Job summary
Employer heading
Senior Policy Manager
NHS AfC: Band 8a
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
This is a permanent role in the CNO Policy and Strategy Unit in the Nursing Directorate, NHS England.
As Senior Policy Manager the post holder will support the team in responding to existing, new and emerging policy work to drive forward national policy, strategy and professional priorities relevant to nursing and midwifery, the delivery of health and care, and the objectives of the Chief Nursing Officer for England.
The role is designed to combine subject matter expertise and policy and briefing skills to support delivery of team objectives. Key aspects of this role will be to: -
• Support the CNO’s work with ministers, government officials, professional regulators, royal colleges and professional bodies to help
shape policy and decision making.
• Support development of advice to ensure the CNO provides robust professional relevant information and advice to the Department of
Health and Social Care.
• Understand and engage with the work of royal colleges, regulators and other key stakeholders to ensure CNO is effectively engaged and consulted on external policy impacting on the profession.
• Manage, nurture and actively maintain and promote relationships with key stakeholders.
• Maintain a good knowledge of emerging policies from government departments to assist in the thinking and definition of strategy
discussions and help support stakeholders.
Main duties of the job
As described in the job description, this role is embedded in the CNO Policy & Strategy Unit (PSU). The PSU focuses on:
• Supporting the CNO in setting out their strategic vision and priorities and working in partnership across the wider professional landscape to
deliver these.
• Providing policy advice and guidance to the CNO on a range of professional and system areas.
• Supporting the development and implementation of new policy and strategy.
• Ensure strategic professional policy input into NHSE priority programmes.
• Working collaboratively across the Nursing Directorate to ensure that policy development and transformation techniques are embedded in
our ways of working.
• Leading on professional and regulatory issues for the profession.
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
Key skills we are looking for from the post holder include experience of supporting the development and implementation of new policy and
strategy, with a solid understanding and appreciation of current the healthcare policy landscape. The postholder will need to have experience of identifying and interpreting national policy.
*Shortlisting and interviews will be conducted in January 2025.
Person specification
Education/Training/Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to Masters level in relevant subject or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level in specialist area
Knowledge and Experience
Essential criteria
- Understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and appreciate of the implications of this on engagement.
- Experience of identifying and interpreting national policy.
Skills/Abilities
Essential criteria
- Able to exercise own judgement and make objective decisions using specialist knowledge and understanding.
- Good analytical skills with an ability to analyse and consider complex information and develop a range of options.
Interpersonal skills
Essential criteria
- Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills.
- Excellent communicator, able to present complex or contentious data to a range of audiences.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
Essential criteria
- Understands the importance of diversity and inclusion in delivering our role in the health and care system.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Kate Robison
- Job title
- Senior Policy Advisor
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07730376473
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