Innovation Officer

Job content

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Innovation team at UHCW, to help drive the innovation agenda forward. The Innovation team enable the development and implementation of innovative solutions for the benefit of our patients and communities. This role provides the opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation and change, to have a positive impact upon patient care, staff wellbeing and citizen wellbeing across Coventry and Warwickshire.

**Please be advised that interviews for this vacancy are provisionally scheduled for week commencing 8th January 2024***

Working closely with the rest of the Innovation team, you will be responsible for the communications and engagement activities across the team’s projects and workstreams. The role will support the team to reach all colleagues across the organisation, to raise awareness of our work and direct colleagues to the support of Innovation.

As well as acting as the first point of contact for the Innovation team, supporting diary managements and ad hoc project and workshop support, you will have responsibility for managing discreet projects, under the supervision of the Innovation Lead. These projects will involve writing case studies, running out-reach activities into clinical and non-clinical areas of the hub, event planning, producing marketing materials, and organising and managing a schedule of masterclasses and ideas dens. You will also take ownership of the team’s internal TrustNav pages and social media channels.

These projects will involve working closely with all staff groups across the Trust, and partner organisations, as well as continuing to build collaborations with academia, the Health Innovation Network, and industry.

UHCW is proud of the UHCW Innovation Hub - a space open to all staff and partners which allows collaboration and creativity to thrive. This role will lead on the day to day running and development of this space, to ensure it is used to its full potential. This will involve managing Hub bookings and maintaining the space.

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, rated as good by the Care Quality Commission, is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the UK.

We are extremely proud of our employees across our hospital sites, with high quality patient care at the heart of everything we do.

Boasting some of the most modern facilities in Western Europe, the Trust is renowned for being at the forefront of research and innovation as part of its blossoming reputation as a worldwide leader in healthcare.

We are proud to be recognised as a Pathway to Excellence® designated organisation – please click the link for further details about this prestigious award. Pathway To Excellence ® - University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire (uhcw.nhs.uk)

By joining our exciting journey, you will form part of a passionate, talented team and will be able to access a wide range of learning and development opportunities. There has never been a better time to join our team.

The Trust is committed to building an organisation that makes full use of the talents, skills, experience, and different perspectives available in our diverse society. We want everyone to feel they are respected, valued, can achieve their potential and receive the most appropriate and relevant care. We will create an environment where the equality and human rights principles of fairness, respect, equality, dignity and autonomy are promoted and are part of the organisation’s core values

• Act as a first point of contact for a range o f innovation queries and make a judgment on best course of action to signpost swiftly to the more appropriate member of the Innovation Team.
• Understand the processes and practices in place within the Innovation Team by a programme of induction activities and relevant training in innovation approaches.
• Understand principles of innovation management through theoretical training and practical experience.
• Take responsibility for enacting the actions within the communications and engagement strategy, utilising strong communication skills to seek co-operation in complex situations. There will likely be a range of options available for each project and the postholder will be required to appraise these options and decide on the best course of action/communication

method based on the intended audience.

• Regularly visit clinical and non-clinical areas across the Trust to act as the interface between the Innovation Team and the Trust’s workforce, using communication skills in complex situations to engage, encourage and persuade where necessary. The approach to engagement and communication will need to be adjusted based on the audience and

intended outcome, with the post-holder making this decision based on their own knowledge and experience.

• Take ownership of the team’s social media and TrustNav pages to build internal and external engagement with the Innovation team, ensuring information remains updated, and relevant, in accordance with local policies. Translating complex information into an easy to read format and making decisions and considering which information to share through

which channel.

• Manage internal and external events taking place in the Hub using existing event management approach with the opportunity to propose improvement to these.
• Manage day to day bookings in the Hub to optimise use of space following existing processes with the opportunity to propose improvement to these. This will involve considering competing priorities for space with the post-holder needing to make decisions which best utilise the space available.
• Take responsibility for the maintenance and up-keep of the Innovation Hub. This will involve moving furniture, raising maintenance jobs and maintaining stationery supply levels and checking ICT equipment is functioning and support users of the Hub.
• Support Innovation awareness raising campaigns by translating complex information into easy to read, accessible and engaging formats and making decisions and considering which information to share through which channel.
• Produce written and filmed case studies to showcase innovation projects which will involve receiving complex or sensitive information and reproducing this is a straightforward and easy to read manner. Allocating tasks to appropriate team members and wider colleagues to collate information needed for these case studies.
• Organise a programme of masterclasses and training activities, deciding when best to schedule these and allocating team members to deliver sessions.
• Support to raise the profile of the Innovation Team both within the Trust to all clinical departments and core departments and all clinical and non-clinical colleagues. Also support the raising of the team profile external to the Trust with stakeholders from other NHS and social care organisations, academia and industry. This will involve through social media, presence at online events and face to face conferences. The post holder will be required to man information stalls and present small presentations to small audiences, and will be able to adjust communication style to suit the audience.
• Provide ad hoc support when necessary to team members to ensure the smooth progression and/or delivery of a wide range of innovation projects.
• Use Microsoft Office programmes in day to day work.
• Work collaboratively with all Trust departments and directorates and external bodies to ensure effective delivery of innovation projects across UHCW.
• Take responsibility for management of own activities and longer term projects to achieve defined results by following organisational policies.
• As a small team, it is required that all team members share administrative

responsibilities.

For further details of the role please see the attached job description.