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Job overview
The Site Digital Portfolio Lead provides senior leadership and acts as the primary relationship manager between Trust management teams and Digital Services within the Collaborative. The role ensures that digital, data and technology services are aligned to organisational priorities, clinical needs and service improvement objectives.
The postholder is responsible for managing a defined digital portfolio within one or more Trusts, translating organisational strategy into deliverable digital plans and ensuring effective coordination, prioritisation and oversight of programmes and services.
The role operates with a high degree of professional autonomy within agreed strategies, governance frameworks and financial limits, but does not hold corporate-wide or system-wide accountability. The postholder influences decision-making through expert advice, assurance and relationship management rather than executive authority.
Main duties of the job
Lead the planning, coordination and delivery of a defined digital portfolio aligned to Trust and Collaborative digital strategies and national NHS priorities.
Act as the senior interface between Digital Services and Trust stakeholders, including Divisional Directors, senior clinicians and operational leaders, ensuring priorities, risks and dependencies are understood and managed.
Provide senior oversight and assurance of digital programmes and projects within the portfolio, ensuring delivery to agreed scope, time, cost and quality.
Identify, manage and escalate risks, issues and dependencies through established governance routes, exercising professional judgement in complex and sometimes contested environments.
Hold indirect responsibility for patient care by ensuring digital systems and services within the portfolio support safe, effective and high-quality clinical practice.
Ensure digital initiatives are implemented in ways that minimise risk to patient safety, service continuity and clinical workflow, working closely with clinical safety officers and governance leads.
Communicate complex digital, technical and programme information to non-technical audiences, including senior clinicians and managers. Manage situations where there may be differing priorities or resistance to change, using persuasion, negotiation and professional credibility rather than authority.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- Lead the planning, coordination and delivery of a defined digital portfolio aligned to Trust and Collaborative digital strategies and national NHS priorities.
- Act as the senior interface between Digital Services and Trust stakeholders, including Divisional Directors, senior clinicians and operational leaders, ensuring priorities, risks and dependencies are understood and managed.
- Provide senior oversight and assurance of digital programmes and projects within the portfolio, ensuring delivery to agreed scope, time, cost and quality.
- Identify, manage and escalate risks, issues and dependencies through established governance routes, exercising professional judgement in complex and sometimes contested environments.
- Hold indirect responsibility for patient care by ensuring digital systems and services within the portfolio support safe, effective and high-quality clinical practice.
- Ensure digital initiatives are implemented in ways that minimise risk to patient safety, service continuity and clinical workflow, working closely with clinical safety officers and governance leads.
- Communicate complex digital, technical and programme information to non-technical audiences, including senior clinicians and managers.Manage situations where there may be differing priorities or resistance to change, using persuasion, negotiation and professional credibility rather than authority.
- Hold delegated responsibility for managing agreed portfolio budgets within defined limits, ensuring resources are used efficiently and in line with financial controls.
- Contribute to the development of business cases and investment proposals, providing portfolio-level insight and assurance rather than final approval.
Please refer to the Job Description for the full specification of responsibilities and requirements for this post.
Person specification
Skills
Essential
- Advanced strategic leadership skills, with the ability to interpret organisational and system strategy, shape clear portfolio priorities and influence delivery outcomes across complex health and care environments.
- Strong business development and service improvement expertise, with the ability to identify opportunities for digital and service transformation, articulate compelling value propositions and support sustainable delivery within NHS and system contexts.
Experience
Essential
- Extensive senior-level experience in business development, digital transformation and relationship management within the NHS and/or wider public sector, operating at Trust and system interface level to support service improvement and organisational priorities
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Master’s degree level or equivalent professional experience in a relevant discipline such as Business Relationship Management / Business Administration, Health Management, Digital Transformation, Information Systems or a related field, demonstrating advanced theoretical and practical understanding relevant to senior portfolio and service leadership roles.
- Comprehensive knowledge of NHS organisational structures, commissioning and funding arrangements, policy frameworks and system transformation agendas, enabling the postholder to operate effectively within Trust and system contexts and provide informed advice to senior stakeholders.
Attitude, aptitude
Essential
- Demonstrates a visionary and forward-thinking leadership approach, with the ability to anticipate change, promote innovation and articulate a clear sense of direction for digital and service improvement within defined organisational and system contexts
- Consistently demonstrates and promotes the Collaborative’s organisational values through behaviour, leadership style and decision-making, including: Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn – Living our values, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals – PRIDE values, James Paget University Hospitals – CARER values
- Demonstrates understanding and commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Site Digital Portfolio Lead - QEHKL with Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Norwich, East of England, England. It is listed as a Band 8 Manager and corporate role. The advertised salary is £79,504 - £91,609 per annum. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 26 Jul 2026.
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