Welcome from our Chief Executive

Our organisation is expanding and we're looking for people with the right values, skills and/or potential to join us. We need people with energy, expertise, enthusiasm to help us provide the very best possible specialist NHS mental health and learning disability care. This involves helping us achieve our strategy to improve the quality of life for the communities we serve through People, Prevention and Partnerships.

So what can we offer you in return?

We're an organisation which puts people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. We'll help you learn, acquire new skills and gain further experience to support your career development. And we'll provide the opportunity for you to bring your fresh ideas to work about how we can do things differently and continue improving.

You will also be joining a health and care system committed to working together to do the best we can for the communities we serve. Above all, at Sussex Partnership you'll have the chance to make a difference to the lives of the patients, carers and families across our communities.

If you like the sound of that, then come and join our team.

Job overview

At Sussex Partnership Trust we are radically transforming the way we use data and insight within the organisation. We understand the importance of putting the right information in the hands of those who can use it. To achieve the best clinical outcomes for people who use our services, we need our clinicians, service users and frontline managers have the data they need. Only then can we be sure that fully informed decision making is driving everything we do.

Following on from our highly successful Global Digital Exemplar Programme we have secured significant additional recurrent funding for the expansion of our Information and Business Intelligence team. As part of this expansion we have identified key SQL BI developer roles, which will play an important role in helping us continue our positive progress towards becoming a national leader in IT and analytics.

We are looking for bright, motivated and energetic individuals with a strong technical background, who have the ability to work alongside operational and clinical leads to bring about improvements to our services, supported by information. The ability to work well as part of a team, with strong communications skills will be as important as a strong development background.

You will have an enquiring mindset and be comfortable challenging the status quo. You will be passionate about service improvement within mental health and developing solutions that make a genuine difference to colleagues and service users.

Main duties of the job

You will be comfortable working with Project/Programme leads and stakeholders at all levels to understand and shape requirements and develop the optimal solutions. No two days will be the same and you will need to be comfortable in an Agile environment with changing priorities.

The post holder will work with fellow BI Developers to produce an integrated information architecture that enables connectivity and data communication, delivering information to various audiences in the most dynamic, appropriate and meaningful way. Working as part of a multi-skilled team the post holder will be skilled in one or more of a number of disciplines ranging from extract/transform/load (ETL) processing from multiple data sources, data processing through to report development, data visualisations and documentation. Skills in T-SQL, SSRS, SSIS, Power BI and DAX would be beneficial in this role.

You will be familiar with source control systems, tools and processes to ensure good development practices.

You will be interested in the implementation of new technologies such as cloud solutions and help the team to deliver its strategic objectives.

Working for our organisation

You will be joining a team of passionate innovative people who love working together and with partners across our organisation to tackle the big problems and make big change. You will have the opportunity to learn from peers as well as to be able to access structured, funded professional development opportunities.

It is important to us that everyone in our team has a good balance between work and home life. Flexible and home working will be available to you and we welcome applications from all parts of the UK.

To protect the health and safety of our staff/workers, patients, and those attending our sites, we encourage our workforce to get fully vaccinated against COVID

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To implement the technical design for Sussex Partnership's information architecture. This will include the development of the schema, data structures and ETL processes for the Information Warehouse to allow data from multiple Trust systems to be integrated into the Trust's information architecture.
• Implement and help design an architecture that complies with industry standards for data interchange so allowing connectivity between systems; both internal and external to the Trust, e.g. Create a near seamless interaction between the Trust's core internal applications and design in connectivity to allow for exchange of data externally via the Medical Interoperability Gateway (MIG).
• To use advanced skills in application development to enhance and develop the Trust's current data viewer application (Patient Pathways), expanding the range of information available via this application.
• Initiates and plans own work.
• Organises workload to meet project deadlines and customer requirements.
• Plans specialist IM&T projects which impact across clinical and non-clinical areas.
• To analyse requirements for and develop complex reports using specialist reporting software such as SSRS; such reports then being deployed to Trust Managers via the Information Warehouse. This will include demonstrating and discussing how reports can be accessed and used.
• Take a leading role in the continuing development and support of Sussex Partnership's information architecture; extracting data from the Trust's various Information Systems (data sources) into the Information Warehouse, ensuring at all times that confidentiality and best principles of Information Governance are maintained.
• Pass on expert knowledge to colleagues and junior staff. Quality assure all work produced by following agreed procedures and taking part in standard quality assurance processes such as peer review and testing.
• To be responsible for the development, deployment, testing, maintenance and documentation of information products used across Sussex Partnership for patient tracking and care.
• Carry out database and query tuning to ensure optimised performance of all reporting systems.
• Gather highly complex requirements relating to data architecture and reporting and maintain up to date specifications and documentation. Translate customer requirements (that may be expressed at a high level and require in-depth investigation) into a detailed technical specification. Analyse the data requirements and determine what data sources will be involved, e.g. Information Warehouse and/or external systems used by partner organisations.
• Responsible for introducing, adapting and improving systems to input, store and disseminate information used in statistical analysis; responsible for a number of information systems for collection of performance/statistical information.
• Responsible for the planning, development, review, update, upgrade and introduction of major new IM&T systems to meet user requirements.
• Ensure the smooth running of the Trust's activity data extracts and submissions - this is very important as the Trust's finances and reputation are dependent on the accuracy and completeness of these activity extracts.
• Communicates highly complex and multi stranded IM&T matters to both technical and non-technical professionals. Communicate such information clearly, tactfully and at the appropriate level of complexity for the intended audience. Seek to influence the outcome where necessary.
• Develops and delivers formal, complex technical presentations to colleagues.
• Negotiates priorities on system design, development and reporting processes with non-IM&T managers.
• Share in the responsibility for promoting and implementing Sussex Partnership's Data Quality programme, encouraging good practice throughout the Trust at every opportunity.
• Work with Sussex Partnership's IM&T providers, system suppliers and colleagues to ensure the data extracted from the clinical information systems are robust and can be used to provide meaningful and accurate reporting.
• Carry out any other duties relevant to the post outline and level.

