Safer Nursing Care Tool Programme Director

Job overview

Are you an experienced programme leader with a passion for safer staffing and innovation in healthcare? The Shelford Group is seeking a dynamic Programme Director to lead the strategic and operational delivery of the Safer Nursing Care Tool (SNCT) programme.

About the Shelford Group

The Shelford Group is a collaboration between ten of the largest teaching and research NHS hospital trusts in England. Together they account for over £19 billion of the NHS budget, have over 20 million contacts with patients per year, employ over 180,000 staff and account for almost two thirds of the country's clinical research infrastructure. Our new strategy, ‘Working together to improve health and care’, places the ongoing development of the Safer Nursing Care Tool as one of the core pillars of our work programme.

This is a flexible part time role, with a negotiable time commitment (0.4-0.6 WTE) for the right candidate.

Main duties of the job

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and governance for the SNCT programme, aligning with Shelford Group strategy
• Lead programme development, including digitisation, commercial partnerships, and research opportunities
• Establish robust programme infrastructure to ensure the ongoing sustainability of the tools.
• Oversee communications, tool launches, and stakeholder engagement
• Manage programme finances, including budget oversight and business planning
• Lead and develop the SNCT support team, including Fellows and Secretariat
• Advise senior leaders and provide expert analysis on programme outcomes, risks, and investment

We’re looking for a senior leader with:

• Extensive programme management experience, ideally in a national or multi-organisational context
• Comprehensive knowledge of NHS workforce issues (essential) and safer staffing tools (desirable)
• Experience engaging with senior clinical and managerial stakeholders
• Proven ability to lead high-profile programmes and deliver strategic plans
• Excellent communication, influencing, and partnership skills
• Educated to degree level with a postgraduate qualification or equivalent; project/programme management training (e.g., PRINCE2) is desirable

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.

About the SNCT

The Safer Nursing Care Tools are a suite of resources which support nursing leaders to calculate safe staffing requirements across different care settings. Developed by the Shelford Group Chief Nurses, the SNCT helps to establish and promulgate best practice in staffing decision making. The SNCT is widely used across the NHS and is licensed commercially to private healthcare providers in the UK and overseas.

This newly established post, in partnership with the SNCT Committee Chair, will lead the SNCT programme, ensuring its ongoing development, sustainability, digitisation, and commercial success. Sitting as part of the Shelford Group team, you’ll work closely with the SNCT Committee, Shelford Chief Executives and Chief Nurses, NHS England/DHSC, Imperial College London, and other key stakeholders. The role offers the opportunity to drive innovation, and make a positive difference to patient care and workforce planning.

Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for, according to our staff*

* UCLH top trust to work at in England - In the most recent NHS staff survey UCLH had the highest percentage of staff who said they would recommend us as a place to work, out of all general acute or acute/community NHS trusts in England – for the third year in a row.

UCLH recognises the benefits of flexible working for staff – To find out more, visit: Flexible working.

To discover more about what makes UCLH a great place to work, visit: Why Choose UCLH?