Lead Project Manager

-; City of Edinburgh; Remote; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading independent hospital group in the UK is seeking a Lead Project Manager to ensure timely execution of initiatives and enhance project delivery. This role includes line management and oversight of complex projects. The ideal candidate will have strong project management skills, stakeholder management capabilities, and experience in various project methodologies. Comprehensive benefits such as generous annual leave and private medical insurance are included.

Benefits

35 days annual leave

Employer and employee contributory pension

Discount and cashback for retailers

Free wellness screening

Private medical insurance

Life assurance

Qualifications

• Proven success in project management with experience in Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid approaches.
• Strong stakeholder management capabilities across diverse groups.
• Expertise in testing coordination and user acceptance testing.

Responsibilities

• Ensure initiatives are delivered to expected quality and within budget.
• Develop and maintain detailed project plans.
• Lead complex, high-value projects requiring advanced stakeholder management.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Resource planning

Testing coordination

Defect management

Education

Project management certification (e.g., PRINCE2, PMP)

Tools

Project planning tools

Job description

Job Description

Lead Project Manager | FT | Perm | Remote | Salary DOE + Comprehensive benefits

We are one of the UK's leading independent hospital groups and the largest in terms of revenue. From our 38 hospitals and 33 clinics, medical centres and consulting rooms across England, Wales, and Scotland, we provide diagnostics, inpatient, day case and outpatient care in areas including orthopaedics, gynaecology, cardiology, neurology, oncology, and general surgery. We also operate a network of private GPs and provide occupational health services to over 700 corporate clients. We are the principal independent provider by volume of knee and hip operations in the United Kingdom.

The group was founded with the acquisition and re‑branding of 25 Bupa hospitals in 2007. Since then, Spire Healthcare has made significant capital investments in its estate and continues to deliver successful and award‑winning clinical outcomes and high levels of patient satisfaction.

Spire is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 250. We were the first private hospital provider to publish outcomes data on our website, and we have received awards for our clinical quality and high levels of patient satisfaction.

Spire Healthcare is committed to the highest quality of patient care. Working in partnership with over 8,760 experienced consultants, we delivered tailored, personalised care to approximately 926,500 inpatients, outpatients, and day case patients in 2022. Patients, consultants, and general practitioners trust Spire Healthcare to deliver the high‑quality care they expect from a leading private healthcare provider.

As the Lead Project Manager you will be responsible for the timely execution of assigned initiatives, ensuring they are delivered to the expected quality and within budget. This role ensures that delivery is scheduled, structured, benefits are tracked, and resources are effectively managed throughout the project lifecycle. This role also includes line management responsibilities of project managers and oversight of more complex or strategically significant projects, reflecting greater experience and leadership capability.

Key Responsibilities:

To include but are not limited to:

• Collaborating with stakeholders to further refine initiative scope, cost estimates, and resource plans, including ongoing operational costs. Working closely with cross‑functional teams to ensure comprehensive understanding of requirements and realistic resource allocation across project phases.
• Developing and maintaining detailed project plans using best practices in scheduling, dependency management, risk mitigation and issue resolution. Implementing robust project management frameworks that support efficient delivery while maintaining adaptability to changing requirements.
• Setting and managing comprehensive testing plans, ensuring alignment with delivery milestones and quality standards. Coordinating User Acceptance Testing activities, including script execution with testers and ensuring thorough validation of deliverables against business requirements.
• Coordinating and ensuring the tracking of technical and non‑technical defects, ensuring timely resolution and impact assessment by relevant development teams. Maintaining comprehensive defect registers and facilitating effective communication between testing and development teams.
• Providing line management support to junior project management staff, including performance management, career development, and capability building activities.
• Leading delivery of complex, high‑value, or strategically significant projects that require advanced stakeholder management and coordination across multiple business areas and external partners.
• Supporting the development of project management capabilities across the organisation through mentoring, knowledge sharing, and best practice development.

Key Requirements:

Essential:

• Proven success in project management with demonstrated experience delivering initiatives to time, cost, and quality standards across multiple project methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid approaches).
• Strong experience in scope management, resource planning, and cost estimation, with demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with diverse stakeholder groups.
• Expertise in testing coordination including User Acceptance Testing, defect management, and quality assurance processes throughout the project lifecycle.
• Demonstrative experience in deployment and release management, including go‑live planning, rollback procedures, and business continuity management.
• Proficient in project planning tools and methodologies, with strong skills in scheduling, dependency management, and risk mitigation strategies.
• Experience with organisational governance frameworks, including stage gate processes, assurance reviews, and compliance reporting requirements.
• Strong stakeholder management capabilities, with proven ability to coordinate across technical teams, business functions, and support organisations.

Desirable:

• Project management certification (e.g., PRINCE2, PMP, Agile certifications) with demonstrated application in healthcare or similar regulated environments.
• Experience in the healthcare sector, particularly in delivering technology and process improvement initiatives within healthcare organisations.
• Background in change management and implementation activities, with understanding of organisational change principles and user adoption strategies.
• Experience with benefits tracking and business case development, including long‑term value assessment and realisation planning.
• Knowledge of healthcare regulatory and compliance frameworks, with experience managing projects within regulated environments.

Benefits:

• 35 days annual leave inclusive of bank holidays
• Employer and employee contributory pension with flexible retirement options
• Spire for you reward platform – discount and cashback for over 1,000 retailers
• Free wellness screening
• Private medical insurance
• Life assurance

Spire Healthcare is committed to creating an environment that will attract, retain, and motivate its people. We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to the health and wellbeing of all our colleagues and consultants.

We firmly believe that it is our people that make the business successful, and everyone should have the opportunity to work in a motivated team, free from discrimination on any grounds. We, therefore, are keen to receive and review applications from all candidates of under‑represented groups who feel they offer the requisite skills.

For us, it's more than just treating patients; it's about looking after people.