Senior Analyst

Job summary We are seeking a Senior Analyst to join the Proton Clinical Outcomes Unit (PCOU) at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, on a 1-year contract.
This is an exciting opportunity to join a multidisciplinary, data driven team, and be a part of the development of the NHS Proton Registry and Evaluative Commissioning in Protons programme.We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate, who has the necessary qualifications, skills, and experience to deliver a high-quality data, analytics and business intelligence service to the Proton Beam Therapy service.
You will have the skills to effectively communicate with a broad range of colleagues, and be capable of writing complex SQL data queries, and using data visualisation tools to produce informative dashboards.
This role requires understanding of the fundamentals of data quality, and the ability to conceptualise data flows within a healthcare setting.This role provides the opportunity to be an integral part of the PCOU and NHS Proton Registry, aiding in crucial outcomes analysis to ensure the best treatments are delivered to patients and continuous developments are made to the service.
The PCOU takes pride in facilitating practice changing studies and research, where benefits of joining our team include conference attendance and co-authorship of high-impact publications that can have a huge benefit for cancer care.This is a contract position, with the option to work a mixture of onsite at The Christie or from home.
Main duties of the job Ensure that all systems are in place to facilitate the timely and accurate delivery of all mandatory, clinical and informational requirements.Deliver projects in line with procedures and agreed timescales, supporting the activities of the team analysts and statisticians when required.Provide and interpret sensitive, complex and/or technical information using appropriate communication techniques to technical and non-technical colleagues/stakeholders in an audience appropriate format.Utilise various software and data tools to analyse, investigate, interpret and resolve complex data queries, evaluating and presenting data within the specifications of stakeholders.Represent the PCOU/Registry as appropriate at internal and external meetings, providing progress updates and reporting back to team, to support the delivery of a comprehensive analytics and business intelligence service.Lead on data quality monitoring activities, to assess and ensure accuracy and integrity of data for analytical and reporting purposes.Ensure working practices are compliant with Trust, NHS and legislative requirements, guidelines and policies.Liaise with external agencies, suppliers and contractors ensuring delivery of service is in line with agreed contracts.Effectively communicate using appropriate terminology with colleagues across multiple disciplines, including the PCOU team, digital service teams, clinical stakeholders, and the wider PBT service teams.
About us Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) is a specialised form of radiation therapy for which NHS patients were previously referred abroad for treatment.
The Christie Proton Beam Therapy Centre is one of two high-energy proton centres that have been developed in the UK.
The Christie has offered proton therapy since late 2018 as part of a national service for NHS England, in collaboration with UCLH.The PBT service will treat up to 750 patients at a steady state.
The case mix is heavily biased towards complex and rare cases, with a focus on patients who benefit most being prioritised for PBT.
Outcome analysis is crucial in ensuring the best treatments are delivered to patients and continuous development are made to the service.A National Proton Registry is in development to collate data collected for all NHS patients treated with PBT, alongside a programme of Evaluative Commissioning in Protons (ECIP) studies.
Job description Job responsibilities General Working closely with Analytics and clinical services, the post holder will ensure that all systems are in place to facilitate the timely and accurate delivery of all mandatory, clinical and informational requirements with the responsibility of external statutory information returns.Manage their own day-to-day activities including: Answering analytics requestsDelivering projects to agreed specifications and complete project documentationWriting complex SQL queriesProducing data extracts to support research and audit projectsDesigning and producing Tableau/Power BI dashboardsAnalysing data to provide written insight reports Prioritise and plan work, adjusting work schedules and plans to ensure urgent enquiries/work receive the appropriate prioritisation.
