Strategic Delivery Lead

Company: NHS
Apply for the Strategic Delivery Lead
Location: Birmingham
Job Description:

We are looking for a motivated and dynamic Strategic Delivery Lead to drive the planning, coordination and delivery of key programmes and transformation initiatives within the strategic commissioning directorate.

This role involves leading a diverse portfolio across multiple subject areas, ensuring delivery to agreed timescales and quality standards while working closely with senior stakeholders, internal teams and external partners across Birmingham, Black Country and Solihull.

The successful candidate will be a strong, collaborative leader with excellent communication and relationship-building skills, underpinned by a values-driven approach.

The role is designed to build a combination of subject matter expertise and technical skills to develop a strong service delivery. A core function of the role will be to provide capacity and support that is mobilised across the Strategy Directorate to lead and programme manage specific strategic programmes of work.

In carrying out your role, at least one of the agreed strategic anchors should be at the core of everything you do:

  • Commissioning for Value and Outcomes
  • Accelerating Neighbourhood Health at Pace
  • Making the Best Use of Digital Solutions in our Pathways
  • Integrated Partnership

Main duties of the job

You will be accountable for:

  • Leading the planning, delivery and coordination of programmes and transformation initiatives within the Strategy directorate, ensuring activity is managed effectively and progressed to agreed milestones.
  • Applying the programme management and risk frameworks ensuring robust governance, accurate reporting and compliance with ICB requirements.
  • Managing programme level risks, issues, dependencies and benefits, escalating concerns and proposing mitigating actions where required.
  • Producing high-quality programme documentation, reports, assurance products and performance information to support oversight and decision-making.
  • Building constructive and collaborative relationships with internal teams, system partners and stakeholders, enabling successful delivery and problem solving across programme areas.
  • Ensuring that the programmes you lead demonstrably contribute to reducing health inequalities and improving outcomes for local populations.
  • Supporting Business Continuity activities and contributing to the effective operation of risk management processes within your programme areas.
  • Working closely with the Senior Strategic Delivery Manager to ensure programmes remain aligned with strategic priorities and reporting expectations.
  • Deputising for the Senior Strategic Delivery Manager as required

About us

Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull Integrated Care System bring together the NHS, councils and voluntary sector to serve 2.7 million people. Our vision is to be the healthiest place to live and work, improving life chances and reducing inequalities.

You will model system values, champion inclusion and actively address health inequalities, helping create an environment where everyone can thrive. In return, the Cluster offers a supportive, ambitious and inclusive environment with opportunities to develop and work across partners to deliver meaningful change.

The ICB is committed to having a workforce which is representative of the population of Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull Cluster. Our current staffing profile demonstrates that we are not as representative as we would like to be at this level within the organisation. We would actively welcome applications from women and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

The ICB is registered as a Disability Confident Employer. We actively welcome applications from applicants with a disability and commit to shortlisting all such suitable applicants who meet the essential criteria for an interview. Please let us know of any reasonable adjustments you require to participate in the recruitment process.

Job responsibilities

Communication

1. Operate effectively in a flexible and demanding environment and proactively engage with ICB and system colleagues working on a variety of topics

2. Work effectively with a variety of external consultancies working on other projects and programmes within other NHS directorates as required

3. Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive and contentious information, presenting information, to a wide range of stakeholders in a formal setting

4. Having the ability to deal with resulting potentially aggressive/antagonistic situations

5. Committed to working and engaging constructively with internal and external stakeholders on a range of business sensitive issues

6. Nurtures key relationships and maintains networks internally and externally, including national networks

7. Close liaison with the Communications and Stakeholder team on public relations and marketing activities

8. Link with managers and members of other functions, to address inter-dependencies and ensure alignment

9. Apply a structured change management approach and methodology for the impact of any change

10. Deputise for the Directorate lead as required, expanding on knowledge, skills and experience within personal professional development

11. To oversee team members to deliver the requirements listed above; engage and liaise with key stakeholder, in particular:

  • To support the delivery of day-to-day activities and projects
  • To manage team and drive delivery of a range of business initiatives and projects
  • To support the identification and sharing of best practice in employee engagement
  • To operate in a highly political and sensitive environment
  • Support the portfolio of initiatives in demonstrating value for money for the current spend through tracking, managing and delivering agreed benefits

Organisation and Planning

1. Contribute to the strategic planning of Team projects, identifying interdependencies across projects/functions, potential impacts on wider organisations, resource requirements and building in contingency and adjustments as necessary

2. Contribute to the development of performance and governance strategies and the development and implementation of improvement programmes, in accordance with the Cluster

3. Contribute to short, medium and long term business plans, achieving quality outcomes

Analytical and Judgement Skills

1. Lead the team in the delivery of project plans, allocating tasks as appropriate, identifying risks, issues and dependencies, considering best practice and current options and ultimately making decisions in the best interest of the project.

2. Develop a comprehensive and cohesive plan for the transition period, which is consistent with the overall project timetable, meets the strategic direction of the team and minimises unnecessary disruption to stakeholders involved in the process and is operationally sound.

3. Analysis and interpretation of complex facts including the comparison of a range of options

4. Pro-actively manage stakeholders, respond to and resolve conflict between different stakeholders when this arises through facilitation or other appropriate mechanisms.

5. Be responsible for a high standard of work supporting the delivery of projects on time, to quality standards and in a cost-effective manner. Maintain the project initiation document and associated plans with regular team meetings to monitor progress and resources.

6. Ensure the flexibility of the project if required to meet conflicting/changing requirements.

7. Responsible for the planning and organisation of numerous events/meetings. Ensuring communication tools are used to their maximum value for circulating them in minutes, agenda and presentations in a timely manner.

