Digital Services Manager

Job Title:                Digital Services Manager

Department:          Services

Reporting to:         Director of Services

Contract Type:       Permanent 

Hours of work:       Full Time (35 Hours/week) – some evening and weekend work may be required, but notice will be given.

Location:                Hybrid Working 

Direct Reports:      Support Line Team Lead

WHO WE ARE 

The Irish Cancer Society is a community of patients, survivors, volunteers, supporters, health and social care professionals and researchers. Together, we are working to save lives and improve the lives of people affected by cancer. 

A cancer diagnosis impacts all areas of a person’s life. At the Irish Cancer Society, we aim to reduce this burden of cancer and improve the quality of life for everyone affected by cancer. Our services are available for anyone affected by cancer, and we have a goal to increase the reach of our services so that we can be there for everyone affected by cancer. 

Core to the delivery of our services is our Support Line. Through the Support Line (phone and email services) our team of specialist cancer nurses assess the complex needs of Service Users to provide cancer related information and education on a wide range of topics, emotional support, and signposting/referring to services both internally and externally. The Society also operates an Online Community - a friendly, welcoming, and inclusive space supported by cancer nurses. The Digital Services Manager will lead on the management of the Support Line and Online Community, supporting our dedicated staff, and ensuring excellence in overall service user experience. 

The Irish Cancer Society is in the process of expanding the ways in which people affected by cancer can reach and access our supports and services, and improving how we understand and serve our service users. This newly created role will lead that development: identifying and implementing new digital and online channels for people to access our services, and designing and implementing the pathways and information flows to best serve people affected by cancer. 

YOU WILL 

The Digital Services Manager will be responsible for:

• Ensuring a high-quality, consistent service user experience across our existing and new channels and services. 
• The leadership and management of the Support Line and Online Community, ensuring overall quality and performance, and excellence in service user experience.
• Identifying new opportunities to reach people affected by cancer, and the design and implementation of new channels, in particular digital services. 
• Developing our case-management and call-logging systems, to ensure that relevant information and data is captured to provide the best support to people affected with cancer. 
• Designing and implementing the pathways, policies and processes for referral or transfer to other services within the Society, ensuring a seamless experience for the service user and our staff. 

Support Line Management 

• Working effectively with the Support Line Team leader, oversee the day-to-day operation of the Support Line, to ensure that the highest standards of availability, call quality, and service user experience are maintained. 
• Continually review and update our procedures and policies to ensure the highest standards, and ensure operational procedures are being adhered to and support our overall compliance.
• Be attentive and responsive to what is going on in the media/ Society, which may impact on activity e.g. an increased number of calls or emails on a specific issue.

Online community and digital services 

• Keep up to date on new technologies and digital services, and research and ensure understanding of the needs and behaviours of our service users. 
• Identify new Digital Services for implementation to ensure that everyone can access the support they need at the right time. 
• Assess potential new digital tools or technologies for the delivery of services, and develop implementation and adoption plans, including internal staffing and workflows. 
• Ensure the Online Community operates to the highest standards of quality and experience. 
• Design and implement a model for the delivery of patient education programmes through online channels, enabling booking/ registration and delivery. 

Data and insights 

• Assess and analyse call / email activity and trends, and ensure effective systems are in place to track and record activity, performance and quality. 
• Implement feedback mechanisms to identify and understand service user feedback. 
• Analyse and utilise feedback to better understand our service users and our services. 
• Utilise data and feedback to derive insights and identify improvements or adaptations of our services.
• Ensure compliance with the terms of GDPR/Data Protection Act, and promote the highest standards of GDPR compliance across the team. 
• Produce and develop impactful reports to share with relevant stakeholders detailing activity and showcasing the impact of our work. 
• Work effectively with our Community Experience team, to identify opportunities and implement enhancements in line with our overall organisational customer/ community experience model. 

Technology and tools 

• Lead, from a Services perspective, on the ongoing development of our CRM to capture information, create support plans, prompt tasks for staff, and ultimately provide a high quality service to the people who need our support.
• Work with our Technology Transformation team, to develop user requirements for the enhancement of our call logging and case-management systems. 
• Identify opportunities for new tools and technologies to enable our operations. 
• Lead, from a business perspective, the user adoption and implementation of new technologies and systems. 
• Continually seek out innovative ways to develop our Support Line and digital services, and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the work of the teams

Team development 

• Recognising the nature of the calls and work of the team, ensure that all members of the team have access to, and participate in, peer support and supervision. 
• Lead a high-performing team, ensuring the development and advancement of staff. 
• Identify training and educational needs of the staff, and develop systems to ensure skills and competencies are developed and nurtured to meet the needs of the service.

Governance

• Ensure that all staff within the service are aware of their responsibilities in relation to risk, audit and quality initiatives.
• Contribute to, and implement when necessary, the Society’s Business Continuity Plan, assess and manage risk as appropriate and address issues that may arise.
• Ensure existing operational policies are implemented and reviewed biannually or as required in accordance with best practice.
• Ensure practices and standards comply with any current or future governing bodies.
• Oversee all incidents and complaints involving Support Line and online platforms and assist in any investigation as required in accordance with Irish Cancer Society’s Complaints Procedure.
• Develop and monitor budgets in accordance with the Irish Cancer Society’s financial policies

The list of duties in this job description is not exhaustive and is intended to outline the main activities of the post holder. Duties and responsibilities may be subject to change taking into account the development needs of the service.

WHO YOU ARE

The right candidate for this role is:

• Passionate about technology: you’re passionate about how technology can enable a great customer and employee experience. You understand and are curious about digital and technology tools and platforms for the management and delivery of programmes, and are always identifying new ways that technology can support your work.
• Analytical: you are comfortable examining data and statistics and drawing conclusions to support decision making, and future planning.  
• A people person: whether it’s supporting staff, working with volunteers, or engaging with colleagues at all levels you understand what makes people tick, and create effective relationships. You collaborate easily, and know the benefits of team work. 
• A great communicator: you are able to communicate effectively across multiple channels (face-to-face, written, digital) and adopt your style to meet the audience where they are. 
• A superb leader: you are able to positively lead people to meet their goals, delegate when needed and support a team in a developing service. You know the value of the people who work for you. 
• Wonderfully organised: you are able to manage lots of different tasks at the same time, keep things ‘going as planned’ and take pride in running a tight ship. 

YOUR QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE 

• Substantial management experience in a complex operational role. The Society measures experience in terms of experience gained, rather than years, but the typical candidate would have c. 5 years of management experience in a comparable role. 
• Previous working in the health sector or not-for-profit sector may be beneficial, but the role is open to candidates from any background who demonstrate an understanding of our work and its complexities. 
• Proven record of digital service innovation and delivery, digital strategy implementation and/or operational excellence. 
• Demonstrated evidence of continuing professional development and ongoing learning, in areas such as helpline/support line management, customer experience, customer service, operations, digital services, change and project management, leadership.

HOW TO APPLY If you are interested in applying for this position, please send curriculum vitae and cover letter to Amanda Walsh, Recruitment Administrator at recruitment@irishcancer.ie

The closing date for applications is 22 March 2024.

The Irish Cancer Society is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building an inclusive environment for all employees. We know that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. 

WE DO NOT REQUIRE THE ASSISTANCE OF AGENCIES