Case studies
NHS Blood and Transplant
Role
- Finance Systems Project Manager (Interim)
Client profile
NHS Blood and Transplant is the organisation that manages blood donation services in England and transplant services across the UK. They are a unique organisation within the healthcare landscape and contribute to worldwide research and development around donation, transfusion and transplant practices.
Assignment
Robertson Bell was engaged to find an interim Finance Systems Project Manager for NHS Blood and Transplant, while the organisation was in the midst of a review of its current finance system and operations. This was part of a wider organisational move by NHS Blood and Transplant to streamline and automate its processes for enhanced performance and capability.
The new Finance Systems Project Manager would be tasked with leading the project team on scoping out the requirements of the organisation. This necessitated very specific skillsets and knowledge of particular finance programmes. Extensive experience with finance systems, data migration, upgrades and implementation was vital, as was a working knowledge of end-to-end scoping projects and excellent project management skills.
Considerations and challenges
- The client was searching for a six-month, part-time position, which reduced the pool of potential candidates.
- The interim market is fast-paced and ever-changing , so it was important to find dedicated and motivated candidates with the ability to fully commit to the role in these circumstances.
- The client required a candidate with a very specific skillset including that of particular finance systems, so sourcing talent within this niche skill further reduced the talent pool.
Solution
While the client had an idea of their ideal candidate, our consultants helped shape their requirements further using their deep knowledge of the current market and latest trends. Robertson Bell met with NHS Blood and Transplant to understand the client, the role, and the day-to-day responsibilities which helped to determine specifications before launching a campaign.
The client was keen to see a wide variety of options, so we conducted a full advertising and marketing campaign across LinkedIn, jobs boards and our own network. We also spoke directly to potential candidates from within our network.
Our consultants focussed on attracting candidates with project-based experience, combined with the proven ability to quickly make an impact and hit the ground running. We accurately portrayed the benefits of the role, highlighting the innovative nature of the job and the responsibility for transforming the organisation’s current financial system.
We also placed emphasis upon the high-profile position, which would provide the successful candidate with excellent visibility both within the NHS and the wider sector. While this was an interim position, it could truly be a critical career highlight for the right candidate.
Outcome
Within a shortlist of five promising candidates, skillsets were varied and demonstrated the wide scope of the market to the client. The differences in character, CVs, personality traits, experiences and costs meant a comprehensive analysis of each candidate was vital in narrowing down the best match for NHS Blood and Transplant.
The successful candidate was ultimately sourced from our own database system of highly skilled and accomplished contacts within the finance sector.
Robertson Bell’s relationship with the client is a long-standing one. We have a wealth of experience working with public sector health organisations and their finance departments, so we are able to quickly identify what they need from a candidate and the skills required. Due to our strong standing within the market, clients and candidates alike have confidence in our ability to find these talented individuals.