Senior Innovation Advisor - Health Innovation Fellowship (1-Year)

NHS; London; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

The NHS seeks a Senior Innovation Advisor to spearhead health innovation initiatives through the NWL Health Innovation Fellowship. The role entails overseeing multiple projects while fostering personal development in a collaborative environment, aimed at driving positive change in the health sector.

Benefits

Leadership and innovation development opportunities

Strong peer network

Professional development support

Qualifications

• Experience in delivering complex healthcare-related improvement projects.
• Capable of working alongside senior clinical and operational professionals.
• Knowledge of NHS organisational realities is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support project delivery focusing on innovation.
• Work on multiple projects contributing to health service transformation.
• Engage in personal and professional development activities.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Analytical skills

Education

Bachelors qualification or equivalent experience

Job description

Job summary

Are you passionate about driving innovation in health and care?TheNWL Health Innovation Fellowshipoffers a unique opportunity for NHS professionals to step into a system level role in health innovation, working as aSenior Innovation AdvisorwithImperial College Health Partners (ICHP) - Health Innovation Network. Additionally, you will be supported spend approx. 20% of your week focusing on your personal and network development.

About the Fellowship

This 12-month secondment is designed to empower NHS staff to lead and support impactful innovation projects across the health and care system. Fellows will work on real-world challenges, supported by ICHP's expert team and extensive networks.

Support and Commitment

Applicants must:

• Be employed by a NWL NHS organisation or one of our member organisations
• Have thesupport of their line manager and organisationfor a 12-month secondment
• Be committed to returning to their substantive role after the fellowship to apply and embed the learning and experience gained

Who Should Apply?

We welcome applications from NHS staff in North West London, including:

• Clinical professionals (nurses, midwifes, AHPs, doctors, pharmacists)
• Operational and transformation roles
• Public health and service improvement professionals

What You'll Gain

• Leadership and innovation development opportunities
• Experience working across organisational boundaries with system partners
• A strong peer network and opportunities to shape the future of health and care

Main duties of the job

This is a full-time role, structured as follows:

• 4 days/ 30hrs per week: Project delivery and innovation work
• 1 day/ 7.5hrs per week: Personal and professional development, including attending local, regional, and national events such asNHS Confed Expo, networking with peers, innovator/ industry engagements, and engaging in learning opportunities

The role of Senior Innovation Advisor is to support complex change by bringing energy, expertise, and empathy to bear in the development, execution, and management of innovation projects.

The role primarily supports project delivery, drawing on skills and practices relating to problem definition, scoping and planning, research and analysis, project management, and reflecting and learning.

The post-holder will work on several (e.g. two-to-three) external projects at one time. This will include a mixture of shorter-term projects (of circa six to twelve weeks), and projects within longer term programmes of activity (circa twelve months).

The post-holder is responsible for leading specific elements of a project (such as research, analysis, and materials production), working with significant self-direction; and for providing support to successfully manage the completion of the project to time and within the allocated resources.

About us

Imperial College Health Partners (ICHP):

Imperial College Health Partners (hosted by Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust) is a partnership organisation bringing together NHS providers of healthcare services, clinical commissioning groups and leading universities across North-West London. We have been designated by NHS England as the Health Innovation (HIN) for North-West London, and we are one of 15 HINs across England which make up The Health Innovation Network.

We were created by the NHS to support complex change across the health and care sector - innovating and collaborating for a healthier population. We work collaboratively on a portfolio of innovation projects known as the NW London Missions. These have been identified as:

Optimising care of long-term conditions (starting with CVD)

Enabling more days at home

Supporting children and young people's mental health

We also deliver national commissions such as:

• The Patient Safety Collaborative (PSC), which aims to address key safety issues and achieve better clinical outcomes and experience for patients across NW London, by embedding quality improvement methods; strengthening ways of working; and sharing good practice across the system
• The Innovation Exchange, which focuses on supporting innovators and industry partners

Details Date posted

04 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£54,320 to £60,981 a year per annum

