Job summary
The Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance is looking for an enthusiastic and committed Project Manager to scope, develop and deliver a programme of work which looks to improve the rate of early detection and diagnosis for patients with cancer in Greater Manchester.
The Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance wants more people than ever to reduce their risk of developing cancer.For those diagnosed,we want to improve survival outcomes and experiencesthrough earlier diagnosis, better treatment and supporting people to live well with and beyond cancer.
The NHS Long Term Plan includes an ambition to diagnose 75% of cancers at stage 1 or 2. We have an ambitious programme of work in place working across the GM system to achieve this. The Pathway Improvement Project Manager post is key to achievement of this ambition.
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) organisations.
This is an exciting time for applicants with experience in a similar project management role to join our team. The successful candidate will work alongside 2 well-established pathway improvement project managers as well as with the wider team.
The post is full-time although flexible working will be considered. The contract will be up until 31st March 2026. Secondment requests will be considered.
Main duties of the job
The Pathway Improvement Project Manager will work with the Greater Manchester Cancer Pathway Boards and the Cancer Alliance Early Diagnosis Team to scope and develop a programme of work which looks to improve the proportion of patients diagnosed at an early stage.
The role will require extensive project management skills and close working with external and internal partners including provider organisations, clinicians, commissioners, patients, and carers to deliver the programme objectives. This requires a level of political awareness, personal influence, and skill.
The post holder will represent the Cancer Alliance in various GM wide forums. The post holder will collaborate with colleagues at all levels including senior clinicians, project managers and teams across Greater Manchester and act in an autonomous capacity.
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 enthusiastic 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.
We are looking for candidates with demonstrable working knowledge of cancer pathways and a genuine interest in the early diagnosis of cancer.
About us
About The Christie NHS Foundation Trust & Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance
Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance is one of 21 Cancer Alliances in England, operating as the cancer arm of the GM Integrated Care System. From an HR perspective, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust hosts the Cancer Alliance. For further information about the work of the cancer alliance, visit gmcancer.org.uk.
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 3.2 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
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Project Manager will support the GM Cancer Early Diagnosis team in the scoping, developments, and delivery of a range of projects to deliver improvements to the rate of early diagnosis of cancer.
The Project Manager will function as a conduit between the Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance team and the GM system in issues relating to Early Diagnosis, in particular new and innovative projects.
The roles and responsibilities are as follows:
Set-up and organisation
Project Manage specific pieces of work in response to local requirements, ensuring full representation from all key partners (including patients) in the programmes of work
Develop and manage the delivery of work plans for the above groups in line with the long term plan for cancer and the national cancer programme guidance / national planning guidance
Co-ordinate, facilitate and administrate the above meetings, providing support to the meeting Chairs
Prepare agendas, forward plans, papers, and minutes for the above meetings and manage the follow up agreed actions with responsible group members, holding them to account for progress
Arrange educational / engagement events where required for a wider group of stakeholders and interested parties, to allow new developments and learning from the projects to be disseminated across the system
Facilitate full and active patient participation in the projects and any subgroups which may be established to support this work
Build relationships across and beyond the groups referred to above, including, for example, public health, GM teams (e.g., elective reform) and primary care leads
Work closely with clinical leads as required
Identify and mitigate/escalate any issues/risks to the boards programmes of work
Communication and support
Be the first point of contact for cancer commissioning manager and Early Diagnosis Programme Board members seeking advice or support in relation to the specific projects led by the postholder
Function as a conduit between GM Cancer colleagues, localities, and the Greater Manchester Cancer Senior Management team in relation to the specific projects and objectives
Work with the relevant pathway board manager and Clinical Lead on the development of innovative proposals for service change and improvement
With reference to the point above, engage with relevant clinical leads and members of the pathway boards and managerial colleagues to ensure that the work programme objectives are achieved