Person specification

Qualifications
Essential criteria

• Post graduate level or equivalent qualification / previous professional experience
• IM&T Qualification
• Further qualifications in an IM&T discipline
• Other significant training and experience in a workplace setting (see below)

Desirable criteria

• Qualification in Statistics Methods and techniques
• MA/MSc in a related subject or discipline, or equivalent experience

Experience
Essential criteria

• Significant experience In the application of database query and report writing tools such as SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) and MS Access in report production and presentation
• Complex data analysis and data comparison experience
• Experience in designing and overseeing the maintenance of a Data Warehouse and its associated ETL processes
• Significant experience of MS SQL Server, T-SQL, SSRS, SSIS and other MS SQL BI Stack tools
• Training others in areas of personal competence

Desirable criteria

• Experience in architecting tabular structures to support data visualisation
• Experience Applying advanced statistical methods and techniques
• Previous NHS Experience and of NHS Data Standards

Skills
Essential criteria

• Proven track record for communicating highly technical complex issues to non-technical people, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to analyse and resolve complex IM&T issues
• Knowledge and experience of designing datasets to support analysis, audit and research at local, regional and national levels
• Ability to plan and organise own workload whilst being an effective member of a busy Information team
• Ability to plan and organise the design, development and management of databases and reporting systems to avoid the risk of poor performance. This will include capacity planning, designing a maintenance schedule and appropriate testing and quality assurance to reduce failures
• Ability to establish good working relationships with people at all levels
• Ability to manage Trust resources (databases and systems) minimising any adverse impact on the organisation
• Advanced understanding of relational database and data warehouse design
• Advanced knowledge of T-SQL, SSRS, SSIS, Microsoft Access, VB
• Knowledge of VB.net, Asp.Net, Powershell, SSAS
• Knowledge and experience of database security and security standards
• Requires advanced keyboard skills with a high degree of accuracy including Microsoft Office, Excel and MS Access along with other highly specialised BI development tools
• Able to concentrate for prolonged periods with regular interruptions
• Able to develop complex code for reports in a busy environment with regular interruptions
• Rare exposure to emotional and distressing circumstances
• Required to use VDU for most of the day

Desirable criteria

• Experience in project working and PRINCE 2 methodology
• Knowledge of, and experience in, web development technologies
• Inter-system connectivity and the use of standard message formats and/or middleware to exchange data between system

VALUES
Essential criteria

• We welcome you
• We hear you
• We work with you
• We are helpful
• We are hopeful for you
• Able to provide evidence of where you have demonstrated the Trust's Values and Behaviours
• To respect the confidentiality of patient information at all time

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
Essential criteria

• Mobility to travel across sites
• Punctual and flexible across hours of work when required
• Physically fit to undertake any duties related to the role Demonstrate an understanding of the practices of Human Rights in the delivery of this role

Sussex Partnership NHS FT is committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. Our workforce is currently under-represented from Black and Minority, Ethnic and disabled communities and we would welcome applications from these communities.

We regret that we are unable to advise candidates if they have not been shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

In the event of an excessive number of applicants the Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy earlier than indicated.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust takes its responsibilities for the safeguarding and protection of children and young people and vulnerable adults very seriously and expects this of all its employees and bank workers. The Trust works with adult and children's social care to ensure that the integrated service has systems in place to equip staff and bank workers with the knowledge and skills to recognize abuse, and take action to safeguard and protect vulnerable adults and children and young people. It is expected that all staff and bank workers familiarise themselves with the appropriate structures and policies and with the Sussex child protection and safeguarding procedures and the Sussex multi-agency policy and procedures for safeguarding vulnerable adults and undertake the relevant essential training and further training appropriate to their role.

Successful candidates are normally offered salaries at the bottom of the relevant salary range. However, where previous or equivalent NHS experience in a similar role can be demonstrated and evidenced, this may be taken into consideration when setting the starting salary.