Job summary
- Main area
- Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Neurodevelopmental Conditions
- Grade
- ESM 3 or SCS Pay Band 3
- Contract
- Secondment: 17 months (until 31st March 2027)
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job share
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 990-NHSE&DHSC-7538560-E
- Employer
- NHS England
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Any NHSE or DHSC Office
- Town
- Nationally
- Salary
- Maximum of £190,000 per annum
- Closing
- 23/10/2025 23:59
Employer heading
National Priority Programme Director - Mental Health
ESM 3 or SCS Pay Band 3
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.
Job overview
Our National Priority Programme Director for Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Neurodevelopmental Conditions provides senior, credible and visible leadership to the department and system on these topics - setting clear delivery priorities, breaking down silos, driving improvement out in the system and responsible for catalysing change across services that support people with mental health needs, people with a learning disability, and people who are neurodiverse.
You will be responsible for setting the strategic direction for mental health, learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental conditions in line with Ministerial expectations and then working with leads from across the department and NHS England to ensure robust delivery plans are in place and delivering.
You will act as the Secretary of State’s key advisor on this area, as the leading voice in this field and should expect regular engagement with the Secretary of State, wider ministerial teams and with other areas of government. Including Department for Work and Pensions, Home Office, Department for Education and Cabinet Office for the delivery of the Government's Missions (growth, opportunity and safer streets).
Main duties of the job
As National Priority Programme Director you will develop the strong partnerships required to drive forward delivery of your programmes, across the system and externally, and may spend a substantial amount of time speaking to systems – to understand risks and issues in their areas, support change in behaviours, galvanize partners, and use ‘soft’ levers to improve quality/performance.
You will report to the NHS Chief Executive and crucially act as an advisor to Ministers.
In the immediate term, you will help lead the organisation through transformation, working with the national executive of the Department and NHS England to design an effective approach to delivering national priorities in Mental Health Learning Disabilities and Neurodevelopmental Conditions. You will ensure, the Department is equipped to meet Ministerial priorities and delivers the benefits envisaged through the organisational redesign. This will include a focus on efficiency savings and creating a new operating model that empowers local systems.
Working for our organisation
Our work supports the NHS to deliver high quality services for patients and best value for taxpayers.
Our staff bring expertise across hundreds of specialisms — including clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial — enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.
We lead the NHS in England by:
- Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities
- Making the NHS a great place to work, where our people can make a difference and achieve their potential
- Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care
- Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation
- Delivering value for money
Earlier this year, the Government announced that NHS England will gradually merge with the Department of Health and Social Care, leading to full integration. The aim is to create a smaller, more strategic centre that reduces duplication and eliminates waste.
If successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the recruitment process.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
You will provide key expertise on mental health, learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental conditions, this will include a particular focus on those who are autistic or have ADHD. Working with the relevant Directors (for example the Performance and Delivery, Director General and Regional Directors) to set plans and goals, design the parameters/thresholds for regional and national performance, and the right improvement and support interventions, and ensuring that these work effectively.
You will work with the executive teams to draw in specialist and technical expertise from the wider organisation in a matrix model, coordinating across different teams to deliver the strategic goals in your area. You will ensure delivery, working in partnership with regional teams to reach out into the system, connect with local delivery and ensure regional oversight and improvement/support functions.
This role is open on level move to DHSC and will additionally be made available to eligible colleagues in NHS England and the NHS. Any civil servant successful will be offered a secondment to NHS England for the duration of this role.
Location
This role will require regular attendance at both DHSC and NHS England current headquarters in Leeds and London with travel to other locations as necessary. You can be based at any of the current regional sites, with the expectation of regular time in London each week.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
The selection panel will evaluate candidates at sift using your CV and personal statement, those shortlisted may be invited to suitability chats with the selection panel full details of the assessment process will be confirmed with shortlisted candidates.
You must express your interest in the role by 11:59pm on 23rd October 2025. You will be required to apply by following the link provided:
- A CV setting out your career history (no more than 2 sides) with key responsibilities and achievements. Please provide reasons for any gaps within the last three years.
- A personal statement (500 words) explaining your interest and how your personal skills, qualities and experience align with the person specification.
Applicants must have prior agreement that they can be released for the duration of this secondment.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).
See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks (opens in new window).
Person specification
Essential 1
Essential criteria
- Deep subject knowledge with the credibility to lead the national priority programme for mental health learning disability and neurodevelopmental conditions, both with Ministers and with the wider health and care system.
Essential 2
Essential criteria
- A strong and credible track record of outcome-focused delivery, particularly within the field of mental health, learning disability and neurodevelopmental conditions.
Essential 3
Essential criteria
- A proven ability to develop motivated, engaged and high performing teams and a demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion. This includes demonstrating an understanding of how to lead large scale change, supporting your team and the wider organisation through a time of uncertainty. You will be able to demonstrate how you have supported the development of a strong organisational culture and empowered others to build successful new ways of working.
Essential 4
Essential criteria
- Proven ability to persuade and influence others and establish strong collaborative working relationships with a wide range of senior partners across organisational boundaries inside and/or outside of government. You will be comfortable working across organisations within a complex system and across organisational boundaries.
Desirable
Essential criteria
- Experience working at a national level and with ministers to translate policy and strategy into effective delivery and performance improvement.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Lauren Hughes
- Job title
- Chief of Staff to Chair and CEO NHS England
- Email address
- [email protected]
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