Function as a main point of contact and link to expertise and resources regarding specific improvements to deliver Early Cancer Diagnosis
Routinely communicate project updates and developments with GM Cancer colleagues
Create reports and papers to update the Greater Manchester Cancer Board and to seek approval for recommended action / any required funding
Data and information
Research general and tumour-specific background data and literature from national and international sources relating to the programmes of work referred to in this job description
Collate data and literature into concise reports and tools and present to the relevant groups
Develop measurable outcomes for each element of the work programmes and track and report progress
Analyse data and intelligence to identify trends, key messages, and opportunities to improve patient outcomes and experience
Support the collation and presentation of local system-wide audit data
Planning and reporting
Support the Pathway Clinical Leads and their Pathway Boards in managing their response to the GM long term plan for cancer where there are links with Early Diagnosis deliverables
Develop and manage the annual work programmes that will contribute to the delivery of the GM cancer plan and Early Diagnosis Long Term Plan ambitions in relation to the project work allocated. Ensuring that these contain clear objectives, tasks and identified leads
Ensure that the Early Diagnosis Steering Group work plan reflects, and contribute towards the achievement of the Greater Manchester Cancer delivery of the Long Term Plan and national planning guidance response
Support the definition of outcome measures so that achievement can be monitored during the year
Track progress against the outcome measures referred to above
Develop and maintain a risk register for the project and report into the Early Diagnosis Steering Group annual work plan, reporting risks and issues to the Early Diagnosis Clinical Lead and Director of Commissioning
Work with the Early Diagnosis Clinical Lead and Director of Commissioning to report on progress in achieving the years objectives, the challenges faced during the year, and the priorities for the next year
Quality and peer review
Work with providers, commissioners, and others to ensure adherence to all required quality assurance programmes, such as the national quality surveillance programme
Provide project management support to the groups referred to above to develop and sustain services and projects that meet local and national specifications and NICE guidance
Person Specification
Values and behaviours
Essential
- Committed to quality in all that they do
- Values diversity and difference and promotes equality of opportunity
- Committed to working to help clinicians deliver better outcomes for patients
- Committed to patient and carer involvement in the development of health services
- Committed to the use of evidence and clinical consensus to bring about change
- Operates with integrity and openness
- Committed to personal development and supporting others to do the same
- Energetic and enthusiastic, capable of generating enthusiasm in others
- Challenges received wisdom and acceptance of the status quo
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level or equivalent or considerable experience of working at a similar level
Desirable
- Postgraduate degree in management studies or equivalent
- Formal project management qualification (e.g., PRINCE 2 practitioner or equivalent)
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- Demonstrable experience of leading projects relating to early cancer diagnosis and cancer pathways across primary and secondary care settings
- Has collaborated with senior clinical colleagues to improve services
- Has co-ordinated projects in complex and challenging environments
- Has managed and reported on risks and issues
- Has supported the delivery of plans for service changes and improvements within own area or organisation
- Demonstrable understanding and experience of enacting pathway improvements using the NHS contracting and commissioning structures
- Has an understanding of cancer services and pathways in Greater Manchester
Desirable
- Has worked as part of a Greater Manchester health care environment
- Has managed members of staff
- Has supported the delivery of plans for service changes and improvements across multiple organisations
Communication
Essential
- Can use Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint software to a high standard
- Can produce concise and insightful written materials for senior stakeholders or a broader audience as appropriate
- Can create and deliver presentations to a broad range of different stakeholders
- Can influence others to develop a shared vision
- Can challenge other team members and senior colleagues when necessary
Analysis
Essential
- Numerate and able to understand complex financial information
- 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
Planning
Essential
- 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
Autonomy
Essential
- Can manage own workload
- Can make informed decisions in the absence of complete information
- Can work to demanding and changing timescales
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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 .
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 .
Employer details
Employer name
The Christie NHS FT
Address
Early Diagnosis - E00926
Wilmslow Road
Manchester
M20 4BX