About this role
Job summary
Are you passionate about transforming cancer care and making a real impact for patients? The Northern Cancer Alliance is seeking a dynamic Delivery Lead (AFC Band 7) to drive innovation and value for money in planning, commissioning, and service provision. You'll collaborate with partners to design and improve services, manage Alliance projects, and champion the interests of patients and the public as part of a forward-thinking team.
This role requires strong project management skills, the ability to build relationships across organisations, and a background in management studies or equivalent experience. You'll implement best practice, oversee budgets and ensure compliance with standards while leading strategic initiatives within a complex healthcare environment.
This is aNorth East and Cumbria-wide hybrid role, combining home working with attendance at our base sites (Northumbria House at Cobalt or North Ormesby Health Village), as well as attendance at provider and service partner sites across the North East and North Cumbria. The post holder will be expected to work flexibly, balancing home working with in-person engagement as required to support delivery of the programme.
Please note we reserve the right to close this vacancy prior to the closing date once the required number of suitable applications have been received.
Main duties of the job
The role supports the Cancer Alliance business in driving transformation as well as value for money in planning, commissioning and service provision. The role is designed to build a combination of subject matter expertise and technical skills to develop a strong service delivery. The role will work with partners in service design and improvement.
As a Delivery Lead, the post holder will work as part of a dynamic team in delivering an effective service supporting managers and staff across the Northern Cancer Alliance to improve pathways of care for cancer patients.
The post-holder will support the Programme Manager and the team to ensure that their work stream of projects are planned and managed effectively and take the lead in assisting in their successful delivery:
To lead the delivery and coordination of designated projects and workstreams in line with national cancer priorities and local objectives. Be a champion for service delivery efficiency, innovation and best practice across cancer pathways. Support evaluation, benefits realisation and continuous improvement activities associated with programme delivery. Day to day liaison with the many stakeholders involved in the NCA projects. To work autonomously and flexibly with the needs of the NCA. Evidencing effective involvement of the public at all levels of the NCA work plan.
About us
The Northern Cancer Alliance (NCA) represents an integration of all stakeholdersin cancer services for its population of 3.1 million people. The NCA consists of statutory and non-statutory bodies but is not astatutory organisation in its own right.
The NCA adopts a whole-population, whole-pathwayapproach to addressing the ambitions of the Long Term Plan for Cancer.Working across its geographical footprint to transform services and care,reducing variation in the availability of good care and the outcomes oftreatment while aiming to deliver continuous improvement in patientexperience, and reductions in inequality of access.
The NCA recognises the value of meaningful publicinvolvement and acknowledges the interdependency between patientsafety, clinical effectiveness and the patient experience within cancer careand treatment services. The Alliance is fully committed to the involvementof the public in all aspects of its work and embedding a culture whereinvolvement is part of "usual business".
In order to deliver its ambitions, the NCA Team will bedistributed across its footprint and encompass a central core Alliance teamto drive forward the development and delivery of the Delivery Plan, alongwith resources within local ICB footprint areas to drive delivery at a local level.
Job description Job responsibilities
This Delivery Lead role within the Northern Cancer Alliance is responsible for leading and managing a portfolio of projects to support the delivery of cancer service transformation and improvement. The post holder works closely with programme managers, teams and system partners to plan, coordinate and deliver projects effectively, ensuring risks, issues, performance and finances are actively monitored and managed. The role involves building strong relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, providing expert advice, analysing performance data, and presenting complex information to support decision-making. It also contributes to strategic and operational planning, ensuring alignment with wider organisational priorities and improving cancer care pathways.
A key element of the role is championing patient and public involvement, addressing health inequalities, and ensuring patient experience informs service development. In addition, the Delivery Lead supports budget oversight, policy and service development, team leadership, and governance requirements, while working with a high level of autonomy to manage competing priorities and deliver outcomes in a complex and changing environment
Person Specification
1. Qualifications Essential
Educated to Post-graduate degree level in relevant e.g. Management Studies subject or equivalent level qualification or significant experience of working at a similar level in specialist area. Further specialist training or significant experience in programme management, project management, service improvement or transformation.
2. Experience & Knowledge Essential
Demonstrated experience of co-ordinating projects in complex, challenging and politically sensitive environments.
4. Other Essential
Valid driving licence and access to a vehicle (or ability to meet travel requirements through reasonable adjustments).
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 Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Address Northumbria House
Cobalt Business Park
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE27 0QJ
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.northumbria.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)