Project Manager

The Project Delivery Manager will play an important role in helping us to achieve that vision, by working to deliver a State of the Nation review of sarcoma services and treatment in the UK. This will help us fully understand what the barriers are to progress, and the actions needed to improve health outcomes for sarcoma patients. 

This fixed-term and part-time role is ideal for an experienced policy consultant or consultancy firm, or a policy researcher, with experience in running policy, research or public affairs projects, including evidence-gathering exercises, working with stakeholders, and producing report findings. 

Project budget:  An additional £13,000 will be available to support the project’s evidence-gathering, e.g. to help set up and run meetings or events. 

About you: 

We are looking for a highly motivated, organised, goal focused, self-starter with the following experience, knowledge, skills and abilities:

• An understanding of the health policy environment, knowledge of health policy including cancer, how it is delivered by the NHS, and ideally rare cancer or sarcoma care.
• Experience of working and communicating well with a range of stakeholders, such as elected representatives, government officials, healthcare professionals, and people affected by health conditions.
• Experience in working with and supporting these kinds of stakeholders, and particularly people affected by health conditions, to give evidence.   
• Experiencing in running projects to gather written and spoken evidence, including setting up and running meetings and workshops.
• Experience of working with an advisory or similar stakeholder group.
• Highly effective skills in analysing policy and evidence.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey complex ideas and information clearly to a variety of audiences with a strong attention to detail, e.g. via written or verbal briefing or reports.
• Ability to work on own initiative and work effectively within a team.
• Highly organised, with very effective planning and project management skills and an ability to prioritise competing deadlines and work calmly under pressure.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Project management 

• Lead the delivery of the State of the Nation review project, reporting to the Policy and Public Affairs Manager and working with the Policy and Public Affairs Officer.
• Develop and implement an evidence-gathering plan, with clear and achievable timelines.
• Running the evidence-gathering process, including Call for Evidence, and arranging evidence sessions, meetings, or events (e.g., workshop(s) or roundtable) to facilitate evidence-gathering.

Secretariat

• Work with and support the State of the Nation Advisory Group to meet regularly during the review, and to facilitate their role in providing advice and support during the project.
• Schedule meetings, assist members with travel and/or accommodation arrangements as necessary.
• Circulate agendas and papers no less than five working days before meetings (and make every effort to provide any further information requested).
• Listen and act upon members’ feedback and respond promptly to any queries. 
• Circulate minutes no more than ten working days after meetings.
• Analysis of written and verbal evidence received by the review.
• Produce written briefing to support evidence-gathering, via evidence sessions, workshop or roundtable meetings.
• Following the conclusion of the evidence-gathering, draft an initial outline report for the Advisory Group to consider. 
• Also produce draft and full final reports, drawing on received evidence, detailing draft key findings and recommendations, and taking account of advice from the Nation Advisory Group.

External relationships

• Develop and maintain positive relationships with people personally affected by sarcoma and healthcare professionals working in this field, including those giving evidence to the review, and members of the Advisory Group.
• Represent Sarcoma UK at external Policy and Public Affairs events, or meetings with key stakeholders, e.g., British Sarcoma Group Conference, and meetings of the Sarcoma Advisory Group Chairs, when the role-holder may be required to promote or present about the review.
• Develop relationships with key influencers, including parliamentarians, government officials, the NHS, and other stakeholders, to support delivery of the review project.

Internal relationships

• Work as part of the State of the Nation Project Board, to coordinate decision-making on the delivery of activity under the review, to:
  • keep project timelines and outputs on track to meet timelines
  • quality assure outputs, and
  • manage risks.
• Advise and support on engagement with stakeholders to support the evidence-gathering process, the report production, action plan for stakeholders, and development of new Sarcoma UK policy positions.
• Work with other Sarcoma UK teams to support delivery of the review, e.g. communications, digital, Support Line, Patient Involvement Network Coordinator.
• Provide written or in-person updates on the review to the Trustee Board as required.

General

• Attend Sarcoma UK events which form part of the State of the Nation review.
• The role may require occasional travel to meeting and events. Occasional weekend or evening work may also be required and time off in lieu will be given.