Improvement & Development Manager
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Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience you'll need for this role, take a look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the 'Supporting Documents' heading.
Explore 'Inside MFT - Your Candidate Place'
To help you feel confident, prepared and fully informed before you apply, we invite you to explore Inside MFT - Your Candidate Place. This welcoming one-stop hub gives you a real sense of who we are - what we stand for, how we reward and support you, and the many ways we care for you as you care for others. You'll also find practical hints and tips for submitting a great application, along with the essential information you need to know before you apply.
To access 'Inside MFT - Your Candidate Place', simply click on the relevant PDF document under the 'Documents to download' section and once opened, you can either scan or click on the QR code.
Closing vacancy listings early
We welcome applications from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.
To help us manage applications fairly and give each one the time it deserves, our adverts may close early if we receive a high level of interest. Early applications are therefore encouraged.
Diversity Matters
MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, please contact the manager named below.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your application
Here at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, we're proud to be ALL HERE FOR YOU-for our patients, our communities, and each other.
As part of our commitment to fairness, transparency, and personal integrity, we ask all applicants to ensure that their job applications reflect their own experiences, skills, and motivations. While AI tools can support spelling, grammar, or formatting, we expect that the content of your application-especially personal statements and responses to role-specific questions-is written by you. This helps us get to know the real you and ensures that our recruitment process remains equitable and meaningful for everyone.
Thank you for helping us uphold the values that make our Trust a place where people belong, grow, and thrive. We look forward to receiving your application.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Proven track record of delivering complex change or transformation projects with autonomy
- Experience translating strategic actions into structured, outcome-focused delivery
- Evidence of delivering both people- and process-focused improvement work
- Experience producing project plans, reports and risk / assurance documentation
- Experience working at pace in dynamic environments with shifting priorities
- Experience engaging and influencing staff to participate in change
- Experience using AI tools to optimise productivity and workflows
Desirable criteria
- Experience delivering system-level or cross-organisational transformation projects
- Experience conducting audits, evaluations or applied improvement research
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Project management capability and experience using improvement methodologies
- High learning agility: able to quickly understand new issues, adopt new tools and flex approach as needed
- Tenacity and resilience to drive work forward despite challenges
- Excellent communication, engagement, negotiation and facilitation skills
- Ability to analyse complex data and draw meaningful insights
- Ability to influence, motivate and support others through change
- Strong planning, organisation, prioritisation and problem-solving skills
Desirable criteria
- Research or evaluation skills
- Experience designing or delivering improvement training
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Degree or equivalent experience
- Demonstrable project management expertise and substantial organisational change experience equivalent to master's level
- Evidence of continuous professional or personal development
Desirable criteria
- Project management qualification (PRINCE2, Agile, MSP or similar)
- Accredited improvement practitioner or coach-level training
- Further postgraduate study
- Organisational development, quality improvement or organisational change background
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
- Improvement & Development Manager Job Description (PDF, 159.7KB)
- Improvement & Development Manager Person Specification (PDF, 94.8KB)
- Improvement & Development Manager Functional Requirements (PDF, 1.0MB)
- Inside MFT - Your Candidate Place (PDF, 306.4KB)