Job summary
The Digital Collaborative Director to provide strategic system-level leadership to establish, lead and mature the DLN Digital Collaborative across the Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire ICB Cluster, ensuring best-in-class multi-organisational digital transformation and resilient IT operations. Over 15 months, the Director will define and operationalise the Collaborative's purpose, scope, mechanisms of governance, and delivery model, enabling cluster-wide digital transformation and economies of scale. The focus of the role is to define a self-sustaining model for the DLN Digital Collaborative which delivers exponential value in return for its outlay.
As the Derby and Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICBs become a Cluster, it is imperative that multi-organisational digital collaboration opportunities are not lost and this role will play an integral part in ensuring that the Cluster delivers best in class digital solutions to staff and citizens.
Main duties of the job
o Establishing a DLN Digital Collaborative within 12 months, including governance, prioritised work plan, delivery and benefits realisation, and clear financial justification (ROI and clinical impact).o Acting as a senior ambassador for digital transformation across DLN, ensuring local priorities inform Collaborative programmes.o Working closely with Digital Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Programme Directors, the ICB Director of Digital Transformation, and system digital leaders to challenge thinking and exploit mutual opportunities.o As a member of the DLN Digital Senior Leadership Team, lead major strategic programmes (e.g. AI in CHC) that fundamentally change digital delivery.o Lead and support securing external funding for Collaborative-wide digital programmes, ensuring delivery against approved business cases.o Deputising for the Director of Digital Transformation where required and promote DLN Digital as a national and international exemplar.
About us
Derbyshire Support and Facilities Services Ltd. (DSFS) is a subsidiary company that's 100% owned by Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
DSFS has just over 900 staff across Soft and Hard Facilities Services, and our corporate services including, ICT, Patient Records, Switchboard, Procurement, Finance and Clinical Engineering. Very much part of the 'Chesterfield Royal family', DSFS builds on solid NHS foundations to offer a more commercial approach that's dynamic, flexible, and proactive.
DSFS are proud to be striving to achieve a truly diverse and inclusive flexible workforce by valuing and welcoming everyone's abilities, uniqueness, and individuality. All our colleagues have the right to and should be able to feel 100% themselves at work; we believe that all our people add to and should improve our culture and not just fit in with it. By embracing our diverse backgrounds and differences our culture becomes richer and makes us stronger together.
Derbyshire Support and Facilities Services Limited currently do not offer a Certificate of Sponsorship, any applications which require sponsorship will not be considered
Please see below link for the DSFS website.
DSFS - Derbyshire Support & Facilities Services Limited | DSFS
When applying for roles please complete all sections of the application form.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see the Job description and Person Specification in the attachments section on this page. This document contains a full detailed description of the role and what the main responsibilities and duties are, along with the criteria that are required for the role.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see the Job description and Person Specification in the attachments section on this page. This document contains a full detailed description of the role and what the main responsibilities and duties are, along with the criteria that are required for the role.
Person Specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential
- Degree-level education or equivalent experience
- Postgraduate qualification in a relevant field (e.g., Digital Transformation, IT Management, Systems Leadership, Business Administration) or equivalent senior-level training/experience
- Evidence of continued professional development in digital health, leadership, or organisational change
Desirable
- Formal programme management or service improvement qualification (e.g., MSP, PRINCE2, Lean/Six Sigma)
- Membership of relevant professional bodies (e.g., BCS, HIMSS, Federated Data Professionals
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience operating at, or close to, Board-level within a complex organisation
- Demonstrable experience leading large-scale multi-organisational digital transformation programmes
- Experience of working within or alongside NHS organisations, ICBs, ICSs, or Local Authorities
- Experience establishing new collaboratives, partnerships, or shared service arrangements
- Experience developing business cases including strategic, economic, commercial, financial, and management cases
- Experience designing and implementing Target Operating Models and governance structures
- Experience leading cultural change and workforce transformation across diverse digital and technical teams
- Proven track record in influencing senior stakeholders and system leaders in politically sensitive environments
- Experience in defining funding models or financial strategies for shared or system-wide services
Desirable
- Experience managing supplier relationships, contract negotiation, or shared procurement
- Experience leading IT service design, standards, or optimisation projects
- Experience delivering benefits realisation in digital programmes
Knowledge & Understanding
Essential
- oDeep understanding of digital transformation within health and care settings
- oKnowledge of NHS digital strategy, national programmes, and regulatory frameworks
