Job vacancy: Pathology IM&T Manager, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff

Job summary

Main area: English
Grade: Band 8a
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Weekdays)
Job ref: 001-AC081-0525

Employer: Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Employer type: NHS
Site: University Hospital Wales
Town: Cardiff
Salary: £54,550 - £61,412 pre annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 29/05/2025 23:59

Pathology IM&T Manager

Band 8a

WHO WE ARE:

Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is one of the largest Integrated Health Board in the UK, employing over 16,000 staff and providing over 100 specialist services. Serving a population of around 500,000 people living in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, we are focussed on the health and care needs of our local population whilst also working with our partners to develop regional services. Together we are committed to improving health outcomes for everyone and to delivering excellent care and support.

Our mission is “Living Well, Caring Well, Working Together”. We have recently refreshed our strategy, Shaping Our Future Wellbeing, which sets out the Health Board’s Vision for improving the health and wellbeing of the populations we serve by 2035 through the delivery of our strategic objectives; Putting People First, Providing Outstanding Quality, Delivering in the Right Places, and Acting for the Future. We have challenging times ahead, but we are confident that by tackling these challenges together, we can support people to live healthier lives and reduce the unfair differences in the prevalence of illness and health outcomes we see in our communities today. We aspire to deliver outstanding care and treatment for people when they need it, where they need it; care that compares well with the best in the world, but to do so, we need to transform how we deliver services over the next decade and beyond.

We are a values-driven organisation and out goals will only be realised if our values are at the heart of everything we do. Created by colleagues, patients and their families and carers, our values are:

· We are kind and caring

· We are respectful

· We have trust and integrity

· We take personal responsibility

OUR REGION:

Wales has much to offer with miles of stunning coastline, UNESCO world heritage sites and beautiful countryside. Cardiff, the thriving Welsh capital, has something for everyone. It is a fantastic city to live and work in with an abundance of sports, arts and cultural attractions. Situated to the west of Cardiff, the Vale of Glamorgan offers a combination of beautiful Welsh countryside and a dramatic natural coastline, as well as charming towns including Penarth and Cowbridge. Those seeking more culture may find themselves drawn to the National Museum, St Fagan’s Museum of Welsh Life or the Millennium Centre, home of the Welsh National Opera. Whether city life or rural living, Cardiff and the Vale offers the best of both worlds.

Please be advised that there is a temporary top up for Bands 2 and 3 to reflect the incorporation of the top up to the living wage of £12.60 per hour - £24,638 per annum.

This temporary top up will be in place until the annual pay uplift for 2025/26 is confirmed

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Strategy

Understand and promote the strategic direction for Pathology IM&T within and external to the Health Board. This will include:

· Keeping up to date with the national implementation programme for NHS Wales Informatics Service (NWIS) and its impact on local developments.

· Contributing to the development of the Health Board’s operational plans including supporting the setting of the strategic direction for the Informatics division.

· Keeping up to date with national guidance, identifying opportunities for the introduction of new technology to transform working practices by using this knowledge to inform the scope and direction of projects.

· Represent Pathology directorate by actively participating in Health Board wide Committees and Groups relating to Informatics (also external organisations such as NWIS and other Health Boards).

Management (Planning)

Lead on all Pathology IM&T related programmes including:

· Preparation of business cases, specifications and project plans.

· Liaise with Finance, IM&T (national/local) and other bodies, e.g. Welsh Government, to acquire resources in order to deliver projects according to plan.

Make decisions on a range of complex/highly complex project issues where there may be more than one course of action.

Lead on a range of operational/strategic plans for performance improvement in new areas across sites, imparting sometimes unwelcome news to generate need for change.

Lead in the production of Pathology Informatics programme plans and reports, the analysis and understanding of organisational performance and effectiveness in relation to performance targets and key performance indicators.

Support Cardiff and Vale UHB sustainability plans when managing projects.

Project Management

· Manage and support complex Pathology IT projects as identified in the Service Group IMTP. This will involve planning, monitoring and controlling projects throughout the project lifecycle using highly developed techniques such as based on PRINCE 2 methodology or similar.

Communication

· Understand when to use information which may be of a contentious or highly political nature to persuade and motivate senior leaders at all levels up to Welsh Government.

· Ability to deliver high quality presentations, which may contain highly complex information, to a variety of professions on aspects of the Pathology informatics programme. This may include demonstrating knowledge in relation to other organisational operational or strategic initiatives and how these initiatives align with Pathology IM&T programmes.

· Participate in forums in order to update Pathology, Service Delivery Unit and Health Board staff on any project issues/progress.

· Ensure effective communications are maintained within Pathology and with the Informatics Directorate.

· Support the Directorate Manager, Lead Service Managers and Service Group Manager Clinical Support Services in delivering high quality performance reports.

· Communicate with external bodies being aware of sensitivities and political considerations.

Governance

· Ensure guidelines and procedures exist for the safety and security of patient information in line with UKAS and data protection requirements with respect to departmental Informatics systems.

· Establish a robust procedure for fault identification, reporting and root cause analysis.

