Workstream Lead

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Within a multidisciplinary team, Workstream Leads, working closely with regional teams at all times, can be expected to deliver the following (depending on the project upon which they are working):

• Responsible for identifying, reviewing and analysing information regarding the most distressed organisations/LHEs and providing recommendations on the possible course of actions to the Programme Directors to ensure delivery of the best possible quality of care with the organisation/LHE ensuring these are sustainable improvement solutions.
• Responsible for recommending actions or solutions or delivering specific pieces of work to Programme Directors and the COO Directorate (this may include regulatory actions).
• Lead on analytical work and evaluation relating to the preferred improvement approach including diagnosis, solutions development, improvement strategy and oversight at organisation and LHE level. 
• Responsible for ensuring the delivery and implementation at pace of a recommended set of actions (including cross-directorate improvement actions) at an organisation or within a LHE including large scale quality, financial and operational projects. For example, they work with Recovery Support Improvement Directors to develop and implement a range of solutions to address quality, financial and operational challenges within an organisation.
• Responsible for supporting the Programme Directors, deputising as required, in the oversight of progress made by organisations or LHEs in recovering and/or delivering agreed actions and solutions including escalation of issues to the senior Improvement Directorate team.
• Where relevant, provide day to day challenge and support to organisations and LHEs to improve performance and ensure they deliver sustainable progress.
• Engage with teams across NHS England to identify and manage risks and identify support required from other NHS England teams (in particular the wider COO Directorate).
• Work with provider organisations to ensure strategic development is congruent with national policy.

Methodologies
Workstream Leads will be responsible for:

• Applying and using the standard methodologies, tools and techniques in delivering their work.
• Providing technical expertise to the teams they manage and across the COO Directorate. They will seek best practice and knowledge and ensure it is actively shared across the team.
•  Contributing to the development, benefit evaluation and continuous improvement of methodologies, techniques and tools necessary to the effective delivery of the portfolio of services provided by the National Recovery Support team through contributing to specific reviews and improvements. More experienced Deputy Directors can be expected to take accountability for some of these projects working with others in the Improvement Directorate, and/or external stakeholders.
• Leading projects to identify and propose changes, interpretation and implementation of policies, guidelines and timescales relevant to their field of expertise, taking consideration of how this will impact the work of the wider National Recovery Support Support team, as well as the work of other internal and external stakeholders.
• Keeping abreast of relevant research and development to drive innovation and ensure that providers and LHEs benefit from best practice initiatives.
• Post-holders will ensure that during their intervention with an organisation that the suitably design their approach to ensure knowledge transfer of their skills/experience occurs, so the organisation is left on a more sustainable footing. 

Stakeholder Engagement

Workstream Leads will be responsible for:

• Preparing briefings and commissioning analysis to support the Improvement Directorate’s Directors in effectively contributing to system wide forums and meetings with providers and stakeholders.
• Developing and holding strong and constructive relationships with relevant provider and stakeholder staff (including at Chief Executive and Executive Director level) to obtain information, analysis, and understand and constructively challenge: risks, potential solutions, and delivery progress.
• Will lead meetings with provider and stakeholder staff, including with Executives.
• Taking a leading role on engagement at senior level in system-wide forums and key high-level meetings, representing NHS England and its interests, to facilitate agreement and delivery of improvement. They will deputise for Directors in this capacity.
• Forming strong relationships with senior NHS England colleagues to support a matrix approach to achieving NHS England’s objectives.
• Working with NHS England and Department of Health colleagues to ensure an integrated approach to develop and implement plans that are consistent with local and national policies and strategies. 
• Ensuring that an appropriate stakeholder engagement strategy is in place and effective approaches are used to deliver this for the projects they are responsible for.

Report writing

Workstream Leads will be responsible for:

• Presenting advice and recommendations to very senior audiences on highly complex matters, financial and non-financial information in a clear, logical and convincing way.
• Develop and present highly succinct and well-articulated reports covering very complex issues and demonstrating a structured thinking approach supported by evidence.   
• Tailoring bespoke often lengthy, reports on complex issues to the audience (including the most senior levels in NHS England and NHS trusts) as appropriate, taking account of any political sensitivities.
• Managing highly complex, sensitive, and contentious information, and reporting of that information to a senior groups or individuals where persuasive and negotiating skills may be required, through lack of full understanding, and the post holder must have the ability to deal with resulting potentially challenging situations. 

Project leadership

Workstream Leads will be expected to lead/work on one or more projects simultaneously. Following detailed analysis of Trust data, they need to act independently and make clear recommendations in complex scenarios and to support those recommendations credibly and with authority when challenged.

Workstream Leads will be responsible for:

• The effective support and project management of project teams, ensuring timely delivery of the expected goals and benefits of projects.
• Establishing robust programme management, reporting, stakeholder communications, and issue escalation to ensure effective delivery of the programme.
• Planning and organising a broad range of complex activities and work plans across financial turnaround, local health economy strategic insight, and due diligence projects.
• Working on a portfolio of projects at any one time, with competing priorities and often ambitious timescales. They are required to ensure they balance competing demands and deadlines.
• Leading project teams to deliver the scope, objectives and expected benefits of their work effectively and promptly in accordance with the project timescales.
• Defining and ensuring budgets and scope of work for external suppliers are appropriate and value for money to deliver sustainable solutions (e.g. rapid financial or quality stabilisation).
• Planning, organisation and coordination of time-pressured projects which may include multiple areas of the organisation, external organisations (such as providers, NHS England, CQC, system partners and external consultancy firms) and long-term plans requiring multi-year delivery, potentially within a highly political environment.
• Direct line management of teams of Project managers on the project (these may be from across the organisation, so outside the postholders own department), providing day to day supervision, setting objectives, appraisals, career development, departmental workload allocation, progressing disciplinary and capability issues etc.

People Management 

• Management of third parties (consultants, interims) to deliver the overall scope of work, developing the contractual terms and work requirements, holding them to account for delivery on a regular basis, ensuring adherence to plan and appropriateness of external resource.
• Demonstrate NHS England’s competencies relevant to the role level and be a role model for NHS Improvement’s values.
• Work in a matrix management style to foster close working relationships with other members of the team.
• Motivate and inspire staff (line and project) across all areas of work undertaken by the team and role model positive ways of working and effective leadership.
• Post-holders will be expected to live and demonstrate NHSI/E organisational values.