Job vacancy: Programme Lead, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Denmark Hill, London

Job summary

Main area: Programmes
Grade: NHS AfC: Band 8d
Contract: Fixed term: 18 months (FTC - 18 months)
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 334-NCL-7261905-TA

Employer: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Maudsley Hospital
Town: Denmark Hill, London
Salary: £96,340 - £109,849 Per annum inc of inner London HCA
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 14/07/2025 23:59

Programme Lead

NHS AfC: Band 8d

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.

We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.

We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.

The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.

As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

Communication

Work with all internal and external stakeholders to build effective relationships that engage with the design and delivery of the EPR Programme.

Be competent in the provision of high-quality written communication including producing reports for the wider use e.g. Trust Board and associated Subgroups and Committees.

Analytical and Planning

Responsible for the development of Programme Plans for the Readiness and implementation Phases of the EPR programme.

Responsible for ensuring Risks and Issues are appropriately documented, managed and escalated as required to the SRO.

Responsible for all Programme reporting requirements for the EPR programme.

Interpret data from a variety of sources to offer recommendations on overall Programme and workstream delivery and service reconfiguration across the organisations.

Policy and Service Development

Work alongside suppliers to develop systems and services to integrate and support the implementation and digital transformation.

Support cultural and behavioural change across the Trust which will enable a new way of working to be established to improve patient care and service delivery.

Supporting the Programme Director in the Implementation of policies and procedures, monitoring progress against the strategic plan and adjusting plans and strategies in line with a changing environment.

Financial and Physical ResourcesCo-ordinate, monitor and measure supplier or subcontractors involved in the programme to ensure the contracted product / service are developed and delivered as planned.

Staff Management

Onboard programme resources.

Provide line and/or matrix management of staff allocated to the programme, in line with the Trust’s policies and procedures.

Ensure the programme team are equipped and trained to implement the programme.

Ensure that all staff are trained effectively and equipped for the new way of working enabling a smooth implementation.

Information Resources

Supporting the Programme Director in developing and maintaining programme and project systems and processes that contribute/support the Trust’s improvement and transformation programmes.

Develop and maintain systems and processes to ensure services are comprehensively assessed, appropriately planned, effectively implemented and evaluated according to agreed policies, procedures and guidelines.

Undertakes the necessary evidence-based research to inform the development of projects.

Effort, Skills and Working

Leadership Behaviours	Be a role model for the values of the trust and a key advocate for the EPR vision and benefits. Set the tone and behaviours for the programme team, being engaging, inclusive and decisive in decision making.
Physical Skills	Good keyboard skills and use of IT to produce reports, analyse and manipulate data.
Physical Effort	Respond in a prompt and timely manner to unexpected and unpredictable activity and the competing demands of highly complex area of work. Combination of travelling for meeting stakeholders, or virtual meetings. Sitting/Standing/Walking as required based on need. Work is computer/laptop based.
Mental Effort	Frequent intense concentration required for effectively multi-tasking, analysing data, writing reports and working in a team-based environment.
Emotional Effort	The post holder must be able to work successfully under pressure of time and resources. Working in a high-profile role, in a matrix environment, sensitive handling of partnerships is required. The post holder will be required to deal with difficult, and frequent, highly stressful situations and conflict, in relation to change management.
Working Conditions	The post holder will be based in an office environment and required to travel regularly across SLaM sites Working hours may need to be adjusted to meet demands of the programme and or requests for meeting from various stakeholders.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Master’s degree in relevant subject matter, or equivalent experience.
Evidence of continuous professional development in areas of workforce analytics, transformation and planning.
Evidence of successful strategic and operational programme management and delivery at a similar level.
Considerable senior management experience in a complex environment.
Experience delivering in a large and complex organisation and across Partnerships.

Desirable criteria

Formal qualification in transformation and change methodologies, i.e. Lean, six sigma, implementation science.

