Senior Programme Manager – Cancer & Diagnostics

NHS; Glenfield; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust is seeking a Senior Programme Manager for Cancer & Diagnostics to drive regional transformation across the East Midlands. The role requires strategic leadership, delivery of regional programmes, and improving cancer outcomes with NHS partners.

The post sits at Band 8C with hybrid working patterns, based in Leicester. Applicants should bring master’s-level expertise, extensive NHS programme leadership, and strong stakeholder management skills.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or equivalent experience; further CPD and development desirable.
• Extensive experience leading complex transformation programmes in NHS or similar.
• Strong leadership, communication, negotiation and influencing skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead regional cancer and diagnostics transformation programmes.
• Deliver the Operational Performance & Improvement Strategy across the East Midlands.
• Translate national cancer/diagnostics policy into regional delivery.
• Improve Cancer Waiting Times and 62-day performance.
• Lead Community Diagnostic Centre programmes and diagnostic pathways.

Skills

Leadership

Programme management

Analytical skills

Communication

Planning & organisation

Budget management

Education

Master's degree or equivalent

Doctoral level qualifications desirable

Job description

Go back University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

Senior Programme Manager – Cancer & Diagnostics

The closing date is 28 September 2026

Band 8C

East Midlands Cancer Alliance (EMCA)

Location: County Hall, Leicester (Hybrid Working)

Lead the transformation of cancer and diagnostic services across the East Midlands

Do you have the vision, leadership and programme management expertise to drive large-scale transformation across complex healthcare systems?

The East Midlands Cancer Alliance (EMCA) is seeking an exceptional Senior Programme Manager - Cancer & Diagnostics to lead some of the region's most significant transformation programmes. This role sits at the forefront of delivering the ambitions of the NHS 10-Year Cancer Plan, improving early diagnosis, reducing waiting times and transforming diagnostic services for more than five million people across the East Midlands.

Working with NHS England, Integrated Care Boards, Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), provider Trusts and clinical leaders, you will provide strategic leadership across cancer performance, diagnostics and service redesign

Main duties of the job

As a Senior Programme Manager, you will lead a portfolio of complex, multi-organisational programmes that improve cancer services and diagnostic pathways across the East Midlands.

You'll work at a senior system level, influencing strategic direction, translating national policy into regional delivery and ensuring programmes achieve measurable improvements in patient outcomes, operational performance and service sustainability.

What you'll do

You’ll provide strategic leadership by:

Leading the development and delivery of regional cancer and diagnostics transformation programmes.

Delivering the Operational Performance and Improvement Strategy across the East Midlands.

Translating national cancer and diagnostics policy into deliverable regional programmes.

Leading improvement of Cancer Waiting Times, including the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) and 62-day performance.

Lead the future of diagnostics

A significant element of this role is leading the transformation of diagnostic services across the region.

You'll provide strategic oversight of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) and support the development of modern, efficient diagnostic pathways by:

Leading system-wide Community Diagnostic Centre programmes.

Improving diagnostic capacity, utilisation and productivity.

Developing patient-centred diagnostic pathways across community and acute settings.

About us

Our new strategy, developed with the support and feedback of colleagues, patients, and partners, is our compass for the next seven years (2023-2030).

We have four primary goals:

• high-quality care for all,
• being a great place to work,
• partnerships for impact, and
• research and education excellence

And we will embed health equality in all we do - taking active steps to reduce the avoidable differences in healthcare that some people face, working in partnership with communities.

Our strategy is underpinned by new values and we will work to ensure they are an everyday reality for all:

• we are compassionate,
• we are proud,
• we are inclusive, and
• we are one team

This is an exciting moment as we look to the future with clarity on what we already do well and where we need to focus our energies to make an even bigger difference for the people we serve.

About the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust:

Job responsibilities

About you

We're looking for an experienced senior programme leader who can confidently influence at executive level and deliver complex transformation across healthcare systems.

You’ll have:

A Master's degree (or equivalent experience), with evidence of continuing professional development. Further specialist qualifications at doctoral level are desirable.

Extensive experience leading complex transformation programmes within the NHS or similarly complex organisations.

Strong understanding of cancer services, diagnostics and operational performance improvement.

Significant experience developing long-term strategic plans and translating policy into delivery.

Outstanding leadership, communication, negotiation and influencing skills.

Experience managing substantial budgets, governance and programme assurance.

Excellent analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex information and use data to drive improvement.

Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and building partnerships across organisational boundaries.

Why join the East Midlands Cancer Alliance?

This is a unique opportunity to influence the future of cancer and diagnostic services across an entire region.

You’ll work alongside senior NHS leaders and clinical experts to:

Deliver the ambitions of the NHS 10-Year Cancer Plan.

Improve cancer outcomes through earlier diagnosis.

Shape the future of Community Diagnostic Centres.

Introduce innovative diagnostic technologies and AI-enabled solutions.

Improve patient access, experience and operational performance.

Lead programmes with genuine national significance.

We offer:

Hybrid and flexible working.

Generous annual leave entitlement.

Leadership development and continuing professional development opportunities.

A collaborative, ambitious and supportive working environment.

Working arrangements

The role is based at County Hall, Leicester, with hybrid working available. Regular travel across the East Midlands is required, including attendance at provider Trusts, Community Diagnostic Centres, Integrated Care Boards and regional meetings. The successful candidate will also work on-site within provider organisations when required to support pathway improvement, operational performance recovery, service redesign and diagnostic transformation.

Make a lasting difference

Every programme you lead will contribute to earlier cancer diagnosis, shorter waiting times, more efficient diagnostic services and better outcomes for thousands of patients across the East Midlands.

If you're ready to lead strategic transformation at scale and shape the future of cancer and diagnostics across the NHS, we'd love to hear from you.

Join the East Midlands Cancer Alliance and help deliver the next generation of cancer and diagnostic services across the East Midlands.

Person Specification

Knowledge, Training and Experience

• Master's degree or equivalent experience.
• Further specialist training or qualifications equivalent to PHD level Evidence of CPD

Communication and Relationship Skills

• Provide and receive highly complex/sensitive/ contentious information where there maybe barriers to understanding that will need highly developed persuasion, negotiation, reassurance, and empathy skills

Analytical and judgement skills

• Highly Complex facts or situation that require analysis, interpretation, and comparison to develop strategies, assist strategic objective and ensure team performance/delivery

Planning and organisational skills

• Developing long term strategic plans for service improvement in new areas

Responsibilities for patient, client care

Responsibilities for policy and service deployment implementation

• Responsible for policy development and implementation across working area and/or organisation where appropriate

Responsibilities for financial and physical resources

• Hold budgets for services, departments, and major areas of activity i.e commissioning services.

Responsibilities for human resources

• Responsible as line manager for several departments and/or service areas. Responsible for designing and delivering relevant training.

Responsibilities for information resources

• Develops documents from relevant information

Responsibilities for research and development

• Undertakes surveys pertaining to own area of work

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.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust