Job summary
- Main area
- Product
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8d
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (until 31 October 2026 - Secondment only for current NHS employees)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 990-TD-P&P-18119-E
- Employer
- NHS England
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Any NHS England Office
- Town
- Nationally
- Salary
- £91,342 - £105,337 per annum (exclusive to London Weighting)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 26/10/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Head - Service Owner
NHS AfC: Band 8d
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
This is a leadership role within the Digital Services for Integrated Care team whose remit is to ensure the NHS has access to high-quality, scalable products that deliver value for money by harnessing national scale and buying power. We provide a flexible, deployable service that supports patient pathways across all care settings—driving improved patient outcomes and enhancing staff experience, while adapting to the evolving needs of the NHS.
As a Head Service Owner, you will be accountable for leading multidisciplinary teams comprising a strategic supplier management function and an implementation function working closely with product, delivery, clinical, solutions architecture, assurance, commercial, and finance to ensure the NHS has the best digital tools available to support the frontline to deliver integrated care and meet the ever evolving needs of the NHS.
Main duties of the job
This role is an ideal opportunity for someone with an interest in strategic supplier management and service ownership, who is a self-starter and adept at navigating complex environments, processes and systems.
We are looking for someone with skills and abilities in leading operational, technology, product delivery and/or commercial services with strong subject matter expertise in contract management and agile delivery.
Key to success in this role is the ability to navigate ambiguity, distill complex information quickly and lead teams through successful delivery of services
Working for our organisation
The NHS England board have set out the top-level purpose for the new organisation to lead the NHS in England to deliver high-quality services for all, which will inform the detailed design work and we will achieve this purpose 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.
If you would like to know more or require further information, please visit https://www.england.nhs.uk/.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person.
Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.
If you are successful at interview, we will run an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) in the Electronic Staff Record system (ESR). This transfer gathers valuable information from a previous or current NHS employer to support the onboarding process, including; statutory and mandatory competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You will have the opportunity throughout the recruitment process to inform us if you do not consent.
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.
Secondments
Applicants from within the NHS will be offered on a secondment basis only, agreement should be obtained from their employer prior to submitting the application.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to Masters level or equivalent level or equivalent experience of working at a senior level in specialist area. For example in health technology
- Knowledge of lean and agile principles
Skills and Abilities
Essential criteria
- Able to navigate ambiguity
- Able to quickly distil complex information and reach sound conclusions and recommendations
Knowledge/Experience
Essential criteria
- Extensive experience of leading large complex teams through successful delivery of services with demonstratable experience of continuous improvement
- Experience of leading the development and launch of products and services to meet user needs and align with organisational priorities
- Experience of managing outcomes in partnership with 3rd party suppliers
- Experience and ability to stand up and evolve appropriate governance structures to ensure successful delivery
Desirable criteria
- Experience working in the public sector and /or within the health sector
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post will require a submission for Disclosure to be made to check for any unspent criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Myra Mutuli
- Job title
- Project Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
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