Job vacancy: Technical Assurance Director, NHS England, Nationally

Job summary

Main area: Technical Services
Grade: ESM 1
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 990-NHP-17218-E

Employer: NHS England
Employer type: NHS
Site: Any NHS England Office
Town: Nationally
Salary: £100,000 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 25/09/2025 23:59

Technical Assurance Director

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

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 in architecture, engineering, construction management, or a related field is typically required. A master's degree in a relevant field may be preferred but not always necessary
Professional membership in relevant organisations, such as the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), and the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

Extensive experience in the design / construction / operation of infrastructure/facilities (ideally healthcare), with a deep understanding of the specific requirements and challenges
Expertise in leading and delivering technical assurance, compliance & governance on large scale infrastructure projects
Knowledge of the application of system engineering and assurance processes throughout the project lifecycle of complex, multi discipline projects/programmes
Experience of designing and implementing major infrastructure projects in line with national design standards and guidelines, and of embedding appropriate processes/procedures to support demonstration of compliance
Knowledge of the development of a technical assurance strategy and converting this into workable plans, processes and procedures
Experience of risk based assurance and the development and implementation of verification and validation procedures for assuring complex programmes of work
Experience of developing new technical assurance tools and guidance and of working with project teams to utilise these throughout all stages of the project
A working knowledge of implementing engineering safety management throughout the project lifecycle in a complex programme environment
Experience of developing tools and mechanisms to robustly control and manage assurance processes and to monitor their status at both a project and programme level
Knowledge of operational standards and assurance processes related to the delivery and operation of healthcare facilities
Knowledge and experience of the regulatory environment and statutory obligations relating to design and construction projects

Desirable criteria

An understanding of the challenges faced when integrating large scale works with existing infrastructure and the associated technical assurance considerations required to support phased delivery of works

Skills, Attributes & Abilities

Essential criteria

Strong leadership and management skills to oversee the development and implementation of assurance processes throughout the project and programme lifecycles
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate with stakeholders at various levels including Trusts, delivery teams, management, sponsors, sub-contractors, regulatory bodies and other major stakeholders.
Strategic thinking and planning abilities that will enable the development of assurances processes and procedures that will facilitate the progression of projects from design stage through construction and into handover, operation and maintenance
Analytical and problem-solving skills
Project management skills to effectively coordinate activities, manage resources, and meet deadlines
Negotiation and conflict resolution skills to address discrepancies and align standards and guidelines with diverse stakeholder perspectives

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.

Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate to us how you meet the requirements of the role. Whilst we appreciate that you may have had support with your application (e.g., using AI technology or guidance from a trusted individual), it’s important that the information contained within your application reflects your own knowledge, skill, and experience and we trust that you apply on that basis.

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.

To comply with the HM Government Functional Standard GovS 007, and specifically the Personnel Security Standards 2024, individuals employed or contracted by NHS England may be required to undergo a Baseline Personnel Security Standards check, dependent on the role.

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