About the job

Summary

In DHSC, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you’d like to work in, we’d love to hear from you.

The NHS Delivery Unit is a new team in NHSPP, formed on 4 January 2022. It brings together NHSPP elective policy and analysis into a new unit that will focus on delivery of Secretary of State objectives in relation to recovery of waiting times and list size for planned hospital care.

The team’s main work will include:

• Establishing a rhythm of delivery insight for the secretary of state through regular notes, data-led meetings, projects and fieldwork

• Ensuring high quality delivery plans are in place for all key parts of the elective recovery portfolio

• Working closely with teams in NHSE and No10 to drive a collective, collaborative approach to delivery

Job description

Successful candidates will lead on specific areas of NHS delivery in relation to recovery of waiting lists for planned care, working with analytical teams as well as NHSE colleagues.

Postholders will have the opportunity to gain skills in delivery oversight, working at a team in the centre of the department on a critical ministerial priority.

Responsibilities

• Drawing together information into a comprehensive information picture on delivery, working across the Delivery Unit, NHS and other colleagues to ensure we have a fair and accurate picture of delivery, a clear understanding of actions being taken, and assurance that these will lead to intended outcomes for patients.

Key skills and experience required for the role

We are looking for candidates who have built and can demonstrate the following skills:

• The ability to build and maintain a range of stakeholder relationships. Post holders will need to establish extensive networks across Whitehall, and to work closely with a wide range of experts and delivery partners outside of government, including frontline practitioners, academics and industry leaders.

• The ability to work proactively and set the agenda. We expect our senior delivery advisors to work with a high degree of autonomy and to be comfortable identifying the priorities and what needs to be done in their policy areas. This will require gathering and considering a wide range of evidence and advice from expert stakeholders.

• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills. Post holders will need to be confident assessing and synthesising a range of evidence and using this to develop effective, workable proposals to improve delivery. While the NHS DU has our in-house analytical team we expect all our senior policy advisers to be relatively confident understanding and using quantitative data.

• Strong communication skills. Post holders will need to be able to set out complex information and recommendations to Ministers and other senior stakeholders in a clear, concise and persuasive fashion.

• Leading on specific projects / deep dives intended to explore specific programmes within the wider portfolio and identify risks and opportunities that may contribute to the overall trajectory of elective recovery.

• Supporting the Secretary of State and other Ministers via coordination of key sessions with Ministers (regular stand-ups, stocktakes etc) based on high quality briefings.

• Working with the Delivery Unit SMT to refine the Delivery Unit’s set of tools and techniques – and embed capability building in delivery and project management approaches in all that we do.

• Building strong collaborative relationships with colleagues across DHSC, NHS England, operational staff, No10 Downing Street: to drive a collective approach to problem solving and delivery oversight and working with other programmes and priority areas across the department to ensure they are joined up

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership
• Working Together