Contract

Secondment

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

289-CR-28

Job locations

Hybrid (physical location: Ferguson House, 15 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JD)

15 Marylebone Road

London

NW1 5JD

Job description Job responsibilities

General expectations

You will be working across a complex set of relationships, challenges, and innovations to contribute to service transformation. You will be able to think laterally, build strong trusted relationships quickly, and work as a productive team member. You will bring an appetite for analytics, evidence, and learning in everything you do and have an ability to understand new subjects rapidly. In particular, the Senior Innovation Advisor is expected to:

Demonstrate behaviours that live our organisational values of collaboration, courage, quality, and impact

Show a commitment to learning, self-reflection, appraisal, and development, including undertaking a Personal Development Plan annually

Operate in an environment of significant complexity and ambiguity, taking time to understand the context of the operating environment and demonstrating good judgement (including seeking counsel from others when needed)

Exhibit a curiosity about the work going on across the organisation, and share with others, internally and externally, impactful work that ICHP supports to enable innovation and resolve complex problems

Actively seek to participate in available project opportunities, with an approximate expectation of being involved in project work for up to 80-85% of your time, and working on several projects at any one time (with a mix of longer-term and shorter-term projects). This is not a formal performance metric, but a rule-of thumb to guide decisions about workload and resourcing.

The description of the role is generic, without reference to specific projects or programmes, which will change over time. Postholders will be assigned to specific projects and programmes during the year, in line with the objectives and development plan agreed each year. Postholders will be expected to work in project-based matrix teams, working with colleagues drawn from across the organisation.

Please see further information in full job description PDF.

Job description Job responsibilities

General expectations

You will be working across a complex set of relationships, challenges, and innovations to contribute to service transformation. You will be able to think laterally, build strong trusted relationships quickly, and work as a productive team member. You will bring an appetite for analytics, evidence, and learning in everything you do and have an ability to understand new subjects rapidly. In particular, the Senior Innovation Advisor is expected to:

Demonstrate behaviours that live our organisational values of collaboration, courage, quality, and impact

Show a commitment to learning, self-reflection, appraisal, and development, including undertaking a Personal Development Plan annually

Operate in an environment of significant complexity and ambiguity, taking time to understand the context of the operating environment and demonstrating good judgement (including seeking counsel from others when needed)

Exhibit a curiosity about the work going on across the organisation, and share with others, internally and externally, impactful work that ICHP supports to enable innovation and resolve complex problems

Actively seek to participate in available project opportunities, with an approximate expectation of being involved in project work for up to 80-85% of your time, and working on several projects at any one time (with a mix of longer-term and shorter-term projects). This is not a formal performance metric, but a rule-of thumb to guide decisions about workload and resourcing.

The description of the role is generic, without reference to specific projects or programmes, which will change over time. Postholders will be assigned to specific projects and programmes during the year, in line with the objectives and development plan agreed each year. Postholders will be expected to work in project-based matrix teams, working with colleagues drawn from across the organisation.

Please see further information in full job description PDF.

Person Specification Knowledge, experience, and qualifications Essential

• Bachelors qualification or equivalent experience

Desirable

• Overview knowledge and understanding of the NHS, including the funding and organisational realities
• Experience in delivering complex healthcare-related improvement projects and programmes, and working alongside senior clinical and operational professionals

Person Specification Knowledge, experience, and qualifications Essential

• Bachelors qualification or equivalent experience

Desirable

• Overview knowledge and understanding of the NHS, including the funding and organisational realities
• Experience in delivering complex healthcare-related improvement projects and programmes, and working alongside senior clinical and operational professionals

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Additional information 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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details Employer name

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Hybrid (physical location: Ferguson House, 15 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JD)

15 Marylebone Road

London

NW1 5JD

Employer's website

https://www.chelwest.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details Employer name

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Hybrid (physical location: Ferguson House, 15 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JD)

15 Marylebone Road

London

NW1 5JD

Employer's website

https://www.chelwest.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)