Deputy Director (Clinical) | NHS England

NHS England; Leeds, Greater London; On-site; GBP 113,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS England is seeking a Deputy Director (Clinical) to shape the safe delivery of national programmes and to provide a strong clinical voice across the Transformation Directorate.

The post-holder will lead clinical informaticians, engage with stakeholders, and guide clinicians across services in large-scale change, reporting to the CMIO and working toward a unified job description.

Qualifications

• Must be a registered and regulated health or care professional with advanced specialist knowledge and training as a Clinical Safety Officer (CSO).
• Experience in leading clinical informaticians in large-scale change.

Responsibilities

• Lead the NHS England Digital Clinical Governance Framework across services and programmes.
• Deliver and implement clinical governance, quality improvement, clinical safety, and benefits delivery.

Skills

Clinical governance

Stakeholder engagement

Leadership

Strategic planning

Education

Registered clinician

Job description

Deputy Director (Clinical) | NHS England

Company:

Company: NHS England

Salary: £112,782 - £129,783 per annum (exclusive of London Weighting)

In this Deputy Director role, you will join a diverse team of clinicians working across NHS England’s Transformation Directorate. You will help shape the safe delivery of national programmes, ensuring clear benefits for patients and the public, and supporting clinicians to deliver better care.

Our Deputy Directors set direction and provide the framework for Clinical Informaticians leading large-scale change. You will also act as a key clinical voice within programme teams.

You will regularly engage with internal and external stakeholders, often on complex or sensitive issues. You will lead and support clinicians across the organisation, ensuring programmes have access to appropriate clinical input and are represented at Programme Boards, Clinical Reference Panels, or Advisory Groups.

You’ll join a multi-professional team of experienced clinicians who have chosen informatics as their specialist field. It’s an exciting time to join, as clinical informatics plays an increasingly vital role in the safe and effective use of technology across health and care.

Candidates must be registered and regulated health or care professionals, with advanced specialist knowledge and training as Clinical Safety Officers (CSOs).

Appointments may be made under Agenda for Change

The post holder will report to the Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO) and will be working towards a generic job description. They will be responsible for leading clinical informaticians within the Transformation Directorate and maintains a strategic overview of all areas of responsibility, providing the framework and direction for clinicians working across services and programmes and involved in large scale change.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading the NHS England Digital Clinical Governance Framework, working across services, programmes, and projects.
• Responsible for the delivery and implementation of clinical governance, continuous quality improvement, clinical safety, and clinical benefits delivery.
• Provides highly-specialised and expert clinical informatics advice and expertise to both clinical and non-clinical staff.
• Representing and promoting understanding of the voice of citizens and patients in digital healthcare-related fora.
• Demonstrates experience, credibility and the ability to influence and establish the respect of clinical and non-clinical professionals at all levels
• Leading effective engagement with key stakeholders, professional communities and system users to ensure high-quality clinical input into NHS England activities.

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

If you would like to know more or require further information, please visithttps://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.

Key aspects of this role will be to:

• Manage, monitor and report on benefits realisationmanagement,tracking the progress and ensuring that the intended benefitsareachievedwithoutcomesmaximised.
• Manage the impactonbusiness-criticalprocessandkeytalent.
• Manage the appropriateprogrammecontrols ensuring monitoringandcontrolactivitiesandperformancetargetsareontrack.
• Ensure appropriatestakeholderengagement strategy is in placedefininghow the strategywillengagewithall stakeholder groups andwhatinformationflowswillbe established andmaintained.
• Ensure there is a resource management planwhichsets outtheactivities required toimplement.(Resources meaning finances,people,assets andtechnology).
• Operate effectively in a flexible and demanding environment and proactively engage with stakeholders.
• Lead as an expert; integrating systems and managing effective working relationships with the appropriate stakeholders.
• Required to present to a range of internal and external stakeholders (including executive sponsors and non-executive authorities). Information relating to programme/service delivery often in challenging and potentially hostile situations.
• Manage the Directorate, building a collaborativeworking environmentand an innovativeculture.
• Motivate and inspire staff throughout the strategy to role model leadership and innovation.
• Leading multiple teams to ensure the plan/deliverables are met in a timely manner, to the required standards and within budget.

The role’s base is flexible however there is a requirement for travel to London for occasional meetings. Where relevant, there may be travel across England with the need for overnight stays, some of which maybe consecutive.

You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities 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.

This advert closes on Sunday 18 Oct 2026

£113,227 - £130,576 pa (includes a RRP payment of 20%, exclusive of London weighting)

£131,301 per annum (Starting from £131,301)