Programme Manager | Certificate of Sponsorship

Position: Programme Manager

Job Type: Full Time

Salary: £66,582 to £77,368 a year per annum

Location: Leicester

Employer: University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

Application Deadline: October 5^th, 2026

Job summary

Programme Manager – Band 8B

East Midlands Cancer Alliance (EMCA)

Location: County Hall, Leicester (Hybrid Working)Band: 8B

Responsible to: Associate Director for Programmes

Lead transformational change across cancer services in the East Midlands

Are you an experienced programme leader with a passion for improving healthcare and delivering transformational change?

The East Midlands Cancer Alliance (EMCA) is seeking an exceptional Programme Manager to lead major regional programmes that improve cancer diagnosis, treatment, patient experience and outcomes across the East Midlands.

This is an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of the NHS Cancer Programme, leading large-scale transformation across multiple organisations and influencing regional and national priorities. Working with Integrated Care Boards, NHS provider Trusts, clinical leaders, voluntary organisations and NHS England, you will help shape the future of cancer care for more than five million people.

Vacancy may close early if sufficient applications received

Main duties of the job

As a Programme Manager, you will provide strategic leadership for a portfolio of complex cancer improvement programmes, ensuring national priorities are translated into meaningful local delivery.

You will lead multidisciplinary teams, manage complex stakeholder relationships, oversee programme governance and performance, and support organisations to deliver measurable improvements across cancer pathways.

You will be responsible for:

• Leading the design, mobilisation and delivery of major regional cancer programmes.
• Driving service transformation and pathway improvement across multiple NHS organisations.
• Managing programme budgets, including Service Development Funding (SDF).
• Leading programme governance, risk management and assurance.
• Developing regional delivery plans aligned to NHS England priorities.
• Providing strategic leadership to Expert Clinical Advisory Groups (ECAGs).

What you’ll be leading

The Programme Manager will have the opportunity to lead a diverse portfolio of work including:

Cancer pathway transformation

Operational performance improvement

Early diagnosis programmes

Service Development Funding (SDF) programmes

National pilot programmes and innovation

Expert Clinical Advisory Groups (ECAGs)

Cancer performance and assurance .

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 description

Job responsibilities

About you

We’re looking for an experienced leader who combines strategic thinking with excellent programme management and relationship-building skills.

You’ll bring:

• A Master’s degree or equivalent experience in programme management, healthcare improvement or a related discipline, with evidence of continuing professional development.
• Significant experience leading large, complex transformation programmes across organisational boundaries.
• Strong knowledge of NHS strategy, cancer services and programme delivery.
• Excellent leadership, communication and influencing skills, with the ability to negotiate and engage senior stakeholders.
• Experience managing complex budgets, governance and risk.
• Strong analytical skills with experience using performance data to drive improvement.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and delivering change in complex healthcare environments.
• The ability to inspire others and build effective partnerships across the NHS and wider system.

Why join the East Midlands Cancer Alliance?

At EMCA you’ll play a pivotal role in delivering some of the NHS’s highest-profile transformation programmes.

You’ll work alongside senior clinical leaders, executives and national teams to:

• Improve cancer outcomes across the East Midlands.
• Deliver innovative programmes that shape national policy.
• Influence strategic investment and service redesign.
• Support the adoption of new technologies and models of care.
• Build partnerships across healthcare, academia, public health and the voluntary sector.

We offer:

• Hybrid and flexible working.
• NHS Pension Scheme.
• Excellent annual leave entitlement.
• Ongoing professional development and leadership opportunities.
• A supportive, collaborative and ambitious team 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, Integrated Care Boards and regional meetings. The post holder will also work across the wider Midlands where required to support regional programmes and national priorities.

Why this role matters

This is more than programme management. It is an opportunity to influence how cancer services are designed and delivered across an entire region, helping thousands of patients receive earlier diagnoses, faster treatment and better outcomes.

If you’re ready to lead complex programmes, inspire collaboration across organisational boundaries and make a lasting impact on cancer care, we’d love to hear from you.

Join the East Midlands Cancer Alliance and help shape the future of cancer services across the region.

Person Specification

Knowledge, Training and Experience

Essential

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

Communication and Relationship Skills

Essential

• Master’s degree or equivalent experience in a relevant specialist area. Evidence of CPD

Analytical and judgement skills

Essential

• 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

Essential

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

Physical Skills

Essential

• Standard Keyboard skills

Responsibilities for patient, client care

Essential

• Incidental patient contact

Responsibilities for policy and service deployment implementation

Essential

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

Responsibilities for financial and physical resources

Essential

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

Responsibilities for human resources

Essential

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

Essential

• Develops documents from relevant information

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.

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