8. Demonstrate effective stakeholder management across different departments and at all levels.

9. Support other project managers as and when required.

10. Take into account the impact of any change the projects will have on the business and oversee handover of any products to ensure full ownership and buy-in within the business Advocate the projects at senior and executive levels and ensure active engagement and sponsorship within NHS as a whole.

11. Ensure that the projects maintain business focus, have clear authority and that the context, including risks, are actively managed in alignment with the strategic priorities of NHS.

Service Development and Research

1. Plan, develop and evaluate methods and processes for gathering, analysing, interpreting and presenting data and information

2. Deliver projects to comply with key performance indicators

3. Co-ordinating Research and Development initiatives, delegating as appropriate

4. Responsible for policy development and implementation for directorate

1. Incidental patient contact; where this does occur, provide timely advice and guidance

Research and Development

1. Responsible for proposing and drafting changes, implementation and interpretation to policies, guidelines and service level agreements (SLAs) which may impact service

2. Undertake surveys or audits for own area of work.

3. Proposes changes to own function making recommendations for other service delivery

4. The postholder will need to maintain a good knowledge of emerging policies from government departments for example pensions, change management, constitution. This will assist in the thinking and definition of the strategy discussions for the network and stakeholders

Finance and Resources

1. Act in a way that is compliant with Standing Orders and Standing Financial Instructions in the discharge of budget management responsibilities.

2. Budget holder for assigned function/team, budget setting with the Head of Department. Responsible for ensuring adherence to the budget, ongoing monitoring of expenditure against budget and ensuring the appropriate documentation is available for scrutiny.

3. Identify products, equipment, services and facilities for assigned activities, achieving stakeholder buy-in as required. Placing orders and signing invoices, keeping mindful of budget limitations.

4. Responsible for making recommendations, providing advice and able to prepare strategic reports/briefings for the Directorate leads, Steering/Reference Groups and others as required.

5. Constantly strive for value for money and greater efficiency in the use of budgets and resources

Leadership and Management

1. Directly manages the team, responsible for day-to-day work assigned to Team.

2. Responsible for the recruitment of team staff, chair of recruitment panels and acting as the recruiting officer.

3. Responsible for undertaking appraisal and personal development including progressing any disciplinary or capability issues.

4. Forge close positive working relationships, in order to support an effective matrix approach to achieve NHS objectives.

5. To support, motivate and develop staff within the team to ensure that they are able to deliver the new responsibilities of the NHS strategy.

6. Managing third parties (such as consultants/interims) to ensure deliverables are met in a timely manner and within budget.

Information Resources

1. Drafting reports summarising status on issues, appraising outcomes and providing progress reports for the Directorate Leads

2. Collate as required, qualitative and quantitative information and lead appropriate analysis to develop robust business cases and contribute to project products

3. Analyse, interpret and present data to highlight issues, risks and support decision making

Professional Development

1. Undertake training and development requirements/opportunities as agreed with your line manager and/or detailed in your personal development plan, in addition to statutory and mandatory training

2. Maintain up to date knowledge of best practice and relevant legislation in your work area

3. Ongoing commitment to professional and personal development to exceed in the role

Freedom to Act

1. Interpretation of national guidance for dissemination to colleagues within the organisation and externally as required

2. Ability to work with minimal supervision, escalating upwards and delegating downwards appropriately

Physical Skills

1. Have a working knowledge of Microsoft Office with intermediate keyboard skills

2. Ability to maintain concentration and focus when dealing with highly complex information

Person Specification

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

  • Awareness of equality and valuing diversity principles
  • Understanding of Confidentiality and Data Protection Act

Personal Qualities

  • Must be able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups
  • Negotiate on difficult and controversial issues including performance and change

Experience

  • Demonstrated capability to plan over short, medium and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly
  • Experience of identifying and interpreting National policy
  • Experience of researching best practice (globally, private and public sector), interpreting its relevance and processes/practices which could be implemented successfully to achieve system reform (advising on policy implementation)
  • Previously responsible for a budget, involved in budget setting and working knowledge of financial processes
  • Must have an understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and appreciate the implications of this on engagement
  • Should have an appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health, the Strategic Health Authority and individual provider and the commissioning organisations
  • Working knowledge of Microsoft Office with intermediate keyboard skills
  • Needs to have a thorough understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships both in terms of day-to-day working practices
  • Comprehensive experience of project principles techniques and tools such as Prince 2 and Managing Successful Projects

Skills and Abilities

  • Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands
  • Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options
  • Takes decisions on difficult and contentious issues where there may be a number of courses of action
  • Strategic thinking ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise
  • Must be able to prioritise own work effectively and be able to direct activities of others
  • Experience of managing and motivating a team and reviewing performance of the individuals
  • Must be able to use initiative to decide relevant actions and make recommendations to Sponsor/ Manager, with the aim of improving deliverables and compliance to policies
  • Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues, working to tight and often changing timescales
  • Used to working in a busy environment
  • Adaptability, flexibility and ability to cope with uncertainty and change
  • Willing to engage with and learn from peers, other professionals and colleagues in the desire to provide or support the most appropriate interventions
  • Professional calm and efficient manner
  • Effective organiser, influencer and networker
  • Demonstrates a strong desire to improve performance and make a difference by focusing on goals
  • Completer/Finisher
  • Ability to frequently concentrate with an unpredictable workload including interruptions

Qualifications

  • Educated to Masters level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area
  • Extensive knowledge of specialist areas, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to masters level equivalent
  • Evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development

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Posted: July 7th, 2026