Supporting colleagues as required, prioritising own work and potentially that if other team members.Provide and interpret sensitive, complex and/or technical information using appropriate communication techniques to technical and non-technical colleagues/stakeholders in an audience appropriate format.Facilitate the effective use of information within the scope of the role to support the objectives of the PBT Service, including outcomes, data integrity, planning, projects, forecasting, investigations, assessments and risk management.Support the development and implementation of an NHS Proton Registry, including advising on infrastructure, software and staffing requirements.Providing professional insight into requirements for the development of business cases with regards to systems and services required within the PCOUThe post holder will have, and continue to gain, appreciation for the working environment to ensure that outputs meet expectations of stakeholders.Deputising for the Proton Clinical Outcomes Unit (PCOU) & Registry Manager as requested.The post holder will strive for excellence, ensuring the accuracy and consistency of data so it meets the high standard expected for reporting to national bodies.
They will represent the unit at formal and informal meetings to support clinical and managerial staff groups through excellent verbal and written communication.The post holder will manage their objectives to the highest standards, ensure programmes of work are delivered and developmental benefits are realised with associated risks managed.The post holder will ensure knowledge, insight and information generated is communicated effectively and that the systems and processes underpinning operational functions are regularly reviewed.The post holder will develop close working relationships with all members of the Analytics and Business Intelligence teams, as well as staff with the Proton Beam Therapy Department Communication and Relationships Develop effective working relationships with clinical and digital colleagues, and external collaborators, through regular project meetings.Able to professionally communicate with senior clinicians and service managers, using specialised clinical terminology as required to understand issues being raised in detail.Work closely with other teams in digital services (software development, data engineering) to understand cross over in work streams, and potential implications.Ensure the provision of a first point of contact within the team for all queries, problems, requests and incidents ensuring they are logged and tracked.Advise, support and lead on reporting at appropriate directorate, divisional and Trust level meetings.Present information to large groups such as study management groups or professional interest groups, altering tone and content to meet the needs of the intended audience.Produce written material (such as internal reports and publications) including explanation of technical terms to ensure correct understanding.Provide regular performance reports on progress, status and achievements for senior analyst team within the PCOU and registry.Represent the PCOU/Registry as appropriate in internal and external meetings, reporting back on progress.
The post holder must be able to travel and forge effective working relationships with partner organisation as required.Negotiate project scopes and timelines, and quickly update and reassure colleagues of any changes.
Deliver bad news to colleagues when necessary, such as delays in provision of data.Liaise with external agencies, suppliers and contractors ensuring delivery of service is in line with agreed contracts.
Analytical, Knowledge, Training and Experience Post holder must be adept at researching and understanding complex, multi-departmental clinical dataflows, considering existing dataflows and inform changes harnessing software capabilities to provide the right information at the right time.Post holder will act as one of lead specialists for work area.Expert at understanding problems and utilising various software to provide data insight tools using appropriate analytical techniques.Analyse, investigate, interpret, and resolve complex data queries.
Identify the most applicable data sources, methods, and approach to evaluate and present data to meet work specifications of stakeholders.Join multiple data sources and investigate conflicting information where there are a range of solutions and suggest alternative approaches when relevant.Assess the accuracy and integrity of data and information, providing support to reduce data quality issues.Collect, analyse, interpret and disseminate information using established methods within allocated work area.Apply advanced levels of understanding on speciality specific data, applying exceptional attention to details, ensuring the highest quality and efficient new processes are implemented.Identify and advise on the best method and approach to evaluate and present data for the stakeholder needs quality improvement methods, reports, and dashboards.
Be proactive in identifying new and novel methodologies and sharing learning with the wider team.As a senior member of the team, apply statistical and analytical knowledge to critically appraise and challenge the results of outputs ensuring only meaningful information is delivered to the clinical stakeholders.Develop methodologies for analysis and interpretation of data.Lead and support with information system design, including aiding in the development of the trusted research environment for the NHS Proton RegistryPeer review colleagues work within PCOU and Registry team, escalating any issues as appropriate.Support learning and training opportunities within the team, service and Trust and across the Trust and provide training for staff from own or other disciplines on own subject area, when required.
Policy and Service Manage and action the resolutions of assigned tasks in an efficient and professional manner.
Post holder must conform to Trust and departmental procedures and working practices, seeking further advice and information when necessary.Act as an ambassador for the PCOU/Registry service by developing and maintaining excellent working relationships with users across the organisation, delivering against local and national requirements.
