Assistant Project/Policy Manager (Band 6)

Job details

• Branch: Trust HQ, Knockbracken Healthcare Park (
• Location: NIAS HSCT HQ
• Directorate: NIAS
• Functional Area: NIAS
• Salary: Band 6 (£38,682 - £46,580)
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Opening Date: 18/06/26
• Closes: Thu, 02 July 2026 @ 6:00 PM
• Interview Dates: TBC

Notes

Accept online applications only. Applications received after the advertised closing date/time cannot be considered, so please allow enough time for postage. A waiting list may be created for similar posts that may arise while the waiting list is live, this may include temporary or part-time posts. This will be managed in line with the updated HSC waiting list principles effective from 1 April 2026. Where a part-time waiting list is required, one part-time waiting list will be created- regardless of any specific hours advertised, this waiting list will cover all future vacancies where part-time posts arise. A part-time post is defined as any post that has less than 37.5 hours per week. Please remember to save or print a copy of the job description before submitting your application, as it will not be accessible afterwards.

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE

Assistant Project/Policy Manager

BAND

DIRECTORATE

INITIAL LOCATION

6

Planning, Performance & Corporate Services

NIAS Trust Headquarters

REPORTS TO

Assistant Director of Strategic Planning & Partnerships

ACCOUNTABLE TO

Director of Planning and Performance and Corporate Services

JOB SUMMARY

The post holder will be the Assistant Project/Policy Manager within the Planning & Partnership Team.

The Strategic Planning & Partnerships Team supports Northern Ireland Ambulance Service in the delivery of its Corporate Strategy.

The post holder will

Be responsible for developing, maintaining and managing the Strategic Planning & Partnerships Team Programme/Policy Management Office.

Be responsible for the collation, correlation, quality assurance, and records management of NIAS Transformation Portfolio of programmes that delivers ‘Our Strategy to Transform 2020-2026’.

Prepare and quality assure all reporting requirements for programme and project governance bodies such as the Corporate Strategy Steering Group; the Trust Board and Trust Committees.

To support the delivery of our Corporate Strategy provide support and training when required to all Directorates in the project management methodology for delivering our corporate strategy.

Support performance, policy reviews, benchmarking activities, and service improvement objectives.

Perform the role of Project Manager when assigned to service development and improvement programmes / projects to support the delivery of corporate initiatives. Working with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders, influencing collaborative working to deliver successful outcomes and establish service improvement performance measures and associated policies.

Contribute to the development or change of working practices and processes within the Strategic Planning & Partnerships Team to improve the team’s service delivery and performance.

Promote a culture of positive change management within the Trust.

Deputise for senior Strategic Planning and Partnership Team members when required.

The post holder will be required to work to the highest standards of conduct, performance, and ethics, demonstrating professionalism at all times and commitment to service improvement.

KEY DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES

Programme Management Office (PMO)

The post holder will perform the role of Programme Management Officer. This role requires a broad range of communication, interpersonal and organisational skills. The role will include receiving, reviewing, quality assuring and providing complex, sensitive, and contentious information related to the Transformation Portfolio, Programmes and Projects.

The post holder will apply proven Programme and Project Management methodologies to ensure a standard and auditable suite of practices and processes are in place for the delivery of the Transformation Portfolio.

Manage the Corporate Planning & Partnerships Programme Management Office

Develop and maintain the Strategic Planning & Partnerships Team’s programme and project documentation and records management system.

Convene the Strategic Planning & Partnership Team’s regular team meetings, ensuring that agenda items are up to date.

Coach, provide advice, guidance training and support when required to stakeholders involved in programme / project delivery. This will include Directors, Assistant Directors and their staff.

Organise governance boards, programme boards, and project boards.

Work with Programme and Project owners to ensure that progress reports for the boards are accurate and on time. Support the Assistant Director of Strategic Planning & Partnerships with the preparation for the Strategy Implementation Group meetings, Trust Board meeting. And assist Programme / Project Owners with preparation for their reporting to Trust Board and Trust Committees.

Provide administrative support for board meetings when required.

