Programme Manager
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Closing date: 26 May 2026
The CEP Programme Manager will provide operational and programme‑delivery leadership for the NWL Clinical Effectiveness Programme, ensuring coordinated planning, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of workstreams across boroughs and system partners, with service developments extendable across the wider West North London Integrated Care System where appropriate.
Main duties of the job
Reporting to the Head of the CEP, the postholder will drive improvements in clinical outcomes, reduce unwarranted variation and strengthen clinical effectiveness across agreed priority areas by leading the identification, development and delivery of service improvement and transformation initiatives. They will work closely with clinicians, facilitators, analysts, managers, patients, carers and community representatives to ensure alignment with system priorities, national policy, quality standards and transformation goals, including reducing inequalities and advancing the Patient and Carer Race Equality Framework. The role requires robust project and programme management approaches and strong financial acumen to manage budgets, support financial performance and prepare business cases and funding bids. The postholder will also champion digital innovation and support the digitisation of the CEP programme to enhance efficiency, safety and data‑driven decision‑making.
Operating in a complex, multi‑agency environment, the postholder will manage multiple interdependent workstreams while ensuring effective governance, risk management, reporting and performance assurance, producing high‑quality reports that clearly communicate progress, impact, risks and outcomes to senior leaders and stakeholders.
Job responsibilities
Eligibility for Skilled Worker sponsorship is limited to candidates who meet the transitional provisions described. Applicants who do not meet these provisions will not be considered. Eligibility also depends on salary threshold for the relevant occupational code (SOC CODE). Please visit the GOV.UK page for more information on Skilled Worker visa: Overview.
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
* Translate agreed ICB, Trust and system priorities into coordinated delivery plans across priority care areas, ensuring alignment with the NHS Long Term Plan and wider goals such as prevention, early intervention, improved access and reducing inequalities.
* Use population health intelligence and stratified data to design and deliver targeted interventions that address unwarranted variation and reduce health inequalities within the programme scope.
* Apply culturally competent and inclusive approaches to service design and delivery, ensuring programmes reflect the needs and lived experiences of diverse communities and are shaped by residents and experts by experience.
* Plan, coordinate and evaluate programme delivery using recognised improvement methodologies, monitor KPIs and progress to support continuous quality improvement and achievement of agreed outcomes.
* Develop business cases and funding proposals through established governance processes, ensuring clear scope, quality standards and measurable benefits.
* Provide programme‑level guidance and support to facilitators, analysts, clinicians and borough‑based teams to enable coordinated, high‑quality delivery.
* Lead the implementation of programme‑related policies and develop policies and procedures required to support the delivery of specialist programmes across the wider system, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities and governance requirements.
* Build strong, positive relationships with borough facilitators, clinical leads and local teams to ensure consistent communication and aligned ways of working.
* Identify, map and engage key stakeholders across the system, including clinicians, managers, service users, carers, community partners and experts by experience, supporting effective collaboration in a dynamic and often unpredictable environment.
* Coordinate accessible and culturally competent engagement and coproduction activities, ensuring diverse and underrepresented communities can meaningfully participate and influence decisions.
* Act as a clear and reliable communication link between central and local teams, maintaining accuracy and focus when managing complex or time‑sensitive information flows.
* Foster collaborative working across WNL Integrated Care System organisations and wider partners by delivering workshops, presentations and engagement sessions that strengthen relationships and shared understanding.
* Communicate risks, issues and changes clearly and constructively to senior leaders and governance groups, applying sound judgement when work patterns and priorities shift.
* Support facilitators, analysts and clinicians through coordination, collaboration and coaching to enable effective delivery.
* Champion inclusive, culturally competent approaches to service design and transformation.
* Contribute to workforce development by facilitating shared learning and cross‑borough collaboration.
* Use advanced project and programme management expertise, such as PRINCE2, MSP or equivalent, to design, lead and evaluate complex, multilayered CEP programmes across borough and NWL levels, managing interdependencies, ensuring delivery against milestones and strategic system priorities and maintaining full compliance with governance and accountability frameworks.
* Develop and maintain programme and benefits‑realisation plans using recognised methodologies (e.g., logic models, theories of change, KPIs, PDSA), ensuring alignment with national frameworks such as Core20PLUS5.
