Feb 2021
Emma Parker, OSJCT Head of Portfolio Management Office shares her thoughts on choices for women
International Women's Day - 8 March 2021
Emma has worked for the Trust since 2018. Her latest role involves leading project teams across the organisation to deliver change. Emma is proud of creating a good balance between her family life and a successful and satisfying career in the not-for-profit sector.
Emma said: “International Women’s Day can remind women that they have many choices in life, and to make choices that are right for them. It is about reminding us that we are all role models for this and the next generation, irrespective of gender. I believe that if you work hard, and for the right reason, you can achieve your ambitions.”
Empowered choices
Among Emma’s most important choices were taking a year out before university and changing to study software engineering instead of history. On graduating she took up a role in a not-for-profit organisation aligned with her personal values and turned down an equivalent role in business.
Alongside the responsibilities of her first role Emma decided to teach herself web development, a skill which led to her next career phase in in digital development.
When Emma had her son, she chose to work part time. She felt it was important to be open with all her colleagues about working part-time and her home-life priorities for her son. When Ben was six, Emma wanted to progress her career and made the decision to move into programme management, re-training and changing organisations.
Emma said: “It felt daunting to move from an organisation where everyone knew me and supported my home/life priorities, but it was important to me to progress, rather than to play it safe.”
“My number one priority is home and that we’re happy as a family. Part of this is about maintaining a work life balance but part of it is about having a role I’m happy in, at an organisation that has the same values as me. Throughout my career I’ve made changes when I’ve felt unhappy or needed to stretch myself, and I try to manage my time and energy so that I can go home and focus on my son.”
“I know that my views and priorities will be different to many other women and that’s one of the great things about International Women’s Day, it highlights that we all have choices to make and that we need to make the decisions that will help us fulfil our own ambitions.”
Working at OSJCT
The health and social care workforce is dominated by women and The Trust works hard to create opportunities to support women to build their careers at OSJCT, around their families if that’s what they need.
Emma said: “In my role at OSJCT I’ve worked on collaborative teams with colleagues from all parts of the Trust and through this I’ve met many women who have developed their careers within the Trust in a range of specialisms including: care delivery, care quality and operational management. It is good to work in an organisation where career development opportunities are available.”
Role models
Emma credits several role models for inspiring and supporting her. She said: “My mum Lynn, started her career in her 30s in a small northern town and succeeded through hard work and dedication to doing a great job. Diane, my first line manager and a female IT pioneer in the 1970s, taught me to ‘Work to live, don’t live to work’.
“Helen, a family friend and professional coach, helped me to feel confident and supported my career change from digital development to programme management, and then encouraged me to apply for senior positions. Eve was a senior leader who demonstrated how to lead as a woman, without emulating competitive behaviours which I’ve sometimes seen in male led teams.
“Also, my dad, who told me I could do anything that I put my mind to.”
Emma sums up her thoughts on empowering women, “I would encourage women to work out what success looks like for them and then to be brave, make decisions and take action.”