Senior Specialist - Disease Management at Discovery Limited

Key Purpose

• The successful incumbent will be responsible for the development and implementation of the strategy for the Disease Management Portfolio, which includes Oncology, HIV, Advanced Illness Benefit, Care Coordination Services, Member Care Programme, CMO and other disease management programs which must support and underpin the strategy of Discovery.

The role will have three main areas of focus, but is not limited to only this:

• Innovation and business improvement to move functions forward
• Maintenance of functions across streams
• Project Management and Implementation

Key outputs

The successful applicant will be responsible for but not limited to the following job functions:

Areas of responsibility may include but not limited to

Implementation and Maintenance

• The person will lead dynamic, clinically diverse teams that will change based on project needs:
• To drive strategic delivery and execute innovation across all functions that the incumbent is responsible for
• To embed a culture of drive, engagement and enhancement across portfolio
• To work closely with strategic risk management and care operations to execute business imperatives.
•  To ensure that SOPs are accurate, updated and in place for new and existing functions.
• To ensure that the functions are audited, and audit reports used in order to drive business improvement, efficiencies and controls.
• To analyze data and trends and implement processes to enhance the function.
• To ensure that reports and dashboards are available to support the business.
• To effectively assist with escalations from the relevant operations and servicing areas where necessary.
• To sign-off both marketing and training material for the areas managed.
• To ensure that accurate and relevant training content is available to FE
• To chair weekly/monthly forums with the relevant teams.
• To maintain effective relationships with all levels of the business.
• Develop frameworks and principles to guide streams.
• Representation of the function at various internal forums.
• To prioritize clear and effective communication across all relevant business areas

Move the business forward

• To innovate and initiate business improvement projects through research and best practice, understanding of the industries impacting the function.
• To innovate and continuously improve the function, making it the best of breed, comparable with international best practice by performing broad based research.
• Benchmarking Discovery’s performance to the best of breed.
• Monitoring the performance and trends within the functions and where applicable ensuring that trends corrective action/new initiatives are implemented

Project implementation

• To act as the Business Owner and/or lead a team that is responsible for:
• Drafting initiation papers and business cases for new initiatives and to present these in order to get key initiatives and system changes effected.
• Review and sign off of specs, analyze and sign off test cases.
• To contribute technically to all projects having a bearing on the functions managed in order to ensure that such projects enhance the functions.
• To plan and implement year-end projects which are assigned and to ensure successful implementation of these projects.
• To check work methodologies and outcomes and ensure that they are consistent operationally.
• To perform post implementation analysis and make recommendations.
• To support all impacted business and operations areas through skillful project implementation

Competencies

The successful candidate would need to have the following competencies:

• Strategic Ability to make prompt, clear decisions, which may involve tough choices or considered risks. Takes responsibility for actions, projects, and people. Takes initiative and acts with confidence working under own direction. Initiates and generates activity.
• Provides others with a clear direction. Sets appropriate standards of behavior. Delegates work appropriately and fairly. Motivates and empowers others. Provides staff with development opportunities and coaching. Recruits staff of a high caliber.
• Establishes good relationships with customers and staff. Builds wide and effective networks of contacts inside and outside the organisation. Relates well to people at all levels. Uses humor appropriately to enhance relationships with others.
• Makes a strong personal impression on others. Gains clear agreement and commitment from others by persuading, convincing and negotiating. Promotes ideas on behalf of self or others. Manages conflict. Makes effective use of political processes to influence and persuade others.
• Analyses numerical data, verbal data and all other sources of information. Breaks information into component parts, patterns and relationships. Probes for further information or greater understanding of a problem. Makes rational judgements from the available information and analysis. Produces workable solutions to a range of problems. Demonstrates an understanding of how one issue may be a part of a much larger system.
• Rapidly learns new tasks and quickly commits information to memory. Gathers comprehensive information to support decision making. Demonstrates a rapid understanding of newly presented information. Encourages an organizational learning approach (i.e., learns from successes and failures and seeks staff and customer feedback). Manages knowledge (collects, classifies, and disseminates knowledge of use to the organisation).
• Works strategically to realize organizational goals. Sets and develops strategies. Identifies and develops positive and compelling visions of the organization’s future potential. Takes account of a wide range of issues across, and related to, the organisation.
• Sets clearly defined objectives. Plans activities and projects well in advance and takes account of possible changing circumstances. Manages time effectively. Identifies and organizes resources needed to accomplish tasks. Monitors performance against deadlines and milestones.
• Focuses on customer needs and satisfaction. Sets high standards for quality and quantity. Monitors and maintains quality and productivity. Works in a systematic, methodical, and orderly way. Consistently achieves project goals.

Qualifications & Experience
The following are essential requirements.  

• Must have a relevant tertiary qualification 
• At least 3-5 years of strategic and operations management experience in Healthcare 
• Advanced Project management
• Strong presentation skills
• Advanced negotiation skills
• Advanced interpersonal relationship skills
• Advanced planning and forecast skills

Advantageous

• Clinical Qualification
• Relevant legislation and industry knowledge
• At least 2 years of experience with knowledge of Discovery Products
• At least 2 years of product management experience