026. Secondment requests will be considered.

Main duties of the job

The Project Support Officer will provide comprehensive administrative and project support for several projects, which will include preparing and administrating meetings, producing and maintaining communications including updating the website/social media, accurate record keeping, progress updates, and organising education/engagement events.

You must be proficient with MS Word, Outlook, Power Point and Excel and have excellent multitasking and prioritising skills. In addition, you must have good attention to detail and work with regard to the need for diplomacy and confidentiality.

We are looking for a motivated and passionate individual to join the team at the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance, hosted by, and based at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust but working on behalf of all Greater Manchester stakeholders in this programme.

It is important that when required, the post holder is able to travel across Greater Manchester.

About us

The Christie is one of Europe's leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country. We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Supporting the production of programme documentation, including regular programme update reports for key internal and external stakeholders, summary action logs, minute taking, collating supporting information for reports

Leading discrete pieces of work to support the wider programme, for example, supporting delivery of education for volunteers, event organisation and data collation such as surveys

Maintaining and monitoring key databases linked to the PPIE programme, such as our Patient and Carer Representative database and Pathway and Programme Board tracker, escalating any risks where appropriate.

Applying project management principles to a number of delegated deliverables to ensure they are delivered on time and within budget

Supporting the review of work programmes to ensure they are updated with milestones, timeframes and outcomes

Escalating risks as appropriate to the managers in the team

Producing and maintaining documentation which must be precise, accurate and produced in a timely manner and distributed to all relevant parties

Providing feedback to stakeholders, undertaking tasks to resolve issues where appropriate and follows up outstanding issues to ensure speedy resolution

Supporting engagement with external stakeholders including patient and carer representatives and the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise sectors, including developing suitable communications and supporting with the facilitation of events

Ensuring standard administrative approaches are maintained

Asking good questions, analysing data, problem solving and developing solutions in partnership with managers and stakeholders

COMMUNICATION AND SUPPORT

Produce and maintain communication channels including a newsletter and social media

Manage the teams shared email inbox, and triage communications on behalf of the wider team

Support the team with communications and engagement for the internal team, patient and carer representatives and other external stakeholders

Support the team with wider administrative tasks such as organising meetings, dissemination of information, collation of feedback

Influence and align others towards a common purpose to empower and inspire people to achieve programme success

Identify opportunities for engagement and participation in the work programmes across Greater Manchester

Represent the team at meetings to update on the progress of programmes of work or on its deliverables as appropriate

Establish and develop effective working relationships with all stakeholders

Support the managers to raise the profile of the work programme, using all platforms including social media platforms, for example, working with colleagues from the Communications team where appropriate

Review and update the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance website with relevant documentation and information linked to the programme

LEADERSHIP AND EXPERTISE

Represent Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance in a professional and positive manner

Contribute to the team by developing and sharing knowledge, experience, skills and best practice

Follow prescribed Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance policies and procedures in all relevant aspects of management

Work in partnership with other members of the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance team to support the overall vision and objectives of our work, particularly in relation to using patient, public and carer voices to improve outcomes and experience

Keep outcomes that matter to patients at the heart of the programme and its objectives

Ensure that projects are delivered within the available resources and agreed timescales, providing regular reports and raising significant problems/issues in a timely manner

Exert influence upon key stakeholders to ensure that the teams goals and objectives remain a priority in their own work programmes

SET-UP AND ORGANISATION

Support the administration of any programmes of work where patient and carer voices are embedded.

Support the team with the preparation of agendas, papers and minutes for meetings (including board meetings) and relevant task and finish groups, follow up agreed actions with responsible group members, informing the team if there is a lack of progress

Build relationships with the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance Team and colleagues across the Greater Manchester and East/Mid Cheshire region

Support the team to provide accurate reporting on progress within the programmes of work

Support the team, working alongside the User Involvement Manager and the PPIE Manager, to facilitate public and patient involvement and engagement in all programmes of work and demonstrate how their input has been used to benefit the programme and its outcomes.

PLANNING AND REPORTING

Work with the team to plan short and long term deliverables, regularly monitoring and adjusting plans as required

Support the team to determine overall project durations, when activities and events are planned including their dependencies taking into account requirements and availability of resources

Develop and manage work plans with clear objectives and outcomes as identified by the team

Plan key meetings and events in line with the objectives of the team and considering the needs of those attending, such as patient and carer representatives, community groups and others

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

First degree or relevant professional qualification or equivalent experience Intermediate knowledge of IT systems and software programmes such as ESR, MS Project, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Word and Outlook.

Experience

Essential

Previous experience of administrative project support and performance Experience and knowledge of project management Experience of working in a change environment Experience of working effectively with stakeholders and partners Effective team working Experience of managing multiple priorities and meeting deadlines Managed and reported on risks and issues

Desirable

Experience of working in the NHS, Local Authority, voluntary or private sector at a senior level Experience of working with patients or the public on projects

Skills

Essential

Competent in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint software to a high standard Can communicate effectively with excellent writing, data entry and presentation skills: capable of constructing and delivering clear information to all stakeholders Can create and deliver presentations to a broad range of different stakeholders Can influence others to develop a shared vision and own project objectives Can challenge other team members and senior colleagues when necessary Can analyse complex information from a wide range of sources where material may be conflicting Can use experience to make inferences and act where information is incomplete Can develop plans for the short and long term for services that extend across multiple organisations and adjust them as required Can monitor progress against plans, escalating risks and issues as appropriate Experience of coordinating the development of plans from a variety of sources and contributors Resourceful, enthusiastic and can provide excellent administrative support to the team Can manage own workload Can work flexibly with changing priorities, respond to sudden unexpected demands and cope with uncertainty Can make informed decisions in the absence of complete information Can work to demanding and changing timescales Ability to work under pressure in a busy working environment and able to multi-task

Knowledge

Essential

Knowledge of a project planning, implementation and management gained through experience using formal project planning tools and recognised project management methodology

Desirable

An understanding of cancer services in Greater Manchester An understanding of primary care service commissioning and / or delivery

Values

Essential

Committed to quality in all that they do Values diversity and inclusion and promotes equality of opportunity Committed to working to support Programme Leads/Project Managers to deliver better outcomes for patients Operates with integrity and openness Brings enthusiasm and commitment to the team and capable of generating enthusiasm in others Committed to patient and public involvement and engagement in the development of health services Committed to personal development and supporting others to do the same Challenges received wisdom and acceptance of the status quo Putting the needs of our patient population first Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours

Other

Essential

Ability to travel across Greater Manchester as required

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