· Provide an out of hours support rota for Pathology as operationally necessary e.g. planned maintenance downtime etc.

· Monitor the quality and integrity of data within Pathology Informatics systems and liaise with informatics, NWIS and/or Pathology Directorate Manager as required.

· Regularly report through formal one to one process performance of the Informatics department including systems performance.

· Advise Pathology Lead Service Managers of any potential, perceived or actual threat to the data integrity, data quality, and information quality or system/application security.

· Immediate reporting to Pathology Lead Service Managers and other department e.g. Main IT, of any failure, delay or item of significance which might adversely affect LIMS, other applications or external services.

Financial Responsibility

The Service Group Managers will hold their departmental budget, however the Pathology IM&T Manager will be expected to manage the Pathology IM&T budget and:

· Engage with procurement to ensure best value for money is secured for IM&T purchases.

· Manage maintenance contracts for IT equipment and ensure timely renewal of critical contracts.

· Establish pathways to ensure the Pathology Management and Service Group Manager has access to business intelligence performance data for external and internal stakeholders.

· Demonstrate value for money when developing and deploying IM&T based projects.

HR/Management/Education/Training

· Line manage all Pathology IM&T team staff in accordance with organisational policies and procedures.

· Responsible for first-line disciplinary, capability and resolution, matters for department staffing, participating in formal procedures when required.

· Organise the provision of support, training and development for all new and trainee staff.

· Support the continual development of all departmental staff.

· Maintain own personal professional development and continuing education (national and regional meetings, update courses, workshops and lunchtime seminars).

· Participate as an appraiser for Value Based Appraisals (VBAs).

Person specification

Qualification and Knowledge

Essential criteria

Postgraduate Diploma or equivalent experience or training
Specialist project management knowledge or experience to Master degree level
Up-to-date knowledge of relevant local and national Pathology strategies
Knowledge of procurement law relating to health and Informatics systems
Evidence of Continual Professional Development
Technical Languages i.e. HL7 to support system interfaces
ICD10 and OPCS4 coding structures
ITIL Foundation or equivalent relevant experience
Excellent working knowledge of all Microsoft applications
Sound knowledge of Data Protection/ GDPR

Desirable criteria

Registration with the Health and Care Professions Council
PRINCE2 Project Management Practitioner
MSP Programme Management or willingness to undertake
Training methodologies
Knowledge of working in a lab and quality procedures

Experience

Essential criteria

Previous experience of a pathology or clinical computer management information systems
Experience of planning and implementing long term IM&T strategy
Proven track record of successfully introducing service improvement or successful management of significant organisational change in a complex environment
Significant experience of managing staff
Demonstrable success in building, leading and motivating, managing and developing teams
Participation in significant change management projects and process re-engineering
Proven ability to influence at all levels of the organisation
Experience of financial and budget management
Problem identification and solving
Experience of hardware and software maintenance
Software programming abilities

Desirable criteria

Experience of LEAN methodologies
Extensive knowledge and understanding of pathology services
Experience of working in the NHS within an IM&T role

Skills and Attributes

Essential criteria

Proven ability to analyse and appropriately present often highly complex information
Sound judgment, decision making, and organisational skills
Proven ability to communicate verbally and in writing in a manner which is clear, fluent and persuasive
Ability to communicate verbally and in writing with all levels of the organisation
Ability to empower, coach and support staff having managed a team previously
Ability to work on own initiative and organise own workload and that of the team
A broad range of ICT skills and understanding at an advanced level
Shows resilience, adaptability and flexible approach as situations arise and positivity when times are tough
Motivated to use initiative to recognise problems and seek solutions whilst understanding the importance of empowering and enabling others
Willing to seek out learning, give and accept constructive feedback and committed to continuous improvement
Able to work as a member of a team or alone
Able to work effectively manage complex workload

Desirable criteria

Ability to use industry standard systems to communicate project status and issues

Other

Essential criteria

Welsh language skills

MANAGING YOUR APPLICATION:

We are committed to promoting inclusion, where all staff have a sense of belonging. We welcome applications from everyone and recognise the need for our workforce to represent the diversity of the population we serve. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment where staff treat one another with dignity and respect and where diversity is celebrated. We aim to create a working environment where every individual can fulfil their potential no matter their disability, sex, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief, pregnancy and maternity or marriage and civil partnership status. We are keen to break down barriers in the UHB, and encourage applications from under-represented groups.

Applicants are invited to apply in Welsh. Any application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application made in English.

The UHB reserves the right to close this vacancy after 24 hours if a large number of suitable applications are received. Therefore, we encourage early applications to ensure consideration for this post.

Please check your email account regularly. Successful applicants will receive all recruitment related correspondence via the email account registered on the application form.

To work in the UK, all candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) nationals require sponsorship to obtain either a Health and Care visa or Skilled Worker visa, unless you have permission to work via another route. Non UK / RoI candidates wishing to apply should self-assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship by visiting Work in the UK. If you are eligible for the Health and Care visa, application costs are lower and you do not need to pay the annual Immigration Health Surcharge.