Senior Strategy & Transformation Lead

Role overview

This senior leadership role sits within the Jameson Strategy, Transformation and Partnerships team at Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust. It focuses on improving services for adults and older adults, and for people with learning disabilities and autism, with a strong emphasis on compassionate, values-led leadership and better patient outcomes.

The successful candidate will shape and oversee a wide transformation portfolio, lead complex projects, and support strategic development across the division. The role also includes line management of project managers who are delivering change across mental health, learning disability and autism pathways.

A key part of the post is partnership working. The role requires active collaboration with internal teams, external stakeholders, commissioners, and community partners, including VCSE organisations, to support meaningful co-production and service redesign.

Main purpose of the role

You will take responsibility for delivery across major transformation workstreams, while also leading your own complex programmes. The position requires senior-level judgement, strong programme governance, and the ability to keep delivery on track in a changing health and care environment.

You will provide strategic direction, drive implementation, manage dependencies, and ensure that changes are embedded sustainably. The role also calls for reporting into senior divisional and trust leadership on high-profile programmes and workstreams.

Key responsibilities

These responsibilities include system-wide transformation, service redesign, programme management, budget awareness, team leadership, and partnership development. You will be expected to use structured project management methods, support prioritisation, maintain governance standards, and escalate risks and issues appropriately.

The post also involves supporting quality improvement, enabling integrated working across services, and helping to build a culture of continuous service improvement within the division.

Organisation context

This role supports CNWL’s wider vision of improving wellbeing through partnership working and high-quality healthcare. The trust provides adult mental health and learning disability services across North West London boroughs.

Qualifications

A degree or equivalent relevant experience is required. A master’s degree or postgraduate qualification in management, or equivalent substantial experience in a relevant programme management setting, is also required. A programme management qualification is desirable, as is training in strategic development tools or management consultancy methods such as D-5 methodology.

Experience and knowledge

Applicants should have relevant NHS experience or experience in a comparable environment working with senior leaders. Experience of managing and motivating staff, delivering projects in clinical services, leading high-profile national or regional initiatives from concept through delivery, developing funding proposals, and working in project environments is required. Experience delivering projects or programmes with a digital element is also required.

Strong knowledge of programme and project management is essential, along with a detailed understanding of the NHS 10 Year Plan and the community mental health framework. Familiarity with Integrated Care Systems and Integrated Care Partnerships, the Mental Health Investment Standard, operational planning, budget management, and clinical services is desirable.

Experience working closely with the voluntary sector or community social enterprise is desirable.

Skills and personal qualities

The role calls for someone who can manage highly complex and sensitive information, present it clearly to large audiences, and adapt communication style to difficult situations. You should be able to plan across short-, medium-, and long-term horizons, solve delivery problems, and maintain credibility with senior leaders, clinicians, and peers.

You will need strong stakeholder influence, sound decision-making under pressure, and the flexibility to travel across the CNWL area.

Additional information

This is a contract role based onsite in London, England, United Kingdom. No salary or stipend details were provided.

The postholder will be expected to work flexibly across transformation priorities, including adult and older adult mental health, learning disability and autism pathways, as required by service needs.

The role requires leadership over complex programmes, the ability to delegate effectively, and close collaboration with internal and external partners to support successful delivery.