Experience

Essential criteria

Experience of leading transformation programme management in large complex organisations, which preferably should be in a health care or health service environment.
Experience of the design, development, implementation, and management of change in a complex, political, multiple stakeholder environment.
Experience in leading the up-skilling and development of large numbers of staff in relation to improvement and project / programme management techniques.
Experience of senior staff performance management, including motivating, developing, and coaching to meet appropriate deadlines.
Experience providing specialist advice to very senior managers, up to and including Board Directors which may materially affect strategic decision making. This will include advising a range of professionals and specialists in a range of environments.
Highly developed knowledge and understanding of the changing NHS environment, strategy, and policy agendas, specifically NHSE, and the Southeast London structures, strategy, vision and policies.
Extensive experience working across multiple organisations to secure change; within this, a proven track record of overcoming political or philosophical challenge, resistance to change, conflicting priorities or polarities.
Extensive experience of facilitating group discussions to design, plan and progress programmes and projects.
Experience influencing staff at all levels to ensure that programme or project objectives are owned by all members of the team, including users and stakeholders.
Substantial evidence of the ability to involve teams in analysis of situation and solution development; persuade teams to take on new ways of working and to constructively challenge the status quo.
Extensive experience developing, monitoring and managing budgets / delivering substantial multiple million financial benefits associated with programmes.
Considerable experience and comfort working in / with complex clinical environments.
Extensive, expert change management experience using lean methodologies and other recognised techniques, with substantial evidence of achieving sustained improvement in services.
Highly developed knowledge and understanding of organisational development and cultural change.
Significant experience of coproduction and involvement of service users and carers in service development.

Knowledge / Skills

Essential criteria

Uses advanced analytical and judgement skills including understanding and application of the most complex statistical and numerical data.
Applies excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, including advanced formal presentation skills, to audiences that may be highly specialist professionals, or may be hostile.
In line with above, can demonstrate the ability to communicate the most complex information, or sensitive / contentious information, clearly, confidently, and concisely.
Has extensive experience and capability in relation to influencing and negotiating at the most senior levels, in an environment that may be contentious, political or ambiguous with multiple vested interests.
Gathers and incorporates the views of service users and carers into service change, including in circumstances where such change is likely to be unpopular or challenged by senior scrutiny or regulatory bodies.
Set out conclusions and recommendations clearly and concisely in a range of written and verbal styles to reflect the needs of the audience.
Is confident presenting to large groups and can handle challenge from senior specialist professionals.
Is skilled in motivating senior managers and clinicians to enable delivery of programme priorities.
Works flexibly, prioritises workload and resources in response to changing demands and requirements.
Use a creative approach to problem solving.
Competent in the use of MS Office suite, including MS Project.
Basic Keyboard skills.

Personal Style and Behaviour

Essential criteria

Has exceptional emotional intelligence and the ability to read a room to navigate contentious or sensitive discussion.
Able to effectively manage polarities, bringing senior and specialist professional audiences along with arguments and recommendations.
Astutely politically aware and sensitive to the politic of change and transformation.
Demonstrating an adaptive leadership capability; self-motivated and pro-active.
Able to work with flexibility and adaptability, often within situations of ambiguity or emergent certainty.
A credible opinion former with strong influencing skill; able to negotiate deliverables and timelines at all levels of the organisation.
Able to maintain high levels of professionalism and leadership in the face of resistance, objection, conflict and tight deadlines.
A leader by example with a strong sense of quality and equality, and a track record in supporting equality both as a manager and within service delivery and/or development.
Is a team player, but able to work on own.

Physical Requirements

Essential criteria

Ability to carry out the physical requirements of the post, with any reasonable adjustment being made under the DDA.
An understanding of manual handling regulations and the ability to assess any associated risks in the workplace.

The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:

Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice
Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment
We believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff, should be treated with compassion, respect and dignity

Please note:

That all applications for this post will need to be made online
That you read and understand the Job Description and Personal Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria
That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible
That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e-recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs
That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not successful
That priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees
That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
That we are a smoke-free Trust

SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion , Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe’