NHS England

Deputy Director Delivery Strategy

The closing date is 18 January 2026

Job summary

A great opportunity to be part of the New Hospital Programme, which is more than building hospitals, it's a once in a generation opportunity to shape the future of healthcare in England. We're delivering over 40 new hospitals that will be modern, sustainable and built around the needs of patients and staff. We are in the process of establishing long-term capability to deliver this ambitious Programme - the 3rd largest on the Government's Major Projects Portfolio - and are looking for people who care about purpose, who thrive in complex environments and who want to help deliver change at scale for future generations.

TheDeputy Director of Delivery Strategywill have an opportunity to develop and drivethe delivery of a programmatic approach to Wave 2 and Wave 3 new hospital schemes and beyond. The postholder will drive improvement across the Delivery Directorate to develop and implement the NHP Delivery Strategy.

They will ensure the timely integration of Lessons Learned from Wave 0 and Wave 1 to create the conditions for success for subsequent waves. They will own the process of mobilisation and work closely with the Programmatic Pre-Construction Delivery team to understand site complexity and readiness, aligning schemes with Delivery capacity and Spend Profiles, and ensuring systematic improvement of business case quality.

Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person.

Main duties of the job

TheDeputy Director of Delivery Strategy will be responsible for:

Production and quality of the comprehensive Delivery Strategy for future NHP waves
Accuracy and maintenance of the coordinated, scheme-wide Business Case pipeline map - driving programmatic approaches to key elements and securing advance approvals and agreed delegations.
Promoting engagement and agreement across NHP to ensure support, products and processes are implemented successfully within the schemes
Systematic improvement of Business Case quality, as measured by a reduction in review conditions and approval and assurance timescales.
Effective management of the scheme pipeline, ensuring a high percentage of business cases are approved according to plan with minimal conditions
Establishment and utility of the Continuous Improvement sprint log and lessons-learned hub,measured by the number of improvements adopted, and programmatic support / products identified to support project development and delivery
Ensuring that the conditions of approval of Business Cases are met and closed on time.

Interview will be held:end of January 2026

About us

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.

We lead the NHS in England by:

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.

Date posted

05 January 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 9

Salary

£109,179 to £125,637 a year per annum (exclusive of London Weighting)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

990-NHP-18549-I-E

Job locations

This role can be based in any NHSE Office. You will be expected to attend the office for 40% of your time.

Nationally

SE1 8UG

Job description

Job responsibilities

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.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Educated to Masters or equivalent level, or equivalent experience of working at a senior level in a relevant specialist area
Qualification in Business Case development such as Better Business Cases qualification or equivalent direct experience
Evidence of post-qualifying and continuing professional development

Desirable

Additional management qualification or specialist qualification at post graduate level, or equivalent experience (e.g., Project/Programme Management, Business Administration, Public Policy)
Project or programme management qualification (e.g., PRINCE2, MSP, APM).

Knowledge

Essential

Proven senior leadership experience in a large-scale, complex programme or project delivery environment, preferably within public sector infrastructure
Extensive, demonstrable experience in the end-to-end business case process (SOC, OBC, FBC), with a strong understanding of HM Treasury Green Book guidance.
Deep knowledge and practical experience of establishing and leading Continuous Improvement and Knowledge Management systems
Significant experience in strategic planning and the development of long-term implementation strategies for a major portfolio
A proven track record of engaging and influencing senior stakeholders

Desirable

Direct experience within the health sector, or major government capital projects
Specific experience in the setup and mobilisation of new projects or schemes within larger programmes
Experience of working within or closely with the NHS, understanding the structure and operational pressures of NHS Trusts

Skills

Essential

Ability to think conceptually and develop a compelling, coherent long-term strategy that aligns with programme-wide goals
Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to empower, motivate, and drive consistency across a complex landscape. A confident and credible client-side representative
Strong analytical skills to interpret complex data, assess scheme readiness, and identify systematic issues to drive improvement
Skilled in building trusted partnerships and co-creating solutions with diverse internal and external teams
Highly resilient, with the ability to operate effectively in a high-pressure, politically sensitive environment and adapt to ambiguity

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Educated to Masters or equivalent level, or equivalent experience of working at a senior level in a relevant specialist area
Qualification in Business Case development such as Better Business Cases qualification or equivalent direct experience
Evidence of post-qualifying and continuing professional development

Desirable

Additional management qualification or specialist qualification at post graduate level, or equivalent experience (e.g., Project/Programme Management, Business Administration, Public Policy)
Project or programme management qualification (e.g., PRINCE2, MSP, APM).

Knowledge

Essential

Proven senior leadership experience in a large-scale, complex programme or project delivery environment, preferably within public sector infrastructure
Extensive, demonstrable experience in the end-to-end business case process (SOC, OBC, FBC), with a strong understanding of HM Treasury Green Book guidance.
Deep knowledge and practical experience of establishing and leading Continuous Improvement and Knowledge Management systems
Significant experience in strategic planning and the development of long-term implementation strategies for a major portfolio
A proven track record of engaging and influencing senior stakeholders

Desirable

Direct experience within the health sector, or major government capital projects
Specific experience in the setup and mobilisation of new projects or schemes within larger programmes
Experience of working within or closely with the NHS, understanding the structure and operational pressures of NHS Trusts

Skills

Essential

Ability to think conceptually and develop a compelling, coherent long-term strategy that aligns with programme-wide goals
Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to empower, motivate, and drive consistency across a complex landscape. A confident and credible client-side representative
Strong analytical skills to interpret complex data, assess scheme readiness, and identify systematic issues to drive improvement
Skilled in building trusted partnerships and co-creating solutions with diverse internal and external teams
Highly resilient, with the ability to operate effectively in a high-pressure, politically sensitive environment and adapt to ambiguity

Employer details

Employer name

NHS England

Address

This role can be based in any NHSE Office. You will be expected to attend the office for 40% of your time.

Nationally

SE1 8UG

Employer's website

https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/working-for/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

NHS England

Address

This role can be based in any NHSE Office. You will be expected to attend the office for 40% of your time.

Nationally

SE1 8UG

Employer's website

https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/working-for/ (Opens in a new tab)