Job vacancy: Chief Engineer, NHS England, Nationally

Job summary

Main area: Design & Engineering
Grade: ESM 1
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 990-NHP-15791-E

Employer: NHS England
Employer type: NHS
Site: Any NHS England office base
Town: Nationally
Salary: £100,000 Per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 31/07/2025 23:59

Chief Engineer

ESM 1

Our Organisation

The NHS is building a culture that is positive, compassionate and inclusive – and we all have our part to play.

As employers we are committed to protecting and promoting the physical and mental health and wellbeing of all our colleagues. This underpins our values as set out in the NHS Constitution and supports us to be an Employer of Choice, while helping our colleagues to deliver high quality services for our patients and communities.

As a flexible employer, we want to support you to work in a way that is best for the NHS, our patients and you. Talk to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time, hybrid working or another flexible pattern. In addition, although the role advertised may have a ‘home’ office base indicated, we remain committed to supporting flexibility around workplace locations. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

We are an accredited Living Wage Employer which means that every colleague working for our organisation and third-party contractors will earn a real Living Wage. We are one of over 15,000 organisations, who voluntarily chose to pay the real Living Wage.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.

Please note that the grade for this post is ESM 1.

For more information on the NHP programme

Closing date: 31 July 2025

Interview dates: TBC

Due to ongoing organisational change and developments, aspects of this role may be subject to change.

By applying for this position, you acknowledge and understand that NHS England is currently undergoing a consultation process to finalise its structure, which may impact this role.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

A bachelor's degree or master’s degree in architecture, engineering, construction management, or a related field is typically required

Desirable criteria

Membership in professional organisations or associations related to architecture, engineering, or healthcare facility design and construction would be beneficial. For example, membership in the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) or the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB)
Professional accreditation or registration with a relevant architectural or engineering body

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

Extensive experience in the design and construction of facilities (ideally in healthcare) with a focus on developing Reference Designs and standard components, along with a strong understanding of testing and piloting these designs to inform best practices and support continuous improvement
Comprehensive knowledge of national and international healthcare facility design standards, guidelines, and best practices, combined with a strong understanding of spatial design principles and their application in creating effective healthcare environments
Knowledge of modular construction processes and the ability to ensure that design specifications align with constructability requirements
Experience in reviewing and aligning design solutions with clinical briefs and standards
Knowledge of whole-life design principles, sustainability, digital, low carbon initiatives, and emerging building design standards in the healthcare sector
Proficiency in Building Information Modeling (BIM) and its application in checking integration, coherence, and constructability of designs
Expertise in governance and decision-making

Skills, Capabilities & Attributes

Essential criteria

Strong leadership and project management skills to oversee the development and implementation of Reference Designs and standard components, coordinate testing and piloting activities, manage timelines, and ensure successful delivery of outcomes
Excellent communication and collaboration skills to engage with a variety of stakeholders.
Analytical and problem-solving skills to assess the effectiveness of the national Reference Design in meeting transformational briefs, spatial requirements, and standards.
Strategic thinking and decision-making abilities to define non-clinical standards, master planning, and test fit guardrails for schemes.
Attention to detail to review and check design specifications, spatial layouts, and compliance with clinical and non-clinical standards

Our commitments to you

We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better patient outcomes. We strive to ensure our people feel trusted, valued and empowered. We’re passionate about nurturing and developing people. When you join us, we want you to grow and excel, and we offer many opportunities for you to do that. We welcome your talent and enthusiasm irrespective of age, disability, neuro-divergence, sex, gender identity and gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances. We have policies and procedures to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability and/or who are neuro-divergent.

We welcome applications from disabled candidates. If you meet all the essential criteria, you will be guaranteed an interview.

Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK under the Skilled Worker route are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

If applying for this role on a secondment basis, please make sure you have obtained prior agreement from your current line manager to apply for this position.

Please note that we currently do not accept applications via recruitment agencies.

In order to comply with the HM Government Functional Standard GovS 007, and specifically the Personnel Security Standards 2024, all individuals employed or contracted by NHS England are now required to undergo a Baseline Personnel Security Standards check.
All existing post-holders within NHS England will be required to complete the check as part of the wider roll out plan.

The NHS Business Services Authority is responsible for the processing of your application; a privacy notice is attached to advise you on how we will process your personal data.

If you have applied via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred third-party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. If you are appointed to a post, information will also be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through NHS Jobs, and furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any emails sent to us via NHS Jobs. If you have a query relating to your application, please contact the recruitment team on [email protected] or 0300 330 1369. You can view our Privacy Notice here.

NHS England