About this role
Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious and passionate leader to shape the future of mental health care for young adults across Central and North West London. We are seeking a Senior Development Lead for Young Adults on a one-year fixed-term contract/secondment to cover maternity leave. The role sits at the heart of our transformation work, driving forward a new, innovative 16-25 model of care that responds directly to the needs, aspirations and lived experiences of young people.
You will lead the next phase of our Trust-wide programme to redesign and strengthen services for 16-25 year olds, ensuring smoother transitions, reducing gaps in provision, and embedding a model that is safe, effective and genuinely tailored to this age group. Working across five boroughs and in partnership with CAMHS, Adult Mental Health, commissioners, and young adults themselves, you will help shape a service that reflects the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan.
This is a senior leadership role with real scope to influence change. You will work autonomously while drawing on expertise across divisions, leading a complex transformation programme that will have a lasting impact on how young adults experience mental health support. If you are energised by innovation, collaboration and improving outcomes for young people, this role offers a rare chance to make a meaningful difference
Main duties of the job
You will lead the strategic and operational development of our 16-25 model of care, overseeing the full end-to-end process from design to implementation. This includes developing proposals and business cases, coordinating internal and external sign-off, and ensuring the model reflects best practice nationally and internationally. Working closely with CAMHS and Adult Mental Health, you will co-produce a clinical and operational model that is both ambitious and deliverable.
Operationally, you will ensure the structures, teams and governance continue to function to bring the new service line to life. This includes developing leadership and management arrangements, staffing the model, embedding robust clinical governance, and ensuring the service is built on strong foundations. You will champion the needs of young adults, ensuring their voices shape the service at every stage.
You will also lead a broad transformation and improvement programme, aligning priorities across divisions, establishing clear reporting and oversight mechanisms, and supporting project teams to deliver change at pace. This includes managing budgets, overseeing external consultancy support where required, and ensuring the programme remains on track, within scope and financially sustainable
About us
You will be joining a Trust that is committed to innovation, collaboration and delivering outstanding care. Our teams are passionate about improving mental health outcomes and creating services that genuinely meet the needs of our communities. The 16-25 transformation programme is a flagship piece of work, and you will be supported by senior leaders across both CAMHS and Adult Mental Health divisions.
We pride ourselves on being a learning organisation where new ideas are welcomed and staff are empowered to lead change. You will work alongside talented clinicians, operational leaders, project managers and experts by experience, all united by a shared ambition to improve the lives of young adults. The culture is supportive, forward-thinking and rooted in partnership working.
As a senior leader, you will have access to development opportunities, strong professional networks and the chance to influence Trust-wide strategy. This is a role where your work will be visible, valued and impactful -- and where you will be part of a team that is genuinely committed to making a difference.
Job description Job responsibilities
The postholder will lead the furthering strategic development of the 1625 model of care, including designing service proposals, developing business cases, coordinating financial agreements, and securing internal and external approvals. You will oversee the full lifecycle of the programme, from assessing existing models nationally to coproducing new pathways, establishing partnerships, and ensuring successful mobilisation and implementation. You will lead a virtual project team and establish reporting structures that provide clear oversight for Executive and Divisional Boards.
Operationally, you will oversee the service lines leadership, management and clinical structures, ensuring the model is innovative, safe and aligned with best practice. You will lead on staffing, embed robust clinical governance, and ensure the service reflects the needs of young adults across Central and North West London. You will benchmark against national and international models and champion the voice of young adults throughout the design and delivery process.
You will drive service improvement and transformation across divisions, ensuring alignment with commissioning intentions and the wider NHS Long Term Plan. This includes establishing systems for programme management, leading change management across clinical and operational teams, managing risks and issues, and ensuring delivery within financial constraints. You will provide leadership to project managers, oversee external consultancy support where required, and ensure all deliverables meet agreed time, quality and budget standards.
Person Specification
Qualifications & Experience Essential
Degree or equivalent relevant experience Masters or Post Graduate degree in management or equivalent years of demonstrable experience in a relevant programme management role Programme Management Experience or qualification
Key skills and Abilities Essential
Ability to grasp and address strategic and operational context, and develop solutions to address
Experience Essential
Relevant experience of working a senior management role within a business and/or project environment or substantial experience if no masters or equivalent. Relevant NHS experience or similar environment at a Senior level. Experience of a leadership role managing and motivating a team Experience of change management Experience of working with stakeholders and in partnerships at a senior level Experience of operational management/leadership within a mental health setting
Desirable
Experience developing new and innovative models of care, from scratch, to address unmet needs Experience of transformational development for young adults and/or traditionally underserved groups
Knowledge Essential
Knowledge of programme and project management Knowledge of business case development Outstanding knowledge of the NHS Long Term Plan and previous national policy, in particular the context for young adults in mental health Knowledge and understanding of clinical services
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 Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Address CNWL Trust HQ, 350 Euston Road
350 Euston Road
London
NW1 3AX
Employer's website https://www.cnwl.nhs.uk/work (Opens in a new tab)