Senior RAAC Programme Lead | NHS England

NHS England; Cambridge; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization in the UK is seeking a Senior Lead for the RAAC program, responsible for managing executive briefings, communications, and multi-disciplinary support. The ideal candidate should demonstrate experience in high-paced environments and possess strong leadership and communication skills. This role is pivotal in ensuring program delivery within a sensitive healthcare landscape. A commitment to improving NHS services for patients while optimizing value for taxpayers is essential.

Qualifications

• Experience in fast-paced roles within high-performing teams.
• Ability to respond to national requests and escalate local issues.
• Competent in managing team reporting processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead executive briefing and reporting for the RAAC programme.
• Support national RAAC programmes of work.
• Manage communications and media interfaces for the programme.
• Ensure effective programme management of the regional RAAC work-stream.
• Coordinate information flows from regional teams to national ones.

Skills

Team leadership

Communication skills

Project management

Strategic thinking

Job description

Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) planks were hailed as a light weight, but effective building material used within the UK from the late 1950s to the early-1990s. The national NHSE team have indicated that RAAC should be removed from all NHS estate by 2035, this follows a school part-roof collapse in 2018.

Consequently, RAAC is regarded as the highest known estates risk in the NHS, with the East of England having one of the highest aggregate risks nationally, due to the quantum of RAAC across its estate. In response, the region launched a regional RAAC coordination programme in 2020 managed by a dedicated team to bring enhanced focus and structure. The role of this team is to lead key elements of the regional response, through a specialist interface with RAAC impacted trusts and systems, and to coordinate multi-disciplinary support from core areas including Finance, Operational Performance, Strategic Estates, EPRR, Clinical and Communications.

We are looking to recruit maternity cover for the Senior Lead within the programme who will deputise for the Head of the programme, with experience of working in fast-paced roles in high performing teams, be positive, self-motivated, articulate and competent in responding to national requests and escalation of local issues, all within a highly sensitive and political environment.

• Executive Briefing & Reporting lead; including high quality detailed RET/RLT reporting to ensure the programme is inquiry ready: managing the team’s internal and external reporting processes and providing programme updates.
• National RAAC programmes of work; lead and support in conjunction with the Head of Programme, bespoke work programmes for the NHS, DHSC and the Cabinet Office.
• Communications and Media lead: managing the team’s interface with the regional comms team and the communication & briefing function including writing and delivering briefings for key stakeholders.
• RAAC Finance, CSR and New Hospital Programme (NHP): support the capital, CSR and NHP workstreams, alongside the RAAC programme officer and specialist regional colleagues.
• Programme management of the regional RAAC work-stream: managing the effective high standard assurance and governance.
• Managing the information flows from the Region to the National teams: including coordinating returns from Trusts and systems in the region and seeking assurance from regional colleagues
• Team Lead for programme assurance; to ensure the programme is prepared for any inquiry: maintaining oversight and delivery of recommendations, including delivery of programme plans.
• Line management of the RAAC programme officers.
• Co-lead and secretariat for the RAAC SRO meetings, working with the head of programme to provide assurance to the regional RAAC SRO and lead Director.

Our work supports the NHS to deliver high quality services for patients and best value for taxpayers.

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

• 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

Earlier this year, the Government announced that NHS England will gradually merge with the Department of Health and Social Care, leading to full integration. The aim is to create a smaller, more strategic centre that reduces duplication and eliminates waste.

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 recruitment process.

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.

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.

This advert closes on Sunday 28 Dec 2025