Senior Programme Manager

NHS England; England; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 92,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS England is seeking an experienced Programme Manager within the Cyber Improvement Programme to oversee the transition of digital products from delivery into business as usual, coordinating with multiple teams and senior management. You will ensure governance, highlight risks, manage stakeholder expectations and deliver measurable benefits across cyber resilience initiatives.

The role requires strong change leadership and programme management experience.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading change projects and wider programmes.
• Ability to research best practices and develop stakeholder-aligned solutions.
• Experience managing budgets for complex programmes of work.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end transition of products into support.
• Ensure products have been reviewed and meet criteria for transition.
• Ensure programme governance is adhered to.
• Support strands through key implementation and transition activities.

Skills

Change management

Stakeholder engagement

Program governance

Education

MSP/MSP Practitioner or P3O / APM qualification

Job description

Cyber Operations purpose is to support safe care and build public trust by building NHS England's cyber resilience and enabling the wider health system to be cyber resilient, supporting Transformation Directorate's purpose of delivering the best care and outcomes for the NHS.

The Cyber Operations sub-directorate consists of four operational areas:

• Cyber Security Operations Unit (CSOU & SIO)
• Cyber Delivery Unit (CDU)
• Cyber Improvement Programme
• Chief Information Security Office Function (CISO)

Working in the Cyber Improvement Programme - this role works across different delivery strands and co-ordinates with a range of teams and senior management to oversee the transition of products from programme delivery into business as usual support.

The Cyber Improvement Programme aims to reduce cyber risk across the NHS and build public confidence in the handling of their private data. This is key to supporting neighbourhood models of care.

This involves ensuring alignment with programme governance, planning and reporting, highlighting and progressing risks and issues, and strong stakeholder management skills amongst others.

Main duties of the job

The role oversees and co-ordinates the delivery strands and ensures that each of their final deliverables are in a fit state, have been communicated to all appropriate stakeholders, and the benefits have been defined before they are accepted into Business As Usual support.Main duties include:

• Leading on the end to end transition from products into support
• Ensuring that products have been through appropriate review and met expected criteria for transition
• Ensuring that programme governance is adhered to
• Supporting individual strands through key implementation and transition activities

About us

NHS England has a wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers. These are focused on supporting the wider NHS to deliver high quality care, as well as doing those things that are best done once for the whole NHS.

Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms -- enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.

In March 2025, the Government announced that NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will increasingly merge functions, ultimately leading to NHS England being fully integrated into the department.

If you currently work within the NHS and if successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR).This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.

Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in our offices.

Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.

We cannot offer visa sponsorship for external candidates.

Job responsibilities

You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.

Please ensure your supporting statement includes demonstratable evidence and specific examples on how you meet the criteria for each of the key skills specified. This will be used in both the shortlisting and interview processes

Important: Please be aware there are residency requirements you need to meet:

All NHS England personnel must hold Security Clearance (SC)level as a minimum.To meet National Security Vetting requirements, SC clearances require 5 years continuous UK residency. In certain cases, this can be reduced to three years continuous UK residency, with additional overseas checks for the previous two years.

Candidates who were posted abroad for service with HM Government, Armed Forces or within a UK government role - will still be considered.

Please make sure you meet these requirements before applying for this role.

You dont need to have Security Clearance (SC) already, however, failure to achieve the requirements for Security Clearance (SC) after offer, will result in the job offer being withdrawn.

For further advice please check https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels#security-check-sc or contact [e-mail].

Secondments

Job description

Job responsibilities

You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.

Please ensure your supporting statement includes demonstratable evidence and specific examples on how you meet the criteria for each of the key skills specified. This will be used in both the shortlisting and interview processes

Important: Please be aware there are residency requirements you need to meet:

All NHS England personnel must hold Security Clearance (SC)level as a minimum.To meet National Security Vetting requirements, SC clearances require 5 years continuous UK residency. In certain cases, this can be reduced to three years continuous UK residency, with additional overseas checks for the previous two years.

Candidates who were posted abroad for service with HM Government, Armed Forces or within a UK government role - will still be considered.

Please make sure you meet these requirements before applying for this role.

You dont need to have Security Clearance (SC) already, however, failure to achieve the requirements for Security Clearance (SC) after offer, will result in the job offer being withdrawn.

For further advice please check https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels#security-check-sc or contact [e-mail].

Secondments

Applicants from within the NHS will be offered on a secondment basis only, agreement should be obtained from their employer prior to submitting the application.Please note that the reason for the fixed term of this contract is maternity cover.

Person Specification

Knowledge and Experience

• Extensive experience of leading change projects and wider programmes of work.
• Experience of researching best practice and developing solutions that can achieve optimal outcomes for all stakeholders.
• Previous experience of managing budgets for complex programmes of work, including budget setting and monitoring .

Interpersonal Skills

• Excellent communication and presentation skills and an ability to engage successfully with a wide range of people at all levels within the organisation.
• Strong ability to build relations with internal and external partners which are critical in securing the strategic objectives of the business.

Qualifications

• To have one or more of the below programme /project management qualifications or equivalent level of experience: Managing Successful Programmes Practitioner, Managing Successful Programmes Advanced Practitioner, P3O Practitioner, APM Registered Project Professional, Major Projects Leadership Academy.

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.

£79,504 to £91,609 a yearPer annum (exclusive of HCAS)

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

4 months

Working pattern

Full-time,Part-time,Job share,Flexible working