Inclusive Culture Project Lead (EDI & OD)

Location: Manchester, M20 4BX

Pay: £38,682.00 to £46,580.00 per year

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: Full time

Closing Date: 26/03/2026

About this job

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead on projects and programmes of work that advance cultural practice and organisational development within the Trust, working collaboratively with stakeholders to co-design approaches that support a more inclusive staff experience.
• Ensure these align to the ambitions, themes, legal duties, contractual requirements and national standards set out in our Inclusive Culture Strategy.
• Promote and support a culture where Trust policies, decision-making and day-to-day activities are inclusive, collaborative and considerate of diverse needs.
• Provide coaching and guidance to colleagues to help implement change sensitively and sustainably, recognising diverse needs across the workforce.
• Develop and maintain an effective approach for tracking multiple projects and progress against NHS EDI performance frameworks and plans.
• Produce clear project and communication plans, regular highlight reports and other project documentation.
• Prepare accurate and insightful reports that evaluate progress against the Inclusive Culture Strategy and wider organisational priorities, using findings to inform and write workforce policies linked to the area of work, and influence Trust wide policies.
• Lead projects to achieve staff diversity accreditations (or advance these to the next level), e.g. disability confident scheme, anti-racist framework, veteran aware accreditation.
• Drive forward action plans linked to pay gaps (gender, disability, ethnicity) and demonstrate progress.
• Act with initiative to diagnose issues, develop and implement solutions, and support teams to get the work completed.
• Facilitate diagnostic conversations to explore underlying challenges, using evidence, research and best practice to shape and implement meaningful solutions.
• Coordinate NHS data reports/returns, ensuring these are accurate and submitted on time, including the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES), Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES), and the Equality Delivery System (EDS 2022 scheme).
• Work in a planned and agile way with stakeholders to achieve this, including members of the Executive Team.
• Coordinate and publish an annual report on equality and diversity achievements, and progress against the Inclusive Culture Strategy.
• Develop and maintain effective and lasting stakeholder relationships internally, regionally and nationally to support project workstreams.
• Communicate clearly, persuasively, compellingly and compassionately to generate buy-in, build confidence and support teams through advice, coaching and constructive challenge.
• Anticipate how information might be received and adopt tailored communication approaches for each stakeholder.
• Make recommendations to stakeholders on how to create inclusive cultures and systems and support continuous improvements regarding equality and human rights.
• Read, understand and cross-check complex national frameworks, legislation, policies and guidance.
• Provide accurate, easy-to-understand information on these to senior managers and project stakeholders.
• Analyse and interpret complex information to support project delivery and compliance.
• Where projects reveal further challenges or improvement needs, facilitate diagnostic discussions with stakeholders, drawing on best practice to inform understanding and co-create organisational responses.
• Act independently to progress and resolve issues where appropriate.
• Develop policy, guidance, toolkits and resources related to the work of the Inclusive Culture Strategy, working in partnership with trade union colleagues, staff networks and subject matter experts.
• Develop and deliver training to support the promotion of an inclusive culture, as required.
• Liaise with the workforce information team and relevant systems/data owners across the Trust to support the production of reports and information, and inform systems improvement linked to policy application, and diversity, equity and inclusion principles.
• Liaise with education colleagues to ensure joined up working on development workstreams elements linked to diversity improvement, initiatives and new educational programmes.
• Work pragmatically and flexibly, using evidence to inform interventions.
• Use technologies alongside conversations to support efficient and transparent stakeholder collaboration and to assure quality.
• Proactively navigate and overcome organisational barriers related to EDI.
• Drive sustainable changes that improve processes and ways of working across the Trust for everyone.
• Advanced user of IT packages, office 365 and collaborative technologies to create reports, documents, spreadsheets and Gantt charts.
• Drive own learning and access training, ensuring skills and knowledge remain current and are applied effectively.
• Actively engage in personal and professional development to support effectiveness at work.
• Keep abreast of emerging EDI and culture thinking, and foster conversations about these to aid collective learning and develop Trust practice.
• Contribute to updates of relevant policies.
• Act as a role model for The Christie Value and Behaviours Framework and collaborate with colleagues across the Trust to ensure an effective and positive working environment.
• Any other duties as may be required from time to time and which are commensurate with the grade and scope of the post.