Policy Manager (Paediatric Standards)

The Policy Manager (Paediatric Standards) is a crucial role at the College as you will lead the development of new paediatric service standards with College Officers, members and child health professionals, thinking afresh as to the standards needed to ensure children receive timely access to high-quality, safe and effective care in a changing health landscape.

As Policy Manager (Paediatric Standards) you will consult with the College’s membership, health systems across the UK and key decision makers in health service development and regulation, to form a credible, influential set of standards that will reap benefits for children and the child health workforce. Reporting to the Head of Health Policy, you will establish and lead the project’s expert advisory group to generate a consensus on new standards, attending and contributing to Health Policy Committees and ensuring the project’s successful completion.

Throughout the project you will also ensure the voice of children and young people is influential within the development of standards. Whilst based in the Health Policy team, you will work collaboratively with colleagues in research and quality improvement to design a systematic review of literature to bring an evidence base to the scope of new standards development, all the while applying audit and quality improvement principles to the design and update of new paediatric standards.

You will also take responsibility for reporting on project milestones to Membership, Policy and External Affairs meetings and the College’s project portfolio boards, to identify, manage and mitigate project risks and issues.

Degree qualified and with relevant experience in a similar field of work such as standard setting, quality improvement or health policy, you will have demonstrable experience of understanding the critical role of quality standards within healthcare design, delivery and regulation (including quality improvement) across the UK. With outstanding project management skills, evidenced by a recent and successful project, you will easily be able to identify, manage and mitigate risk.

You should have strong analytical and problem-solving skills and the ability to understand and discuss complex issues. Your excellent communication, interpersonal and relationship management abilities as well as experience of working at a senior level with a broad range of stakeholders, will ensure you are able to take forward programmes of work. A formal project management qualification and experience and knowledge of the children’s health sector would be desirable.

The Membership, Policy and External Affairs Division actively promotes the membership, stakeholders and the public awareness of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and core child health priorities. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health sets and maintains standards for the education and training of all doctors working in paediatrics and child health in the UK. We advocate on child health issues at home and internationally. Additionally, through a variety of activities, the College influences the quality of medical practice for children in hospital and in the community.

The RCPCH has more than 23,000 members and fellows and employs around 200 staff, most of whom work in our London office in Holborn. We have a Devolved Nations team operating from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Our College values: Include, Influence, Innovate and Lead, are important to us. These values ensure we bring out the best in each other, strive forward together to make the College a positive and dynamic place to work.

The RCPCH champions Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Our workplace is inclusive, offering a supportive environment where staff can thrive. The College is keen to accept applications from people with protected characteristics. We believe that our staff should represent all of the diverse communities we serve. Join us to help realise our vision of a world where every child is healthy and well.

The College operates a flexible and modern working policy, whereby our colleagues work in the office for a minimum of 40% over a 4 week cycle and the remainder from home. The RCPCH is committed to safeguarding the children, young people and adults it has contact with in the exercise of its functions and responsibilities. The RCPCH expects all staff to share this commitment – we place a high priority on ensuring only those who do so are recruited to work for us.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records.

Closing date: 13 April 2025.