Job title: Statistical Information & Communications Manager

Responsible to: Head of Statistical Information

Responsible for: Senior Statistical Information & Web Officer; Statistical Information Officer (x2)

Purposes of job:
1) Assist the Head of the Statistical Information Team (SIT) in delivering an agreed strategy to support
the needs of internal and external clients;
2) Responsibility for the acquisition and timely presentation of core statistics and information on the
web;
3) Communicate and advise on the use and interpretation of statistical information, both within the
charity and to external stakeholders, acting as a key point of contact for several key internal teams;
4) Lead on delivering a prompt response to enquiries about cancer statistics and related information.

Key responsibilities:
1) Oversee the collection and dissemination of core data on the CancerStats website through an
agreed strategy:

• Lead on the acquisition, maintenance, collation and production of core incidence, mortality and
survival data held by the SIT, ensuring appropriate quality assurance is undertaken, through the
liaison with external stakeholders, for example, the Office for National Statistics, Cancer
Registries, the National Cancer Intelligence Network and academic researchers to obtain the
data needed by the SIT to facilitate this.
• Streamline processes to ensure the CancerStats website is updated with the core incidence,
mortality and survival data to an agreed timescale, with appropriate quality assurance
undertaken;
• Oversee work to ensure the CancerStats web pages are optimised in terms of both functionality
and user experience to maintain a high volume of traffic to the website;
• Oversee the transfer of new and updated CancerStats reports to the website;
• Carry out regular reviews of the content of the CancerStats web pages to ensure they meet the
information needs of internal and external stakeholders;
• Review, improve and optimise the presentation of core data on the website by regularly
examining presentation of the team’s information by other internal departments and by
evaluating similar outputs from other external suppliers of cancer information in our field;
• Develop an effective working relationship with the editors of other Cancer Research UK web
content, especially CancerHelp UK and the Health Information Team to ensure transfer and
consistency of cancer statistics and messages.

2) Oversee the development and delivery of some key SIT outputs, and ensure all enquiries
received by the team are answered using an agreed strategy:

• Work with the Head of SIT to ensure that the SIT’s cancer information database (cStream) of
the core cancer statistics is analysed in an efficient, robust and timely fashion;
• Undertake analysis, draft content and contribute to written reports to develop existing statistical
information produced by SIT; e.g. including the production of specific information-driven
analyses, such as ad hoc reports examining the burden of cancer in men; CancerStats Key
Facts summary reports; CancerStats Explained reports;

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 • Ensure effective analysis and interpretation of statistical information, and review and improve
the content of these outputs to ensure they meet the information needs of internal and external
stakeholders, in close liaison with the Data Analysis & Research Manager (DARM);
• Maintain an effective strategy for dealing with and responding to statistical enquiries, reviewing
this periodically; maintain effective records on the volume, nature of and response to enquiries
to facilitate this;

3) Play a leading role in using statistical information to raise awareness of cancer and the
charity, helping to ensure that CR-UK maintains its position as the authoritative source of
information on cancer:
• Act as a key point of contact for key internal stakeholders, such as the charity’s Press Office,
the Policy and Fundraising Teams, and the Science Communications Team to answer queries
and resolve issues as they arise. Sign off Policy, Fundraising and press copy, including media
comments in the absence of Head of SIT;
• Proactively seek potential media stories using cancer statistics in close liaison with the DARM;
• Work with the Head of SIT and the DARM to ensure that statistical information is communicated
to non-statistical teams and departments within the charity, and externally, to meet the needs of
the wide ranging audiences;
• Work with the Head of SIT and the DARM to ensure that messages based on cancer statistics
make as big an impact as possible within the bounds of statistical robustness;
• Develop a marketing strategy to publicise the work of the SIT to internal and external
stakeholders, including the production of a regular SIT newsletter;
• Support an active presence of the SIT at conferences (stalls, workshops, posters and
presentations).

4) Support the Head of SIT strategically:

• Contribute to the team’s information strategy and input to its annual Operating Plan;
• Contribute to reporting on the activities of the SIT;
• Project-manage the delivery of some of the key outputs for SIT as required;
• Contribute ideas and engage in activities to strategically enhance the profile of the SIT;
• Deputise for the Head of SIT when required.

5) Line management:
• Employ and maintain appropriate performance management mechanisms to ensure delivery of
the Department’s strategy;
• Arrange and undertake appropriate training for the team;
• Develop and coach line reports to excel in their roles and achieve their maximum potentials;
• Contribute to the recruitment and retention of appropriate staff.

6) Promote cross-directorate working to improve integration and increase effectiveness:

• Promote cross-team working and establish ways to work together effectively, in particular with
key Fundraising Teams, the Press & PR Teams and the Local Engagement Teams;
• Promote communication between teams within the directorate and in other directorates.

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Knowledge, Experience, Skills and Competencies:

Knowledge:

Essential
• Degree and postgraduate qualification in relevant field, or equivalent relevant knowledge;
• Understanding of the needs for statistical information provision, interpretation and
communication;
• Competent in MS Office, in particular Excel and Word

Desirable
• Knowledge of health statistics or epidemiology;
• Understanding of how to use data to quantify performance and impact;
• Understanding of how to present and disseminate information to a variety of audiences in the
most relevant fashion;
• An understanding of the following computer software packages: basic HTML or Web content
management systems; Oracle (or other database package);
• An understanding of cancer.

Experience:

Essential
• Worked in the analytical and/or statistical environment, ideally in health statistics;
• Experience of communicating information, to a wide audience, for example, patients, the public,
researchers and professionals, ideally from the health field;
• Experience of retrieving, disseminating and presenting information from different sources to a
variety of audiences;
• Experience of writing reports for different audiences and adjusting the contents depending on
the audience;
• Experience of staff and project management.

Desirable
• Experience of working in the communication field.

Skills and Competencies:

Essential
• Excellent communication skills, particularly the ability to communicate complex information and
ideas to lay audiences;
• Strong analytical and numerical skills;
• Ability to act independently and make decisions;
• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to negotiate with and influence colleagues at all levels
to build effective working relationships internally and externally;
• Team building and effective management;
• Good organisational skills, with the ability to prioritise work and meet urgent deadlines;
• Writing and presentation skills, find creative and innovative ways to present information;
• Excellent interpretive writing and editing skills
• Substantial skills in standard software and database packages.

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