Capture lessons learned from across all transformation programmes / projects and use to share with team and other relevant stakeholders.

Develop and maintain the Strategic Planning & Performance Team’s SharePoint page so that all relevant information remains current and key documents are accessible to specific users.

Support, develop and manage PMO administrative staff as required.

Establish, implement and maintain appropriate templates and reporting tools which support and maintain compliance with corporate governance arrangement and provide assurance to the Directorate’s management team.

Demonstrate due diligence and be responsible for ensuring that risk registers and audit recommendations are updated on a regular basis.

Conduct cross programme & project analysis so that a collective/cohesive review of conflicts, interdependencies, issues, risks, decisions, and costs is established at a portfolio level. This is required to bring assurance or escalation to Corporate Project Steering Groups, SLT (Senior Leadership Team), Trust Board and other Trust Committees regarding the progress / accuracy and assurance of the Corporate Strategy and Partnership projects.

Provide assurance that Programme and Project Managers / Leads have conducted the following compliance when required on their programmes/projects: the Equality Act 2010; the Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA); General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and relevant Data Privacy Impact Assessment (DPIA) and Rural Needs Act (NI) 2016 for Public Authorities and the relevant Rural Needs Impact Assessment.

Ensure business continuity planning for role/area is documented, tested and implemented.

Provide support in the monitoring and reporting of quality and service improvement within the Directorate.

Contribute to NIAS’s overall corporate and integrated governance processes to ensure compliance with the public sector values and codes of conduct, operations, and accountability.

Ensure that programme and project documentation, records and products are available and accessible to the relevant programme / project owners and teams.

Undertake policy research and reviews to continuously inform the PMO function and opportunities for Strategic Planning & Partnerships Team or other NIAS colleagues to engage in relevant events.

Source training and equipment for the Strategic Planning & Partnerships Team, engaging with suppliers to seek quotations & service provision, working within in available budgets across the financial year and providing assurance within the Transformation Team and escalating spending risks / challenges to the Assistant Director of Strategic Planning & Partnerships .

Create and support the development of Business Cases when required.

Programme / Project Delivery

The post holder will perform the role of Project Manager when assigned to deliver specific projects within the overall transformation portfolio of programmes. This will include gaining knowledge of business and operational areas and working collaboratively to deliver business/service improvement & change management.

The post holder will be responsible for project planning and delivery. This will often include assigning tasks to colleagues at higher bands within the Trusts including Directors, Assistant Directors, clinicians, and external stakeholders when required.

The post holder will report progress & performance to Programme and Project Boards. This will include the necessity to inform, challenge and influence board members to overcome issues and risks identified so that project delivery success is maintained.

The post holder will demonstrate knowledge and experience of planning project delivery lifecycles involving all aspects required for successful delivery of complex projects and adjusting when identified. This includes such factors as cost, quality, time, performance standards, resource requirements, stakeholder engagement, communications planning, IT system requirements, data and information analysis, compliance requirements, benefits, and reporting.

The post holder will be responsible for identifying sources of information / data and evidence to address specific issues/problems within the project or service. This can include complex data analysis derived from IT systems or by manual collection which often contain complex, sensitive, and contentious information.

The post holder will be required to train/coach staff at all levels, including clinicians in relation to new planning and partnership practices, processes, systems, and policies that are introduced by the specific project.

The post holder will be responsible for selecting the most appropriate improvement tools and techniques to enable the successful delivery of a project and provide appropriate coaching or training to project team members and stakeholders as required.

The post holder will (but not limited to) conduct the following during project delivery

Use proven programme / project management techniques to work collaboratively with programme / project owners, internal and external stakeholders in the delivery of the programme / project.

Develop communication plans and activities, including presenting to relevant groups, stakeholders, and staff associations.

Conduct a feasibility and prioritisation assessment of new programme / project work requests.

Develop and drive project delivery plans and associated work packages and be responsible for assigning tasks to project team members and stakeholders.

Use proven business improvement techniques to identify and analyse complex data and information to understand, quantify, justify, recommend, and implement improvements/solutions.

