Programme Director | North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust

North West Ambulance Service; Manchester; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust seeks a Programme Director to lead major digital transformation programmes that will reshape how care is delivered, how staff are supported and how technology is used across one of the country’s largest ambulance services.

You will sit with the CIO and Senior Management Team, turning strategy into delivery plans with strong governance, financial awareness and stakeholder management, ensuring benefits, safety, usability and sustainability remain at the heart

Job description

Programme Director | North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust

North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust is looking for an exceptional Programme Director to lead the delivery of major digital transformation programmes that will shape how we deliver care, support our people and make best use of technology across one of the largest ambulance services in the country.

This is a high-profile senior leadership role, working directly with the Chief Information Officer, the Digital Senior Management Team and senior clinical, operational and corporate leaders. You will turn strategic ambition into clear programme plans, strong governance, confident delivery and measurable benefits for patients, staff and communities.

We are looking for a confident, compassionate and values-led senior leader with significant experience of delivering complex digital, technology or transformation programmes in a large and complex

organisation. You will be comfortable operating in ambiguity, working across organisational boundaries and influencing at executive and Board level.

You will bring strong programme governance, financial awareness, analytical judgement and stakeholder management skills. Just as importantly, you will be able to build trust, create clarity, support teams

through change and keep benefits, quality, safety, usability and sustainability at the centre of delivery.

As Programme Director, you will provide visible and inclusive leadership across complex, organisation wide digital programmes. You will bring together clinical, operational, corporate, digital, supplier and partner teams to create the conditions for successful delivery, ensuring work is planned, assured and adopted safely across the Trust. You will lead programme control, assurance, risk and dependency management across multiple workstreams, making sure delivery remains aligned to Trust priorities, national and regional policy, clinical and operational requirements, financial controls and the needs of service users.

What you will lead:

• Delivery of complex digital transformation programmes that support safe, effective and high quality patient care.
• Clear programme vision, delivery strategy, roadmap, governance and assurance arrangements.
• Senior stakeholder engagement across clinical, operational, corporate, digital and external partner groups.
• Management of strategic risks, issues, assumptions, constraints and dependencies across multiple workstreams.
• Development of business cases, investment proposals, delivery plans and benefits-led decision making.
• Strong supplier and partner management to support successful delivery and sustainable outcomes.
• A collaborative delivery culture where people work together, challenge constructively and remain focused on outcomes.

North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust provides 24 hour, 365 days a year accident and emergency services to those in need of emergency medical treatment and transport.

Our highly skilled staff provide life-saving care to patients in the community and take people to hospital or a place of care if needed.

We also provide non-emergency patient transport services for those patients who require non-emergency transport to and from hospital and who are unable to travel unaided because of their medical condition or clinical need.

Alongside the other emergency services, we also work to ensure the safety of the public and treatment of patients in the event of a major incident.

We also deliver the NHS 111 service in the North West. NHS 111 replaced NHS Direct in 2013. This service was introduced to make it easier for people to access local NHS healthcare services in England. It provides non-emergency medical help fast, and is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Digital services are central to how NWAS delivers the right care, at the right time and in the right place. This role offers the opportunity to lead work that has real impact: improving services for patients, supporting frontline and corporate colleagues, strengthening digital capability and helping the Trust respond to future challenges with confidence.

At NWAS, how we lead is as important as what we deliver. We are looking for someone who will role model our values of Working Together, Being at our Best and Making a Difference, and who will demonstrate the Be Think Do leadership philosophy through compassionate, inclusive and resilient leadership.

If you are a senior digital or transformation leader who wants to make a meaningful difference in a complex, fast-paced and purpose-led NHS organisation, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Visa sponsorship is not possible for this role for either candidates or existing employees. This role does not meet the eligibility criteria for Skilled Worker/ Health and Care Worker visas as set out at gov.uk. Graduate visa holders should have no expectation of long-term employment through sponsorship. Additionally, your visa conditions and validity period must allow you to work in the role question and for a suitable period to allow training and execution without requiring sponsorship.

This advert closes on Friday 23 Oct 2026