Programme Director – Route to IHO/Merger Transformation

Job overview

Programme Director – Route to IHO/Merger Transformation

St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (SGUH) and Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust (ESTH) have worked together in a Group arrangement for the past four years, delivering meaningful progress in aligning strategy, governance, corporate services and clinical collaboration. The next phase represents a significant opportunity to formalise this partnership through merger by acquisition, creating a stronger, more resilient organisation to better serve our patients and communities. This role offers a unique opportunity to lead this transformative programme, shaping the future of services across the Group. Working across organisational boundaries and with system partners, the postholder will drive delivery of a complex and high-impact programme—building on existing strengths while addressing key challenges to improve outcomes, experience and sustainability for our population.

This programme leadership role will drive the gesh Group’s mission to join our two Trusts together through a legal merger transaction by 1 April, 2028.

Main duties of the job

Critical to successful delivery will be ensuring coherence and strategic dependencies are managed and exploited within the new Transformation portfolio and with key enabling initiatives led by site and corporate teams e.g. digital and data. other major programmes.

The successful applicant must demonstrate the  ability to work across organisational boundaries and in partnership with the SRO and leadership teams of both Trusts. This will be essential to fulfil the breadth of this portfolio. The post-holder will be  required to work as part of a multi-professional matrix structure with clinical, operational,  estates/facilities, finance, HR/people, programme and project, improvement and strategy colleagues involved in delivering this programme the programme’s delivery . They will be a role model for purposeful collaboration. This role provides critical programme leadership capacity and capability for both Trusts during a significant period of change.

This a complex, high-profile programme requiring strong, visible leadership to drive delivery at pace. Success in this role will depend on the ability to operate within a complex matrix, influencing across Group and system partners to align priorities, unlock delivery and deliver shared outcomes

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Responsibilities

The Route to IHO/Merger Programme Director will:

• Lead, manage and develop the core programme team and successfully lead the programme’s delivery by working closely with internal and external stakeholders working in, and with, the transformation programme.

• Provide overall programme leadership, strategic direction, and grip across the route to IHO/merger programme.
• The postholder will be responsible for leading the development and delivery of the Full Business Case, overseeing the design of the Target Operating Model, and ensuring that robust due diligence processes are undertaken to support a legally compliant Full Business Case. Drive delivery against clear milestones and benefits realisation plans of workstreams, as part of the overall route to IHO/merger programme delivery
• Establish and maintain robust programme governance, including risk and issue management, escalation processes, and internal and external reporting to Trust Boards, system partners and regulators.
• Provide senior leadership across multi-organisational stakeholder environments, building engagement, ownership and accountability to support sustainable change and successful merger delivery by April 2028.
• Oversee the development and delivery of integrated programme and project plans, ensuring clear accountability, alignment of interdependencies, and proactive management of risks, issues and constraints.
• Take ownership of programme-level risk, applying judgement on escalation and mitigation, and ensuring risks are actively managed within agreed governance frameworks.
• Provide assurance to Executive teams and Boards on programme progress, delivery confidence, and benefits realisation, supporting key decision-making points.
• Be part of the gesh Group’s Transformation capability and capacity driving major change and financial sustainability across hospital sites and community services in South-West London and Surrey.

Experience and Skills Required:

Merger/acquisition programmes – NHS or equivalent

• Strong track record of delivering large-scale, complex transformation programmes in the NHS from inception to completion, with tangible efficiency, quality impact and cost-out benefits
• Previously led NHS acquisition/merger transactions, with delivery of supporting change management programme

Strategy Delivery and Partnership

• Demonstrable programme visioning experience, including an ability to build programme capabilities, establishing a clear strategic vision and direction and translating this into successful delivery vehicles and resulting outcomes
• Demonstrable professional credibility of working within NHS/complex organisational structure, able to deliver change through influence and partnership working
• Extensive experience of leading, influencing and motivating multiple diverse specialists across a number of teams to work together to successfully deliver programme outcomes.

Programme Leadership and Management

• Proven ability to drive value for money through good commercial and contract management skills.
• Functional programme leadership of outline and detailed mandates, business cases and programme / project briefs for Board / Executive level scrutiny and approval.
• Proven knowledge and experience of planning and implementing major business process change, service reconfiguration and/or new applications.
• Proven knowledge and experience of working across a supply chain and awareness of the associated programme impact.
• Data literate with the ability to review, challenge and effectively utilise financial, operational (demand/capacity), population health information for decision making, and good knowledge of budgeting and resource allocation.
• Knowledge and experience of managing project and programme budgets, contributing to financial budget forecasts and driving benefit realisation through programme delivery.
• Significant experience of applying project and programme practices, tools and techniques and using effective quality, risk & issue management and planning strategies.
• Ability to plan and manage reviews at appropriate assurance points during all stages of the project life cycle to provide evaluations of progress against time, cost, quality, compliance and ongoing viability.
• Ensures that lessons learned are captured throughout the lifecycle; identifies and applies previous lessons learned (including those from other projects and programmes) to ensure continuous improvement.

The following responsibilities are common to all posts in the Trust.

• To have responsibility for the Health, Safety and Welfare of self and others and to comply at all times with the requirement of the Health and Safety Regulations.
• To ensure confidentiality at all times, only releasing confidential information obtained during the course of employment to those acting in an official capacity in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act and its amendments.
• To work in accordance with the Trust’s Equality and Diversity policy to eliminate unlawful discrimination in relation to employment and service delivery.
• To ensure skills are up-to-date and relevant to the role, to follow relevant Trust policies and professional codes and to maintain registration where this is a requirement of the role.
• To be trained in and demonstrate fair employment practices, in line with trust policies.
• To comply with the Trust’s No Smoking Policies.
• To undertake such duties as may be required from time to time as are consistent with the responsibilities of the grade and the needs of the service.

This job description is not an exhaustive document. Details and emphasis may change in line with service needs after consultation with the postholder.