Use proven analytical skills and techniques to identify and assess wide ranging forms of complex system data and manually held information. Use analytical results to provide an evidence base for change and / or improvement.

Use proven elicitation techniques to engage with stakeholders to identify good practice and opportunities for improvement. For example, design and deliver staff and stakeholder surveys to inform programme or project objectives.

Coordinate and contribute to the development of business cases and ensure accurate completion and on-time submission to all approval processes.

Manage and maintain risk, issue and decision registers across all transformation programmes and projects.

Identify benefits, key process indicators and key performance indicators and develop the reporting mechanism for them.

Facilitate or contribute to working groups; internal and external meetings.

Report the programme / project progress by using standard techniques such as highlight reports, end stage reports, exception reports.

Establish and monitor associated project costs and act when any risk is identified.

Ensure all relevant policies, procedures and processes related to supporting the work of the Strategic Planning & Partnerships Team are updated accordingly as a result of any change.

Provide assistance, guidance and training in relation to any changes made.

Provide quality assurance for all project documentation and reports.

Provide support to the Programme and Project Managers / Leads to ensure that the Equality Act 2010; the Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA); General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and relevant Data Privacy Impact Assessment (DPIA) and Rural Needs Act (NI) 2016 for Public Authorities and the relevant Rural Needs Impact Assessment are considered in every programme / project.

Conduct post implementation reviews for completed programmes / projects.

Conduct benchmarking and baselining exercises when necessary.

Undertake research and policy reviews to inform the thinking / development opportunities for specific project objectives.

Collaborative Working and Communication

Be responsible for reporting Programme and Project status and progress. This will take various forms:

Preparing Portfolio Owner and/or Programme Owners for reporting to Strategic Planning & Partnership Steering Groups; Trust Board and Trust Committees.

Report directly to Programme Boards and Project Boards giving progress updates, identifying and mitigating issues and risks.

Hold specific Project Team meetings.

Holding the delivery of project activities to account and provide support to overcome challenges and delays.

Be responsible for liaising with stakeholders across the organisation including Trust Directors, Assistant Directors; Managers and staff when required.

When required, communicate and circulate sensitive, confidential and high-level information to key stakeholders and representatives within the Department of Health.

When required, work in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders both internal and external on matters relating to the post holders’ areas of responsibility.

When required, provide support to the Directorate’s other functions in the areas relating to planning, performance, and corporate services.

Contribute to the development and implementation of communication methods for the Strategic Planning & Partnerships Team.

Contribute to the development and delivery of communication requirements for programme and projects.

Provide feedback to individuals and stakeholder groups in order to maintain continuous engagement throughout programme and project delivery.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Manage assigned staff as required.

Train staff on the practices, processes, and methodologies of the PMO function.

Assign to, monitor, and review work of staff members.

Support all new staff within the Strategic Planning & Partnership Team through their welcome and induction activities.

Review individually, at least annually, the performance of direct report staff.

Provide guidance on personal development requirements and provide advice on and initiate, where appropriate, further training and development.

Maintain staff relationships and morale amongst the staff reporting to them.

Review the organisation plan and establishment level of the service for which they are responsible to ensure that each is consistent with achieving objectives and recommend change where appropriate.

Delegate appropriate responsibility and authority to the level of staff within their control consistent with effective decision making, while retaining overall responsibility and accountability for results.

Participate, as required, in the selection and appointment of staff reporting to them in accordance with procedures laid down by the Trust.

Take such action as may be necessary in disciplinary matters in accordance with procedures laid down by the Trust.

The Organisation supports and promotes a culture of collective leadership where those who have responsibility for managing other staff:

Establish and promote a supportive, fair, and open culture that encourages and enables all parts of the team to have clearly aligned goals and objectives, to meet the required performance standards and to achieve continuous improvement in the services they deliver.

Ensure access to skills and personal development through appropriate training and support.

Promote a culture of openness and honesty to enable shared learning.

Encourage and empower others in their team to achieve their goals and reach their full potential through regular supportive conversation and shared decision making.