* Apply structured change‑management approaches and promote the use of digital tools, analytics and data‑driven decision‑making to improve pathways, outcomes and system efficiency.
* Proactively manage project risks, issues and dependencies through contingency and scenario planning, escalating concerns through appropriate governance channels.
* Identify gaps or variances in implementation plans and take corrective action to maintain alignment with scope, timelines, deliverables and quality expectations.
* Co‑develop detailed work plans with stakeholders, setting clear milestones, quality measures and performance indicators, and ensuring digital developments meet interoperability and technical standards.
* Coordinate data collection, analysis and assurance reporting, maintaining audit‑ready documentation, evidence control and robust version management.
* Manage project scope and apply formal change‑control processes, recommending adjustments for approval through agreed governance routes.
* Monitor project budgets and support financial planning in collaboration with Finance and corporate teams to ensure effective use of resources.
* Ensure all deliverables meet required quality standards and comply with information governance, data protection and confidentiality requirements.
* Provide day‑to‑day leadership of programme delivery within agreed organisational and system governance frameworks, escalating issues as appropriate.
* Maintain oversight of progress, emerging risks and opportunities within the agreed programme scope, ensuring senior leaders are appropriately briefed.
* Ensure senior leaders are fully briefed on programme performance, risk and impacts.
Person specification
Education and qualifications
* Educated to degree level operating in a senior project or programme delivery role within a complex organisation, requiring coordination across multiple teams or partners.
* Postgraduate or formal training in project management, service improvement or change management (e.g., PRINCE2, Agile, MSP), with up‑to‑date knowledge of project management.
* Leadership or management training relevant to supporting teams and project delivery.
* Postgraduate certification in a relevant field (e.g., public health, population health, or health policy).
Experience
* Substantial experience successfully managing complex projects and programmes from initiation through to delivery, assurance and evaluation, using recognised project and programme management methodologies.
* Experience operating in a project or programme leadership role, with responsibility for coordinating staff, resources and multiple workstreams within a complex organisational or system environment.
* Experience presenting complex, sensitive or technical information clearly and confidently to a range of audiences, including clinicians, managers, community partners and external stakeholders.
* Proven experience working across organisational boundaries, such as with primary care, community services, local authorities, voluntary sector partners or wider health and care system stakeholders.
* Experience supporting financial and budgetary management, including monitoring expenditure, forecasting and reporting within agreed limits and governance processes.
* Strong analytical skills with experience using and interpreting data to monitor progress, identify risks or variances and support informed decision‑making.
* Experience leading the implementation of policies and contributing to the development of new policies, procedures or frameworks to support specialist programme delivery across a directorate or wider system.
* Experience of working in clinical effectiveness, quality improvement or population health programmes at scale.
Skills and knowledge
* Strong organisational and planning skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver agreed objectives within set timeframes.
* Ability to manage and coordinate complex projects or change initiatives, translating strategic objectives into practical delivery plans.
* Ability to facilitate meetings, workshops and training sessions to support engagement and implementation of new ways of working.
* Ability to analyse complex information or data, identify trends or issues and present findings clearly to support project delivery.
* Effective negotiation and influencing skills, used to gain cooperation and support for agreed plans and objectives.
* Understanding of general practice and primary care systems, including IT systems, data and operational processes.
* Understanding of contracting, commissioning, procurement and governance requirements relevant to project delivery within the NHS.
* Strong IT skills, including use of Microsoft Office and project management software to support planning, monitoring and reporting.
Attitudes and personal characteristics
* Highly motivated and able to work independently within an agreed framework, exercising sustained concentration and sound judgement even when work patterns are unpredictable.
* Flexible and resilient, adapting effectively to shifting priorities in a complex, fast‑paced environment that requires focus and composure.
* Confident and clear communicator, able to build constructive working relationships with clinicians, managers and external partners while maintaining attention to detail.
* Consistently professional, demonstrating discretion and full adherence to confidentiality and information governance requirements.
* Required to maintain focused attention when dealing with complex employee relations matters, interpreting policy, analysing case information and providing advice.
* Required to regularly switch between tasks, respond to urgent queries and manage competing priorities, which may interrupt planned work and require sustained concentration to ensure accurate and balanced decision‑making.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such a submission for Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service will be required.
Salary: £66,274 to £73,496 a year (pro rata HCAS included).
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