Digital Health Validation Lab Portfolio Manager

Overview

To support the development of a precision medicine cluster and healthcare outcomes, the University of Glasgow has established a major research and socio-economic programme; Living Lab that will accelerate the transformation of healthcare delivery through the UKRI Strength in Places Funding Programme (SiPF).  The LivingLab will drive open innovation with a focus on precision medicine and digital health  bringing industry, academics, clinicians/NHS managers, patients and charities together in a highly supportive and collaborative environment.

One of LivingLab’s core projects is the Digital Health Validation Lab (DHVL) – a dedicated capability for validating new digital health technologies for academic and commercial innovators. The DHVL will provide access to clinical academic expertise to develop the evidence to support evaluation of technologies including device performance, clinical pathway mapping, stakeholder (patient and staff) acceptability and effectiveness analysis – thereby playing a key role in the development and commercialisation of these innovations.

Job Purpose

The Portfolio Manager will be responsible for overseeing and coordinating the diverse range of projects within the DHVL's portfolio, ensuring successful initiation, execution, and contributing to the growth  of the labs operations and services. The postholder will manage a significant project portfolio, providing comprehensive high-level professional support.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1.       Develop, implement and maintain an effective portfolio management strategy for the Digital Health Validation Lab, aligning with the lab's objectives and goals.

2.       Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to assess project feasibility, resource requirements, and potential impact.

3.       Drive the project lifecycle including project initiation; management of the project and its resources; agreement of the technical and quality strategy; establishment of robust delivery schedules and applying discretion in co-ordinating project delivery activities to meet project outcomes.

4.       Prioritise projects based on strategic objectives, available resources, and market opportunities.

5.       Oversee the execution of projects within the lab's portfolio, ensuring adherence to timelines, budgets, and quality standards.

6.       Monitor project progress, define standard operating procedures for DHVL, identify potential risks, evaluate alternatives and implement corrective actions as necessary.

7.       Facilitate effective communication and collaboration among project teams, researchers, and industry partners.

8.       Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders, including academic researchers, clinicians and NHS, industry partners, investors, and government entities.

9.       Collaborate with stakeholders to identify potential funding opportunities and partnerships to support the lab's projects.

10.    Manage the allocation of resources, including financial, human, and technical resources, providing support, leadership and direction to ensure successful project delivery.

11.    Continuously evaluate the portfolio to identify opportunities for optimisation, including potential synergies among projects, resource reallocation, and project adjustments to maximize overall portfolio benefits.

12.    Effectively manage changes within the portfolio, including project scope changes, resource reallocations, and adjustments to project priorities. Ensure that changes are communicated and implemented smoothly.

13.    Work closely with finance and administrative teams to develop and manage project budgets, reviewing proposals from DHVL collaborators to ensure development of sustainable portfolio

14.    Establish metrics and evaluation criteria to assess the impact and success of projects within the lab's portfolio.

15.    Conduct regular evaluations and reporting on project outcomes to internal and external stakeholders, embrace feedback and lessons learned to enhance the effectiveness of portfolio management practices.

16.    Stay abreast of emerging trends, technologies, and developments in the digital health space.

17.    Use market insights to inform decision-making and identify potential areas of growth for the lab.

Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Knowledge/Qualifications

Essential:

A1 Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 9,10 or 11 (Ordinary/Honours Degree, Post Graduate Qualification), or equivalent in a relevant scientific area.

A2 Knowledge & experience of project management techniques and tools and their application in a health innovation context

A3 Broad understanding and awareness of the health innovation cycle

A4 Knowledge of project management software applications (MS Project or equivalent).

A5 Experience and Knowledge of Research processes, including regulatory, financial and ethical within both UoG and NHS.

Desirable:

B1 MSc in relevant life sciences area

B2 Formal project management qualification (e.g. PRINCE 2)

B3 A working knowledge of University policies and procedures

B4 Knowledge of how to work effectively with the NHS in Scotland

B5 Working understanding of the operation of translational and/or clinical projects from a regulatory requirements perspective

Skills

Essential:

C1 Proven ability in portfolio management, preferably in the healthcare or digital health sector.

C2 Excellent organisational skills with ability to manage competing project activities across a multi-year basis, whilst working to tight deadlines.

C3 Excellent leadership and team management skills, with the ability to motivate and inspire cross-functional teams.

C4 Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively engage with diverse stakeholders.

C5 Demonstrated ability to think strategically, solve problems, and make data-driven decisions.

Experience

Essential:

E1 Experience in securing funding and managing budgets.

E2 Effective negotiating skills and diplomacy skills to negotiate a way forward in a collaborative environment and securing agreement from the partner level teams.

E3 Proven ability to solve problems creatively working in a technically complex area and working across a range of management functions.

E4 Experience of providing high calibre technical leadership and direction within a complex multi-stakeholder high profile context.

E5 Able to prioritise own work and that of others under conflicting pressures.

Desirable:

F1 Experience of working with digital health technologies, their applications, and the healthcare industry's regulatory landscape.

F2 Experience of delivering digital health technology evaluations working with academic, regulatory and clinical experts

F3 Experience of developing process to develop streamlined onboarding of projects ensuring compliance with UoG and NHS SOPs.

Closing date:  12 June 2024

Terms and Conditions

Salary will be Grade 7, £39,347 - £44,263 per annum.

This post is full time, and has funding up to 30 September 2026.

As part of Team UofG you will be member of a world changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.

2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension - pensions handbook https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/payandpensions/pensions/, benefits and discount packages.

3 A flexible approach to working.

4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing, including a free 6-month UofG Sport membership for all new staff joining the University  https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/healthwellbeing/.

We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/.

We endorse the principles of Athena Swan https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/athenaswan/ and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.

We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs/ for more information.