Adhere to and promote Organisational policy and procedure in all staffing matters, participating as appropriate in a way which underpins The Organisation’s values.

GENERAL MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Involve patients, clients, carers, and the wider community where relevant, in developing, planning, delivering and evaluating our services in a meaningful and effective way, as part of the HSC ongoing commitment to Personal Public Involvement (PPI) and Co-Production. Further information is available at engage.hscni.net.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The post holder will be required to

Ensure the Organisation’s policy on equality of opportunity is promoted through his/her own actions and those of any staff for whom he/she has responsibility.

Co-operate fully with the implementation of The Organisation's Health and Safety arrangements, reporting any accidents/incidents/equipment defects to his/her manager, and maintaining a clean, uncluttered, and safe environment for patients/clients, members of the public and staff.

Always adhere to all Trust policies/codes of conduct, including for example

Smoke Free policy.

IT Security Policy and Code of Conduct

standards of attendance, appearance, and behaviour

Contribute to ensuring the highest standards of environmental cleanliness within your designated area of work.

Co-operate fully with regard to Trust policies and procedures relating to infection prevention and control.

All employees of the Organisation are legally responsible for all records held, created, or used as part of their business within the [org name] including patients/clients, corporate and administrative records whether paper-based or electronic and also including emails. All such records are public records and are accessible to the general public, with limited exceptions, under the Freedom of Information act 2000 the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), and the Data Protection Act 2018. Employees are required to be conversant with the [org name] policy and procedures on records management and to seek advice if in doubt.

Take responsibility for his/her own ongoing learning and development, including full participation in KSF Development Reviews/appraisals, to maximise his/her potential and continue to meet the demands of the post.

Represent The Organisation’s commitment to providing the highest possible standard of service to patients/clients and members of the public, by treating all those with whom he/she comes into contact in the course of work, in a pleasant, courteous, and respectful manner.

This Job Description will be subject to review in the light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.

It is a standard condition that all Trust staff may be required to serve at any location within The Organisation's area, as needs of the service demand.

PERSONNEL SPECIFICATION

JOB TITLE AND BAND Assistant Project/Policy Manager

Band 6

DEPARTMENT / DIRECTORATE Performance, Planning and Corporate

Services

HOURS – 37.5 hours per week

Notes to applicants

You must clearly demonstrate on your application form under each question, how you meet the required criteria as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. You should clearly demonstrate this for both the essential and desirable criteria.

Shortlisting will be carried out on the basis of the essential criteria set out in Section 1 below, using the information provided by you on your application form. Please note The Organisation reserves the right to use any desirable criteria outlined in Section 3 at shortlisting. You must clearly demonstrate on your application form how you meet the desirable criteria.

Proof of qualifications and/or professional registration will be required if an offer of employment is made – if you are unable to provide this, the offer may be withdrawn

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

SECTION 1: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will initially be measured at shortlisting stage although may also be further explored during the interview/selection stage. You should therefore make it clear on your application form whether or not you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. The stage in the process when the criteria will be measured is stated below.

Factor

Criteria

Method of Assessment

Qualifications/Experience

Hold a relevant degree or a recognised professional qualification or equivalent/higher qualification.

And have at least 2 years’ experience in project / policy management demonstrating successful delivery and tangible improvements, benefits, and outcomes.

OR

Been employed at a Band 5 level or equivalent for at least 5 years with at least 3 years’ experience in a specific Programme Manager, Project Manager, PMO or Business Improvement role demonstrating successful delivery and tangible improvements, benefits, and outcomes.

And hold a relevant accreditation in a recognised programme or project management technique such as PRINCE2, MSP or P3O (or similar)

Demonstrate proficiency with Microsoft Outlook; Word; Excel and PowerPoint

Shortlisting by Application Form

Knowledge / Skills / Experience

Experience in managing and monitoring projects, with the ability to manage cross programme / project conflict and interdependencies.

Experience of working closely with a wide range of stakeholders with evidence of achieving organisational outcomes.