Ensure working within a culture of service provision and continuous improvement for the analytics role and workload.Evaluate policies and processes for own work area, proposing changes and implementing new polices as required.Ensure change management is applied in own areas and follows implemented policies and procedures.Ensure all documentation relating to own area of work is complete and fit for purpose.Be continuously aware of changes to working practices for colleagues across the trust.
Ensure that products are amended to reflects these changes and meet expectations of stakeholders.Proactively participate in ensuring that service within the Trust reflect best practice with respect to organisation, NHS and legislative requirements and guidelines including IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), Data Protection Act (1998), Information Standards, Information Security and compliance with NHS Information Governance.On occasion, post holder may be required to work unsociable hours to support and/or enable delivery of key programmes or projects.
This job description is an outline of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role and is not intended as an exhaustive list.
The job may change over time to reflect the changing needs of the service, as well as personal development needs of the post holder.
Person Specification Qualifications Essential Educated to graduate degree level or demonstrable equivalent experience.
Relevant professional or technical qualification Able to demonstrate ongoing commitment to own personal development Desirable Post graduate level of education in an informatics / scientific / mathematical discipline Database / dataflow / reporting practitioner certificates , SQL, Microsoft server tools etc.
Evidence of formal statistical training Experience Essential Substantial experience in an information / analytics role involving analysis of complex data Substantial experience of querying databases using SQL Experience of business intelligence solutions to create data visualisations / dashboards to inform decision making (, Tableau, Power BI) Experience of data quality / data integrity monitoring and improvement Experience of providing a data and analytics service to requestors Extensive experience with MS Office (, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams and Outlook) Desirable Experience of data capture process re-design, critical analysis and implementation of change Experience of academic writing for publication Experience of audit methodologies Experience of clinical trials / studies Experience of managing, teaching and coaching staff Creating new policies, procedures and system documentation relating to data management NHS experience involving close working relationships with senior managers, clinicians and multidisciplinary environment Experience managing own workload within a project Experience of supporting staff and their associated workload Experience of clinical or corporate service operational management Skills Essential Excellent communication skills - verbal, written, presentational and interpersonal Advanced SQL BI software (, Tableau, Power BI) or equivalent development and data manipulation skills Able to supervise / support work of a team and appraise work of others Advanced analytical skills in data extraction, data analysis and report writing Ability to communicate complex system and technical issues, complex analytical processes, and visualisations to a variety of staff at different levels within the organisation Demonstrate evidence of use of own initiative Able to work to deadline, prioritise and manage workload in a busy and changing environment Excellent problem-solving skills Well presented, flexible, positive, resilient, methodical team player Desirable Application of essential skills within an NHS environment Influencing and negotiating skills Ability to think creatively Evidence of training skills Ability to coach individuals and lead a team engendering enthusiasm and commitment Additional programming languages, , R, Python, HTML Knowledge Essential Advance knowledge of relational databases Knowledge of hospital services and how services interlink Knowledge of data warehousing principles Knowledge of system integration interfaces and the principles between data exchange between systems Knowledge of hospital information systems Expert knowledge of a wide range of data analysis approaches, and their appropriate use.
Desirable An understanding of an NHS Trust's information requirements An understanding of an NHS Trust's obligations in relation to the submission of information to external parties Specialist knowledge of how ICT systems can support clinician in the treatment of patients within a hospital Specialist knowledge of how ICT systems can support the administration processes and management of a hospital Knowledge of the working practices used within the Trust, , Inpatients, Outpatients, Medical Records and Medical Secretaries Knowledge of Cancer Services Knowledge of clinical areas: Radiotherapy, Chemotherapy and Theatres Values Essential Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours Other Essential Evidence of continuing professional and personal development Hybrid/Office based role with the need for travel to the Christie managed sites or partner sites as necessary Maintain confidentiality relating to patient data and sensitive information relating to the business of the Trust Ability to work flexibly to meet key deadline and core service coverage