Executive Director of Digital, Estates and Facilities

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust; Carlisle; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare trust in England is seeking an experienced Executive Director of Digital, Estates and Facilities to enhance their organizational infrastructure. This pivotal role involves leading the Trust's Digital Strategy and improving patient care standards across multiple services. Applicants should have at least 3 years of senior management experience in an NHS setting and possess strong leadership skills, strategic thinking capability, and excellent communication abilities. This is an opportunity to contribute to significant healthcare transformation.

Benefits

Relocation assistance may be available

Continuous professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• At least 3 years' senior management experience in an NHS acute trust.
• Expert knowledge in managing transformation and strategy within the NHS.
• Experience of successful management of complex staff matters.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Trust's Digital Strategy and oversee the implementation process.
• Provide professional leadership to Digital, Estates and Facilities teams.
• Ensure high standards of patient care across the organization.

Skills

Strategic thinking and innovation

Excellent presentational skills

Robust leadership skills

Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Ability to analyze complex data

Education

Master's degree in relevant subject

Job description

Executive Director of Digital, Estates and Facilities

The closing date is 03 February 2026

We are looking for an experienced Executive Director to join our Executive Leadership Team at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust to lead and develop our organisational infrastructure agenda and to lead our overall approach to our organisational infrastructure. This is a newly created executive Director portfolio and is expected to add greater depth, leadership and focus to our Digital, Estates and Facilities functions, supporting the organisation on our improvement journey. We have a complex Digital implementation program with our new EPR and have an opportunity to reflect the requirements of the 10 year plan in our broader Infrastructure and Estates strategy, ensuring that we are fit for purpose for the future.

The Executive Director of Digital, Estates and Facilities will lead the development and implementation of the Trust\'s Digital Strategy, underpinned by a programme of collaborative transformation as well as the development of a refreshed Organisational Infrastructure Strategy which is pivotal to the delivery of the Trust\'s strategic priorities and long term sustainable plan including the use of its resources, partnerships, contracts and estates.

Please see attached additional documents for further information and job description

Interviews to take place week commencing 2nd March 2026

Main duties of the job

This role is part of the Executive Leadership Team reporting directly to the Chief Executive.

As an experienced senior leader, you will be responsible for ensuring that the Trust has the right Digital, Estates and Facilities in place to ensure that patient care is delivered to the highest possible standards across the organisation.

The post holder will provide professional leadership to Digital, Estates and Facilities teams (as well as potentially other portfolios). Working closely with Executive Team colleagues to develop and deliver a sustainable strategy for the organisation through the use of technology, innovation and its estate and available resources.

Working closely with members of the Executive and Senior Leadership Team, the postholder will also ensure that there are robust arrangements in place for all aspects of Digital and Estates and Facilities matters including strategic oversight of the Electronic Patient Record Project and its implementation together with building an Estates and Facilities strategy which helps support the Trust\'s overarching strategy and the NHS 10 year plan.

About us

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust provides high quality, personalised, acute, elective, specialist, and community care for a population of over 320,000 people over 2,600 miles from Carlisle to Kendal and the Cumbrian coast to the North Pennines. We\'re responsible for delivering over 70 services across 15 main locations and employ over 6,500 whole time equivalent members of staff.

The Trust aspires to be truly representative of the population we serve and we welcome applications from people of diverse backgrounds and who can evidence understanding of the needs of the communities served by the Trust.

To apply for the position, please submit a CV outlining your career history and a covering letter that clearly sets out how you meet the role specification and essential criteria, via the Trac system when completing your application form.

Job responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification for further information regarding the role and the essential and desirable criteria required to be met by applicants.

Disclosure and Barring Service:

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

The cost of the DBS must be met by the successful candidate(s) through salary deduction. DBS charges are as follows if applicable to the post:

• Standard Check: £21.50 + Administration cost of £6.50= £28.00 Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one-off payment.
• Enhanced Check: £49.50 + administration cost of £6.50= £56.00 Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one-off payment.