Computer-literacy: including creation and use of spread sheets, databases, charts, reports, presentations, and data analysis in formats that will enable informed decision-making, working with a high degree of accuracy.

Ability to analyse, manipulate and present qualitative and quantitative data in a meaningful and persuasive way to a variety of audiences.

Shortlisting by Application Form

Other

Hold a current full driving licence which is valid for use in the UK and have access to a car on appointment. This criteria will be waived in the case of applicants whose disability prohibits driving but who have access to a form of transport approved by the Trust which will permit them to carry out the duties of the post.

Shortlisting by Application Form

SECTION 2: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will be measured during the interview/ selection stage:

Knowledge / Skills / Experience

Experience of reviewing and drafting responses to policy initiatives for the organisation/Directorate.

Experience of risk management methodology and mitigating risks.

An understanding of the impact of PMO activities including monitoring, reporting, and tracking.

Involvement in the development and implementation of reporting and tracking.

Experience of holding focus groups, workshops and presenting to diverse groups of stakeholders.

Experience of preparing and presenting to a variety of audiences e.g., formal committees and informal staff groups.

Problem solving, having the capacity to analyse problems in a logical and structured way using qualitative and quantitative information, supporting the generation of innovative solutions, and adapting approaches to problem-solving to achieve evidence based sustainable outcomes.

Presentation: being articulate and skilled in presenting ideas to others. Able to prepare and produce concise and insightful reports for a broad range of audiences.

Analytical: able to use and interpret complex information to make robust recommendations for evidence-based practice and decision-making.

Prioritisation: able to manage work of self to accommodate competing priorities and meet demands.

Motivating: able to motivate self and others and work autonomously as well as working effectively as part of the team.

Ability to work on their own initiative,

Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Strategic influencing and persuading others and able to address challenges and concerns.

Ability to work confidently with senior leaders.

Knowledge of key project management principles and processes.

Ability to demonstrate partnership working.

Policies & procedures development.

Ability to quickly develop productive working relationships with key stakeholders.

Ability to deliver pragmatic and customer focused workforce solutions.

Interview

DESIRABLE CRITERIA

SECTION 3: these will ONLY be used where it is necessary to introduce additional job-related criteria to ensure files are manageable. You should therefore make it clear on your application form how you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted

Factor

Criteria

Method of Assessment

Qualifications/Experience

Accreditation in PRINCE2, P3O, MSP, Lean Six Sigma, Business Analysis

Experience of using Project Management Systems

Experience of developing SharePoint

Shortlisting by Application Form

As part of the Recruitment & Selection process it may be necessary for the Organisation to carry out an Enhanced Disclosure Check through Access NI before any appointment to this post can be confirmed.

THE NORTHERN IRELAND AMBULANCE SERVICE TRUST IS

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER

Successful applicants may be required to attend for a Health Assessment

Quality

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service is committed to providing the highest possible quality of service to patients and the community. Members of staff of the Trust are expected, at all times, to provide a caring service and to treat those with whom they come into contact in a courteous and respectful manner.

Health and Safety

You have the responsibility to make yourself aware of, and to conform to, the Trust's Health and Safety Policy and other Health and Safety Policies applicable to your workplace and all relevant statutory provisions, including codes of Practice and Guidance.

Action on Smoking Policy

All employees must comply with the Trust's 'Action on Smoking Policy'

Equality Schemes

All employees must adhere to the Trust's Equality Scheme in accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1 998 to promote equality of opportunity: -

Between persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status, or sexual orientation; between men and women generally; between persons with a disability and persons without; between persons with dependants and persons without.

Applicants must comply with all other policies and procedures of the Trust.

Human Rights

All employees must support the Trust in complying with its obligations under Human Rights legislation.

Records Management

The post holder has responsibility for the creation and maintenance of records in accordance with Trust's Records Management Policy, Freedom of Information Policy and Data Protection Act 1 998 Policy i.e. if required to do so, obtain, process and or/use information held on a computer in a fair and lawful way, to hold only for specified registered purposes and to use or disclose the data only to authorised persons or organisations

All staff are expected to display the HSC Values at all times