Programme Manager

NHS; City Of London; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A national healthcare program is seeking a Programme Manager to join the Cancer Alliances Strategy & Engagement team. This role involves designing and implementing initiatives to improve local cancer services and managing relationships with key stakeholders. Applicants should have a Master’s level education or equivalent experience, alongside knowledge of the NHS landscape and proven project management skills. This is a fixed-term maternity cover position until September 2026.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of the wider NHS landscape and functioning of Cancer Alliances.
• Experience designing and delivering strategic engagement.
• Experience in program management within large-scale organizations.

Responsibilities

• Design and deliver products and initiatives for Cancer Alliances.
• Build effective relationships with stakeholders for cancer priorities.
• Implement operating models for local delivery of cancer services.

Skills

Negotiation skills

Relationship management

Project management

Education

Master's level education or equivalent experience

Job description

Job summary

Are you passionate about improving the lives of people with cancer? Do you want to ensure more people survive cancer than ever before? Working in the NHS Cancer Programme, that's exactly what you'll do.

The NHS Cancer Programme sets the agenda for cancer services in England. Working with patients, clinicians, charities and across the public sector, our aim is to reduce preventable cancers, diagnose cancer earlier, increase survival and improve the quality of life and experience for cancer patients. We develop national policy and strategy, and work with Cancer Alliances across the country to transform services for patients.

This is an exciting time for the NHS Cancer Programme as we drive improvements in performance against the cancer waiting times standards; and developing a National Cancer Plan.

The Cancer Programme team takes its responsibility to promote equality and diversity seriously. We respect colleagues from different backgrounds and embrace different cultural preferences in everything we do.

We're recruiting a Programme Manager to join our Cancer Alliances Strategy & Engagement (CASE) team. The post holder will work as part of an exciting, cross-cutting team within the NHS Cancer Programme to deliver an efficient, effective and high quality Cancer Alliances strategy and engagement service.

This vacancy is offered as a fixed term maternity cover position until September 2026.

Main duties of the job

The role focuses on local strategy and delivery, through Cancer Alliances, working in the NHS Cancer Programme's Delivery team, managing projects that support the local delivery of the national cancer agenda.

Primary responsibilities:

• Design and deliver products and initiatives to support Cancer Alliances to plan, deliver and report on local service transformation locally;
• Build effective and impactful working relationships with Cancer Alliances, Regional teams, and across the National Cancer team, to drive successful planning, delivery and assurance of cancer priorities;
• Implementation of the operating model for local delivery, to ensure our work with regional teams and Cancer Alliances aligns with the wider policy and NHS environment;
• Cancer Alliance leadership development and capability support. Development of and reporting on Cancer Alliances annual plans and financial allocations to senior delivery forums;
• Work collaboratively with senior stakeholders, both internally and externally, to deliver projects in a way that meets the needs of the NHS Cancer Programme and its stakeholders;
• Develop and manage member(s) of the CASE team to ensure appropriate project support of CASE priorities.
• Represent the Cancer Programme at a range of internal and external forums and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders and delivery partners.
• Work flexibly across the team's portfolio and within tight timescales.

About us

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
• Delivering value for money.

Person Specification

• Qualifications Essential:
• Educated to masters level, or with equivalent experience of working at a manager level in a specialist area
• Knowledge Essential:
• Knowledge of the wider NHS landscape and how Cancer Alliances operate and function within it
• Experience Essential:
• Experience of designing and delivering policy driven and strategic approaches to engagement
• Experience acting as a senior sponsor/relationship manager to NHS systems, collaboratives or networks
• Experience of programme management in a large-scale organisation, and operating within complex organisational structures
• Skills Essential:
• Ability to negotiate on difficult and controversial issues including performance and change.
• Demonstrate ability to build effective and impactful working relationships with director level colleagues to drive delivery and assurance