Job requirements
Essential
25 listedRequirements the employer expects applicants to meet.
- Qualifications
Master’s degree in management, project management, programme Management, Construction, or Estates related discipline
- Qualifications
Membership of an appropriate professional body (e.g. Association of Project Managers, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Estate Management).
- Qualifications
Chartered status within a recognised body (see examples above).
- Qualifications
Proven evidence of Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
- Qualifications
Qualifications and professional standing sufficient to command credibility at Board, regional and national level
- Knowledge and Experience
Demonstrable experience directly leading and accountable for multi-faceted programmes of work, at a scale of £100m+.
- Knowledge and Experience
Experience leading Board level or national assurance processes.
- Knowledge and Experience
Experience working and communicating effectively at Board level within a public sector organisation.
- Knowledge and Experience
Experience operating with strategic autonomy in a complex public sector environment.
- Knowledge and Experience
Proven multi-disciplinary experiences within programmes delivering design, major construction, refurbishment, delivery and handover of infrastructure and the built environment, to a high quality, on time and to budget.
- Knowledge and Experience
Demonstrable experience of leading multiple professional teams.
- Knowledge and Experience
Ability to evidence successful completion and delivery of high value multi-facet programmes
- Knowledge and Experience
Demonstrable experience of HM Treasury business case development for major capital projects.
- Knowledge and Experience
Demonstrable experience of delivery of savings and managing external contracts and external contractors.
- Knowledge and Experience
Management of significant capital budgets exceeding £100m
- Knowledge and Experience
Track record of leading complex organisational change
- Knowledge and Experience
Demonstrable experience of working with key stakeholder groups internal and external to an organisation e.g. Patient Groups, clinical stakeholders, Council of Governors
- Knowledge and Experience
Understanding of public sector corporate governance and assurance requirements.
- Knowledge and Experience
A thorough proven knowledge of the context and application of standard forms of construction contract (e.g. NEC, JCT, etc.).
- Knowledge and Experience
Proficiency in change control and knowledge management
- Knowledge and Experience
Proven knowledge and understanding of the Public Procurement Regulations
- Knowledge and Experience
Specialist proven knowledge and demonstrable experience of NHS construction procurement processes including traditional, P21+, Procure 22, LIFT, etc
- Knowledge and Experience
Detailed proven knowledge and understanding of Health and Safety legislations and requirements of working within a built environment, including knowledge and experience of Construction Design
- Knowledge and Experience
Understanding risk and risk management systems.
- Knowledge and Experience
Detailed proven knowledge and demonstrable experience of Microsoft Office and other project management software.
Desirable
14 listedAdditional qualities the employer would prefer.
- Qualifications
Post Graduate management or project management qualification.
- Qualifications
Leadership development.
- Qualifications
Better Business Case Practitioner
- Knowledge and Experience
Demonstrable experience directly leading and accountable for multi-faceted programmes of work, at a scale of £250m+.
- Knowledge and Experience
Demonstrable experience leading and accountable for multi-faceted programmes of work, at a scale of £100m+ within an NHS setting.
- Knowledge and Experience
Demonstrable experience of HM Treasury business case development for major capital projects within the NHS.
- Knowledge and Experience
Understanding of the working of an acute NHS Hospital Trust
- Knowledge and Experience
Management of significant capital budgets exceeding £250m.
- Knowledge and Experience
Demonstrable experience of interpreting Department of Health policies and technical memorandum
- Knowledge and Experience
Significant experience of managing a full range of in-house FM services including Estates, Capital Planning, Facilities Management, and Property Management.
- Knowledge and Experience
Proven knowledge and demonstrable experience of NHS procedures, standards and governance requirements
- Knowledge and Experience
Experience of working on a major hospital development programme and the production of the associated business cases.
- Knowledge and Experience
Experience of using ProCure23 (P23) framework for the development and delivery of NHS Capital schemes.
- Knowledge and Experience
A detailed proven knowledge and application of NHS technical documents (HTNs, HBNs, etc.), British Standards, regulations, legislation, and best practice guidance.
Job overview
Lead the delivery of the largest healthcare infrastructure investment in Cornwall’s history.
This is not just another programme leadership role.
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking an exceptional and visionary leader to lead the delivery of a transformational £400m+ New Women and Children's Hospital Programme that will reshape healthcare for generations to come.
As Director of the Women and Children's Strategic Programme, you will take executive-level responsibility for one of the most significant capital and service transformation programmes in the NHS. Part of the first wave of hospitals to be built under the national New Hospitals Programme, you will lead the planning, development and delivery of a new state-of-the-art Women and Children's Hospital while driving the redesign of services, patient pathways and models of care across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
This is a rare opportunity to leave a lasting legacy.
The programme represents the largest single infrastructure investment in Cornwall's history and is recognised as being of both regional and national significance, attracting oversight from NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care and the New Hospital Programme.
Main duties of the job
Why this role is different……you will not simply manage a construction project.
You will:
- Shape the future of Women and Children's healthcare for an entire population.
- Lead a nationally significant NHS transformation programme.
- Influence strategic decisions at Trust Board, regional and national level.
- Direct complex business case development, commercial strategies and programme governance.
- Work with political leaders, clinical leaders, regulators, national bodies and local communities.
- Lead the delivery of a modern, sustainable, digitally enabled healthcare campus designed for future generations.
We are looking for a leader who:
- Has successfully delivered major programmes, ideally exceeding £150m.
- Can unite clinicians, executives, system partners and national stakeholders around a common vision.
- Thrives in complex, high-profile environments where strategic thinking and decisive leadership are essential.
- Combines commercial acumen, programme expertise and outstanding stakeholder management skills.
- Wants to make a genuine difference through creating better healthcare environments and outcomes for patients and families.
The successful candidate will operate with significant autonomy, leading a diverse team of professionals and managing major strategic, financial, reputational and clinical risks while maintaining momentum through a highly complex national assurance and delivery process.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
PLEASE NOTE: To view the full Job Description and Person Specification, please click the supporting document on the right-hand side.
To be an employee of the NHS you need to successfully complete the following:
Identity Checks
Professional registration and qualification checks
Employment history and reference checks
Occupational Health clearance
Satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service check
Right to work in the UK
For further information please visit:
https://www.nhsemployers.org/topics-networks/employment-standards-and-regulation
We reserve the right to close this advert early.
We may be able to offer flexible working. Please discuss at interview.
We may be able to offer sponsorship but this is not guaranteed.
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Director of Women and Children’s Strategic Programme with Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust in Truro, England. It is listed as a Programme manager role. The advertised salary is Negotiable. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 19 Oct 2026.
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