- oKnowledge of IT service management, standards, SLAs, and service improvement
- oUnderstanding of organisational development, change management, and collaborative working across system partners
- oKnowledge of financial models and mechanisms for sustainable shared service funding
- oUnderstanding of data governance, information assurance, and NHS IG standards
Desirable
- Understanding of strategic procurement and economies of scale in digital/IT environments
Skills and Ability
Essential
- Exceptional leadership, vision-setting, and strategic thinking skills
- Ability to influence, engage, and build trust with senior leaders across multiple organisations
- Strong political awareness and ability to operate effectively in a sensitive, complex system landscape
- Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to articulate complex digital concepts for non-technical audiences
- Ability to design governance, operating models, roles, and cultures for new collaborative structures
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to assess risk, evaluate opportunities, and guide decision-making
- Ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams and inspire collaboration across organisations with differing priorities
- Skilled in negotiation, mediation, and managing conflict or competing agendas
- Ability to manage ambiguity and maintain momentum in evolving environments
- Ability to develop and present high-quality business cases and strategic proposals
Personal Qualities
Essential
- System-wide mindset and commitment to collective success over organisational boundaries
- Highly motivated, resilient, and adaptable oCollaborative, empathetic, and inclusive leadership style
- Demonstrates integrity, fairness, and transparency
- Innovative thinker who seeks new models and approaches
- Commitment to continuous improvement, learning, and digital excellence
- Able to manage pressure, competing deadlines, and complex stakeholder landscapes
Person Specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential
- Degree-level education or equivalent experience
- Postgraduate qualification in a relevant field (e.g., Digital Transformation, IT Management, Systems Leadership, Business Administration) or equivalent senior-level training/experience
- Evidence of continued professional development in digital health, leadership, or organisational change
Desirable
- Formal programme management or service improvement qualification (e.g., MSP, PRINCE2, Lean/Six Sigma)
- Membership of relevant professional bodies (e.g., BCS, HIMSS, Federated Data Professionals
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience operating at, or close to, Board-level within a complex organisation
- Demonstrable experience leading large-scale multi-organisational digital transformation programmes
- Experience of working within or alongside NHS organisations, ICBs, ICSs, or Local Authorities
- Experience establishing new collaboratives, partnerships, or shared service arrangements
- Experience developing business cases including strategic, economic, commercial, financial, and management cases
- Experience designing and implementing Target Operating Models and governance structures
- Experience leading cultural change and workforce transformation across diverse digital and technical teams
- Proven track record in influencing senior stakeholders and system leaders in politically sensitive environments
- Experience in defining funding models or financial strategies for shared or system-wide services
Desirable
- Experience managing supplier relationships, contract negotiation, or shared procurement
- Experience leading IT service design, standards, or optimisation projects
- Experience delivering benefits realisation in digital programmes
Knowledge & Understanding
Essential
- oDeep understanding of digital transformation within health and care settings
- oKnowledge of NHS digital strategy, national programmes, and regulatory frameworks
- oKnowledge of IT service management, standards, SLAs, and service improvement
- oUnderstanding of organisational development, change management, and collaborative working across system partners
- oKnowledge of financial models and mechanisms for sustainable shared service funding
- oUnderstanding of data governance, information assurance, and NHS IG standards
Desirable
- Understanding of strategic procurement and economies of scale in digital/IT environments
Skills and Ability
Essential
- Exceptional leadership, vision-setting, and strategic thinking skills
- Ability to influence, engage, and build trust with senior leaders across multiple organisations
- Strong political awareness and ability to operate effectively in a sensitive, complex system landscape
- Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to articulate complex digital concepts for non-technical audiences
- Ability to design governance, operating models, roles, and cultures for new collaborative structures
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to assess risk, evaluate opportunities, and guide decision-making
- Ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams and inspire collaboration across organisations with differing priorities
- Skilled in negotiation, mediation, and managing conflict or competing agendas
- Ability to manage ambiguity and maintain momentum in evolving environments
- Ability to develop and present high-quality business cases and strategic proposals
Personal Qualities
Essential
- System-wide mindset and commitment to collective success over organisational boundaries
- Highly motivated, resilient, and adaptable oCollaborative, empathetic, and inclusive leadership style
- Demonstrates integrity, fairness, and transparency
- Innovative thinker who seeks new models and approaches
- Commitment to continuous improvement, learning, and digital excellence
- Able to manage pressure, competing deadlines, and complex stakeholder landscapes
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.
