About this role
Job summary
About the Role
We are seeking an experienced and accomplished NHS leader with a strong track record of delivering large-scale transformation, productivity improvement and financial sustainability across complex healthcare systems.
As Programme Director for the Efficiency at Scale Programme within CMPC, you will play a leading role in shaping and delivering one of the most significant collaborative improvement programmes across the region.
Reporting directly to the Managing Director, you will work with Chief Executives, Chief Finance Officers and Executive leaders from across CMPC to identify and deliver opportunities that improve productivity, maximise value for money and support the long-term sustainability of high-quality patient services.
This is a unique opportunity to join CMPC at a pivotal stage in its development. Bringing together provider organisations from across the region, CMPC is committed to harnessing the benefits of working at scale to improve outcomes, reduce unwarranted variation and ensure the best possible use of NHS resources.
The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership for the development and delivery of a complex portfolio of efficiency and transformation initiatives. You will lead programmes spanning productivity improvement, procurement, commercial strategy, contract optimisation and benefits realisation, ensuring that opportunities are translated into measurable and sustainable outcomes across multiple organisations.
Main duties of the job
We are looking for an individual with significant expertise in financial management, procurement, commercial strategy or related disciplines, supported by a relevant professional qualification such as CIMA, ACCA, MCIPS or equivalent. You will bring credibility, resilience and a collaborative leadership style, with a clear commitment to partnership working and continuous improvement.
A strong track record of leading large-scale transformation and delivering significant financial improvement within the NHS will be essential. You will need to demonstrate the ability to operate confidently at Board level, influencing senior leaders across organisational boundaries and building consensus around ambitious programmes of change. Experience of working within complex and politically sensitive environments, together with the ability to balance strategic thinking with delivery focus, will be critical to success in the role.
You will provide visible and inclusive leadership, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability and shared learning across the system. Strong communication and stakeholder management skills will be essential, alongside a genuine passion for improving value and productivity in ways that support high-quality patient care and better outcomes for the populations we serve.
About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
Our services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018 Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal) National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme.
Job description Job responsibilities
Programme Director Efficiency at Scale Programme
Cheshire and Merseyside Provider Collaborative (CMPC)
Please note that this role is hosted by Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust on behalf of Cheshire and Merseyside Provider Collaborative.
About CMPC
Cheshire and Merseyside Provider Collaborative (CMPC) formed on 1 May 2025, when Cheshire and Merseyside Acute and Specialist Trust Provider Collaborative and the Mental Health, Learning Disability and Community Provider Collaborative merged.
Working alongside Cheshire and Merseysides Integrated Care Board, together, CMPC's provider trusts address the challenges facing them, which cannot be solved by any one organisation alone.
CMPC consists of all NHS provider trusts across Cheshire and Merseyside, working together for better patient care. Key to this is ensuring that our services are sustainable and able to respond to the healthcare needs of our communities, now and into the future.
Our member organisations provide a range of health and care services, encompassing acute, community and mental health, with several specialist areas including paediatrics, neurology, cancer, cardio-thoracic and womens.
Supported by a highly experienced CMPC programme team, our work aligns with the Governments Medium-Term and 10 Year Health Plans:
Creating a stronger connection between in-hospital and out-of-hospital services
Moving healthcare closer to home and into the community
Reducing waiting lists and strengthening services
Ensuring equal, high-quality healthcare for all
Easing NHS workforce pressures and using NHS resources better
Using new technologies to work more efficiently
Fair and equal collaboration is integral to our success. Our vision is to work collectively for a single healthcare system, to provide high quality, timely, efficient, productive and sustainable services to everyone in Cheshire and Merseyside.
About CMPCs Efficiency at Scale Programme
The Efficiency at Scale Programme is a system-wide initiative, with CMPC trusts coming together to address their shared challenges and deliver improvements that cannot be achieved in isolation.
Through it, we use scale, standardisation and collaboration to: Reduce unwarranted variation across the NHS in Cheshire and Merseyside Deliver measurable efficiencies, improving use of resource Improve resilience and productivity, making services stronger Strengthen quality across corporate services, procurement, digital optimisation and medicines optimisation Improving patient care is at the heart of what we do. Collectively, improvements brought by the programme reduce health inequalities and support the levellingup of services across Cheshire and Merseyside, as well as strengthening the systems longterm financial sustainability.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Qualifications Degree in Management held or qualified by equivalent experience Educated to Masters level in relevant subject or equivalent level of experience Relevant professional financial or procurement qualification (e.g. MCIPS, CIMA, ACCA or equivalent) Significant evidence of continued professional development towards Board level in a specialist area
Knowledge Essential
Extensive experience of delivering quality services within a complex acute setting. Demonstrable track record of successful change management achievements, including evidence of successful programme leadership of wide scale acute healthcare programmes Significant experience in procurement, commercial strategy and contract optimisation Subject matter expertise across a number of key areas relating financial and commercial optimisation. Demonstrable senior governance experience involving system working or across multiple organisations and multiple programmes Proven experience of identifying and building successful and positive relationships. Experience of complex negotiations with senior stakeholders Evidence of successfully leading highly skilled senior multi-disciplinary professionals. Experience of developing effective performance through people. Evidence of understanding of health and care management, governance, risk, operational and legal structures, and their application. Significant experience of working collaboratively within a health and care setting including with commissioner and primary care partners Experience of working with Chief Executives and Executive Directors across multiple organisations, effectively influencing the direction of strategy across a regional footprint Knowledge and a clear understanding of the background to, and aims of the current healthcare policy, particularly related to finance, governance and procurement regulations Experience of interpreting and applying national healthcare guidance
Skills Essential
Ability to analyse, disseminate and present complex information, using both verbal and written disciplines. Extensive experience of delivering presentations to large groups of stakeholders in often pressured and politically sensitive environments. Ability to prioritise conflicting programme priorities and maintain momentum. Ability to analyse highly numerical and written data, assess options and draw appropriate initiatives Outcome focussed demonstrating a passion for 5 Star patient centred care. Knowledge and understanding of the context of healthcare nationally and globally. NHS strategy and policy in particular related to integrated care systems IT literate to high standard. Understanding of the principles within the NHS sector.
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. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details Employer name Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Address No.1 Lakeside
920 Centre Park
Warrington
WA1 1QY
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)