Please note, due to changes implemented by the Government to the UK immigration policy, individuals who require a Health and Care Visa or a Skilled Worker Visa may no longer be eligible for sponsorship where the UKVI salary threshold is not met or if the occupation is not included in the updated Immigration Salary List (ISL). Applicants must check their eligibility to be employed in any role they are interested in applying for, prior to completing an application for employment. Any applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be progressed. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

If you are applying under the Disability Confident Scheme or Armed Forces Covenant and you meet all the essential criteria for a post, you will be guaranteed an interview.

Relocation assistance may be available for successful applicants moving to the region for certain posts. Please see our Policy for eligible vacancies.

Please ensure that you document evidence of meeting all the essential criteria in the supporting information.

If sufficient response is received this post could be closed earlier than the specified closing date, please apply as soon as possible to ensure that your application is considered.

Candidates who have been successfully shortlisted for interview will be asked via an email notification to log on to their Trac account to select an interview time. This will usually be within 2 weeks of the closing date.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Master\'s degree (e.g. MBA), other relevant postgraduate qualification in a related/relevant subject or an equivalent demonstrable portfolio of experience
• Evidence of continuing professional and personal development.

Knowledge & Experience

• Board level experience
• At least 3 year\'s senior management experience in an NHS acute trust, operating at or close to Board level in an acute Trust
• Expert knowledge and skills in managing the demands of transformation and strategy within the NHS
• Detailed knowledge of complex change, risk management, health & safety and fire safety
• Recent evidence of strategic innovation and change within the relevant portfolio and within the field of health and/or care
• Detailed understanding of the process and delivery of healthcare services and of government policy for modernising healthcare, including the 10 year plan
• Experience of leading significant organisational change including a clear understanding of the opportunities available through benefits realisation
• Experience of improving services and patient/staff experience through engagement
• Experience of managing significant projects to successful completion. Experience of partnership working at a senior level with other professions and disciplines towards a common goal
• Experience of successful experience in leading the Digital and/or Estates and Facilities agenda within an acute Trust environment
• Detailed knowledge of public sector procurement methods and contract management
• Experience of delivering high levels of productivity and efficiency
• Experience of leading on organisational strategies
• Understanding of national NHS policy environment and governance frameworks
• Understanding of the regulatory environment within the NHS
• Working knowledge and understanding of the application of legal requirements and good practice in respect of Digital & Estate Services
• Understanding of confidentiality and data protection and Freedom of Information requirements
• Experienced in carrying out procurement for high value contracts including the procurement strategy, tendering and contracting processes, performance management processes
• Evidence based approach to researching the case for change and significant experience in producing business cases
• Developing key performance indicator reporting and implementing process improvements for Digital, Estates and Facilities and associated services
• Significant experience working with external organisations, such as provider organisations, contractors, local authorities, building control, HSE, regulators, etc
• Experience of successful management of complex management and staff matters.

Skills & Abilities

• Excellent presentational skills, including public speaking to large audiences
• Knowledge of key current issues in NHS systems reform
• Strategic thinking and innovation
• Excellent verbal and written skills
• Highly developed influencing, persuading and communication skills
• Well-developed leadership skills and emotional intelligence
• Robust, with experience of being able to balance competing priorities and meet personal and directorate targets within a demanding workload
• Courage to challenge the status quo and follow through change
• Ability to deal with people at all levels to guide, support and counsel on highly complex and contentious issues
• Able to interpret/analyse complex financial and statistical data and report on it
• Ability to undertake research on a wide range of relevant topics and related issues
• Politically astute
• Ability to plan, execute and deliver

Personal Qualities

• Dynamic and entrepreneurial
• Displays strong leadership skills
• Role model for Trust core behaviours, including diversity
• Ability to be credible at all levels of the Trust and across all staff groups
• Positive attitude to change
• Ability to handle situations of high emotional intensity
• Embodies the Trust values
• Displays honesty and integrity with personal values aligned to those of the Trust and NHS Constitution
• Self-awareness, emotional intelligence and resilience

Other Requirements

• A strong commitment to personal continuing professional development
• Reasonable digital skills
• Able to attend meetings and conferences across the country including overnight stays
• Disclosure and Barring Service Check

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust