Project Manager | Sponsorship is Available

Position: Project Manager

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year

Location: Darlington, Durham

Employer: County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Application Deadline: August 18^th, 2026

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Project Manager to join the Health Informatics Digital Programme Team at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. This Band 7 role will support delivery of the Trusts digital strategy and transformation priorities, working with clinical, operational, technical and supplier colleagues to deliver safe, effective and sustainable digital change. We are looking for an experienced project manager who can plan, coordinate and deliver complex digital and transformation projects from initiation through to implementation, handover and benefits realisation. The role would suit someone who is highly organised, confident managing stakeholders and motivated by digital solutions that improve services, reduce administrative burden and benefit patients and staff.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will manage key digital and transformation projects and workstreams, ensuring scope, plans, risks, issues, dependencies and governance arrangements are clearly defined and maintained. They will work with clinical, operational, technical, information governance, clinical safety, testing, training and supplier teams to support requirements gathering, business case development, implementation planning, go-live readiness, handover and benefits realisation. The role will involve communicating complex information clearly, supporting decision-making and ensuring solutions are safe, supportable and aligned to Trust priorities.

About us

If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.

You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.

We provide hospital services from two acute sites – Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients’ homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.

Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.

Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant’s chances of success.

For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The Project Manager will provide project management expertise to support delivery of the Trusts digital strategy and transformation priorities.

The post holder will manage projects and workstreams using structured project management methods, including PRINCE2 principles, to plan, coordinate, monitor and deliver work within agreed timescales and resources.

This will include developing and maintaining project initiation documents, plans, risk and issue logs, action logs and other delivery documentation.

The role will support projects from initiation to closure, including specification development, business case support, supplier engagement, deployment planning, implementation, validation, operational handover and benefits realisation.

The post holder will work with clinical, operational, technical, information governance, clinical safety, testing, training, project and supplier colleagues to ensure requirements are understood, deliverable, tested and embedded effectively.

The post holder will support users and clinical analysts to identify system requirements, ensuring statutory, information governance, clinical safety and wider digital requirements are reflected.

They will also support business case development, lessons learnt reviews, post-project evaluation, service improvement and benefits realisation activity.

The role requires strong stakeholder management and communication skills, including the ability to present complex information clearly to multidisciplinary groups and senior forums.

The post holder will manage competing priorities, dependencies, risks, issues and decisions, escalating where appropriate, and may coordinate temporary, virtual or matrix project teams across Trust sites and partner organisations.

Person Specifications

Special Requirements

Essential

• Must hold a current valid driving licence or be able to meet the travel requirements of the role. Able and willing to travel across Trust sites and partner organisations as required. Able to participate in IT on-call, helpdesk cover or duties outside normal office hours as necessary.

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience in project management, digital transformation, health informatics, operational service improvement or a related environment. Experience of working with clinical, operational and technical stakeholders to define project scope, gather requirements, assess options and support delivery of digital or process change. Experience of managing project documentation, plans, risks, issues, dependencies, governance reporting, implementation readiness and post-project evaluation. Experience of supporting testing, user acceptance, go-live readiness, issue resolution, operational handover or benefits realisation.
• Desirable
• Experience of working across EPR, clinical systems, integration, automation, reporting or patient-facing digital solutions. Experience of service modernisation, pathway redesign or cross-organisational digital change. Experience of working with suppliers or external partners to clarify requirements and support implementation

Special Skills & Knowledge

Essential

• Strong project management skills, including planning, governance, risk and issue management, dependency management, reporting, implementation readiness and benefits realisation. Ability to analyse complex clinical, operational, technical and project information and translate this into clear plans, options, recommendations and delivery controls. Understanding of digital transformation, clinical systems, EPR delivery, interoperability, information governance, data quality and operational change within a healthcare setting. Excellent communication, facilitation, negotiation and stakeholder management skills across clinical, operational, technical, supplier and senior management groups. Ability to work with ambiguity, structure complex problems and support evidence-based decision-making within agreed governance arrangements.

Desirable

• Knowledge of Oracle Health/Cerner Millennium, SystmOne, BadgerNet or other major clinical systems. Understanding of integration, automation, reporting, digital correspondence or patient-facing digital solutions. Experience of agile, hybrid or structured project delivery methods.

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree level education or equivalent level of relevant experience in project management, digital transformation, health informatics, operational service improvement or a related discipline. Evidence of continuous professional development relevant to project management, change management, benefits realisation, digital systems or service improvement. Knowledge of structured project management methods, governance, planning, risk and issue management and project documentation.

Desirable

• Project management qualification such as PRINCE2, APM, MSP, AgilePM or equivalent experience. Project management, change management, service improvement or benefits management qualification. Evidence of study to Masters level or equivalent experience.

Statutory Registration

Essential

• Current registration with a relevant professional body, if applicable to the candidates professional background.

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).

APPLY ON THE EMPLOYER’S WEBSITE