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Job summary

Main area
Innovation
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 7
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
990-TD-INNO-6730057-I-E
Employer
NHS England
Employer type
NHS
Site
Leeds Wellington Place / London Wellington House
Town
Leeds / London
Salary
£46,148 - £52,809 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
07/11/2024 23:59

Employer heading

NHS England logo

Life Sciences Policy Officer

NHS AfC: Band 7

Our Organisation

The NHS is building a culture that is positive, compassionate and inclusive – and we all have our part to play.

As employers we are committed to protecting and promoting the physical and mental health and wellbeing of all our colleagues. This underpins our values as set out in the NHS Constitution and supports us to be an Employer of Choice, while helping our colleagues to deliver high quality services for our patients and communities.

As a flexible employer, we want to support you to work in a way that is best for the NHS, our patients and you. Talk to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time, hybrid working or another flexible pattern. In addition, although the role advertised may have a ‘home’ office base indicated, we remain committed to supporting flexibility around workplace locations. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

Job overview

The newly formed Innovation, Research, Life Sciences and Strategy (IRLSS) Policy and Strategy function has a mission to make the NHS the best health system in the world, transforming care through research and innovation. We are a new and growing team and we are looking for an outstanding individual who wants to help build our policy function and work on complex problems with a wide range of high profile partners. 

You will support the development of a range of complex policy projects, including developing the policy framework and guidance to enable the NHS to support the design, development and deployment of innovation. You will drive changes that will transform the NHS, helping to tackle immediate pressures and enable the shifts to the new models of care, supporting a move to earlier diagnosis, personalisation and prevention and a shift to out-of-hospital care settings. 

The IRLSS Policy team is part of a newly established Policy and Strategy function within the IRLSS sub-directorate and plays a central role in convening, collaborating and coproducing policy work across the IRLSS, Transformation and cross-organisation portfolio, and across the research and innovation ecosystem more broadly. 

The team values diversity and encourages all applicants who meet the basic requirements

Main duties of the job

We are looking for someone with outstanding policy skills and experience of working in an agile, project based way. Ideally, you will have experience of different stages of the policy cycle, and be able to use or support the use of policymaking tools including literature reviews, data analysis, stakeholder  management, options analysis, implementation design and evaluation.

We are looking for someone with strong project and programme management skills to coordinate multiple workstreams across the team. This person will be able to demonstrate leadership and influencing skills through their ability to coordinate and broker knowledge. Experience of budget management and business case writing is desired.

Excellent written and oral communication skills are required. A large part of this role will be to coordinate the drafting, development and delivery of national policy documents, board papers, and senior level briefings. In addition, the individual will have  outstanding relationship management skills, and an ability to build credibility and trust with colleagues in Government, academia, industry and the NHS.

The candidate will be able to demonstrate a proactive and flexible approach to work, and enjoy working in an often uncertain and changeable context.

The role holder will have knowledge and experience of the policy environment within the health sector. We are looking for someone who is passionate about the innovation, research, life sciences and broader health transformation.

Working for our organisation

The NHS England board have set out the top-level purpose for the new organisation to lead the NHS in England to deliver high-quality services for all, which will inform the detailed design work and we will achieve this purpose by:

  • Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities.
  • Making the NHS a great place to work, where our people can make a difference and achieve their potential.
  • Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care
  • Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation
  • Delivering value for money.

If you would like to know more or require further information, please visit https://www.england.nhs.uk/.

Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person.

Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.

NHS England hold a Sponsor Licence; this means that we may be able to sponsor you providing the Home Office requirements are met. To be eligible for sponsorship through the Skilled Worker route you’ll usually need to be paid the ‘standard’ salary rate of at least £38,700 per year, or the ‘going rate’ for your job, whichever is higher. You can find more information on the Government website

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Policy Development

  • Coordinate a range of policy projects for the IRLSS policy and strategy team.
  • Develop policies and strategies by undertaking activities including stakeholder engagement, scope development, analysis (e.g. conducting literature reviews), options development and policy drafting.
  • Analyse and present complex information to a range of audiences is essential.
  • Support cross NHSE, system and broader ecosystem engagement on the policy projects through roundtables, facilitating 1:1 engagement with senior figures, and coordinating public consultations.
  • Draft high quality briefing documents, reports and board papers to go to NHSE board members and Ministers.
  • Potential policy projects include taking forward the recommendations of the innovation ecosystem programme and a range of other pieces of work, including developing a new strategic partnership approach for the NHS, developing a new strategic foresight function, and supporting the next steps of the integrated rules based pathway for MedTech.

Team development

  • Design and implement a new PMO function for the IRLSS Policy and Strategy team, enabling team members to communicate and collaborate effectively with each other, across NHSE and across organisational boundaries. 
  • Be confident working both independently and collaboratively with team members to deliver the team objectives. 
  • Openly share knowledge and experience, and seek learning opportunities. 
  • Build relationships across the team, organisation and wider system. 
  • Develop broad expertise on key issues in life sciences and health innovation including understanding of macro trends in life sciences and health innovation and their implications for the NHS.

You can find further details about the job, in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.

Person specification

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Leading a PMO function and using project and programme management skills in a policy context
  • Communicating policy activities through strong communications skills (written and oral)

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Managing stakeholders, particularly across organisational boundaries

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Analysing complex information from a wide range of sources including analysing qualitative and quantitative data
  • Developing policy projects in different contexts

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Training in project/programme management

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident committed

Applicant requirements

This post will require a submission for Disclosure to be made to check for any unspent criminal convictions.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Roseanna Cawthorne
Job title
Life Sciences Policy Lead
Email address
[email protected]
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