Associate Director of PMO

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Our cultural ambition is to have a culture that places people at the heart of all we do, where we all belong, and where learning, improvement and excellence thrive.

Job overview

This role is only open to applicants that currently work within an NHS Trust within the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care System (HIOW ICS).

The Associate Director of PMO will play a critical leadership role in driving Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's transformation journey and financial recovery strategy. This is a high-impact position, responsible for steering the successful delivery of strategic programmes that enhance performance, accelerate improvement, and secure the Trust's long-term sustainability.

Reporting directly to the Chief Financial Officer, the post holder will have accountability for overseeing the Trust's Delivery Unit Programme Management Office (PMO), ensuring the effective scoping, mobilisation, delivery, and closure of transformation projects. This includes embedding robust programme governance, driving accountability, and promoting consistent use of best practice tools, methods, and reporting standards across all programmes.

The role will provide leadership for the delivery of the Trust's transformation plan and recovery priorities, ensuring alignment with wider system objectives and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care System (ICS). The Director will lead the provision of comprehensive programme support for multiple, complex and high-impact initiatives that contribute to improving services, outcomes, and operational performance across the Trust.

Main duties of the job

• Lead a rolling programme and supporting the business planning cycle, incorporating insight, innovation, and horizon scanning to inform transformation planning.
• Ensure programmes and recovery plans are underpinned by clear benefits realisation models, data-driven insights, and performance metrics.
• Coordinate impact assessments and risk management, ensuring that quality, equity and outcomes are embedded at every stage of delivery.
• Work collaboratively across internal and external stakeholder groups, including system partners, to ensure alignment and joint ownership of transformation priorities.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, knowledge sharing and capability building - supporting teams through coaching, training, and the development of practical tools for delivery.
• Provide high-quality, timely advice to the executive team and Trust Board on transformation progress, risks, and opportunities.

In addition, the post holder will lead the development and implementation of a Trust-wide PMO function - establishing standardised processes, reporting frameworks, and governance systems. This includes supporting divisional teams, clinical services, and corporate functions to deliver transformation at pace and scale, working in partnership with Improvement, Strategy, and Digital teams.

The successful candidate will bring energy, drive, and exceptional interpersonal skills, with the ability to work across organisational boundaries and build trusted relationships at all levels

Working for our organisation

Our vision is to provide outstanding care for every patient. Patient care is at the heart of what we do at our three sites: Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester and Andover War Memorial Hospital. Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides medical and surgical services to a population of approximately 600,000 people across Hampshire and parts of West Berkshire.

Our cultural ambition is to have a culture that places people at the heart of all we do, where we all belong, and where learning, improvement and excellence thrive.

We provide specialist services to people across the UK and internationally. We are one of only two centres in the UK treating pseudomyxoma peritonei (a rare form of abdominal cancer) and we are leaders in the field of tertiary liver cancer and colorectal cancer.

The trust employs more than 9,000 staff and has a turnover of over £500 million a year. As a Foundation Trust, we are directly accountable to our members through the governors. The Council of Governors represent the interests of their constituencies and influence the future plans of the Foundation Trust.

Tackling Climate Change: Hampshire Hospitals aims to embed sustainability and net zero carbon principles into the delivery of care across all its services. To find out more, search HHFT Climate Action or contactclimateaction@hhft.nhs.uk.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for further information about the post.

Person specification

Training & Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Educated to master's level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area.
• Extensive knowledge of specialist areas, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to master's level equivalent.
• Evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development.

Desirable criteria

• Formal project/programme management qualification (e.g. MSP, PRINCE2, APM, or equivalent).
• Formal improvement methodology training (e.g. Lean, Six Sigma, Model for Improvement).

Experience and Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Significant experience of managing or supporting significant change programmes within the NHS
• Significant experience within the Healthcare sector and commercially at a senior management level, including operational management, responsibility for strategic planning and development of complex external relationships.
• Significant experience working within an Acute NHS Trust, across organisational boundaries and with conflicting incentives.
• Significant experience leading and developing a robust Programme Management Office across multiple sites, stakeholders, partners and service users
• Highly experienced in leading major change initiatives with entrepreneurialism in a challenging organisational environment

Desirable criteria

• Experience in delivery of transformation work as a professional management consultant
• Experience of working at national or regional level within the NHS or wider public sector, influencing strategy or policy development.
• Experience of leading digital transformation programmes or large-scale technology-enabled change.
• Experience of working with regulators, commissioners, or government departments
• Experience of developing commercial partnerships and managing external suppliers or consultancies in delivering change.

Leadership

Essential criteria

• Highly experienced in leading, managing, developing and motivating teams of skilled professionals.
• Excellent communications skills, written and oral.
• Highly developed leadership and influencing skills with the ability to enthuse, motivate and involve staff to meet challenging targets including individuals and teams in wider ICS
• Understands the underlying social, political and historical factors shaping local realities of health services and uses understanding of politics of health and social care to get things done.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of building and sustaining partnerships with the voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sector.

Other Skill

Essential criteria

• Demonstrates excellent political judgement and astuteness in navigating complex organisational and system contexts
• Excellent skills in analysing and interpreting complex financial, clinical, and operational datasets.
• Demonstrates a visible, compassionate, and values-driven leadership style.
• Able to sensitively deliver unwelcome or difficult messages to stakeholders with professionalism and empathy.

Our commitment to you:

We are committed to equality and diversity in both the provision of our services and how we recruit and manage our staff. Applications are encouraged from everyone with the necessary attributes for the job, irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity.

Happy to Talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible and part time working will be considered.

The paperwork:

• HHFT is committed to putting the safety and care of our patients first - as well as helping us to protect you and your colleagues. Therefore, we would recommend that you are vaccinated against COVID-19 and that you understand that we are treating COVID-19 positive patients within our services.
• Shortlisted candidates will be contacted at least 5 working days before the scheduled interview date. Applications will be submitted directly into our preferred third party recruitment system (Trac). All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs via email - please ensure to check your junk/spam folders.
• All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering their first six months in post.
• In compliance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, all applicants must be able to communicate fluently in English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed as part of the selection process.
• This vacancy may close before the current listed closing date. If you intend to apply you are advised not to delay submitting your completed application.
• We believe that using technology wisely reflects strong time management and a commitment to innovation. However, it's essential to personalise your recruitment application to showcase your unique skills and experiences. Over-reliance on generic, AI-generated content may result in rejection if multiple candidates submit applications with similar language or structure. In such cases, recruiting managers may reach out for further clarity where applications appear consistent with others, to better understand your individual strengths.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Documents to download

• Associate Director of PMO (PDF, 824.3KB)
• HHFT Employee Rewards & Benefits (PDF, 723.8KB)
• Tackling Climate Change at Hampshire Hospitals (PDF, 4.9MB)