About the job

Job summary

DHSC leads the health and care system in England, helping everyone live healthy, independent lives for longer. We have one of the most absorbing, challenging and critical set of tasks and objectives in Government. Our goals are long-term, highly inter-dependent and complex, and affect everyone throughout England. DHSC is a stimulating, inspiring organisation, offering challenging work, which really makes a difference, as well as the opportunity to progress your career.

The New Hospital Programme (NHP) will transform the way healthcare infrastructure is delivered for the future NHS. Drawing on best practice and lessons learned from previous hospital delivery, and leveraging national and local expertise to realise programme-wide benefits that will improve outcomes for each and every patient, the public and our NHS colleagues.

Sitting within the Group Operations Directorate and reporting directly to me, the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the New Hospital Programme (NHP) holds the accountability for the successful delivery of one of the largest and most complex infrastructure programmes across government. With a leadership span across DHSC and NHSE, alongside a significant Delivery Partner function, a whole life programme budget of more than £20bn and an ambitious plan to build 40 new Hospitals by 2030, this challenging and exciting role will provide the right candidate with an unparalleled opportunity to deliver real change for the future of the NHS. 

We are looking for a highly skilled individual with the right balance of technical expertise, leadership attributes, a proven track record of large-scale programme delivery and the ability to successfully navigate relationships across a wide range of stakeholders including across government, the wider NHS and industry. 

Job description

As Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) you will be accountable for ensuring the Programme meets its key objectives, delivers the projected outcomes on time and within budget and realises the required benefits. With the SRO accountable to parliament for the delivery of the Programme, effective sponsorship requires a balance across strategic activity (setting the strategy, business case and building support in Whitehall) and delivery performance activity (supporting, challenging, and intervening with Delivery).

As SRO you will be holding the Delivery Team to account against critical ‘Sponsor Requirements’ instructing the Delivery Team on the strategic direction, scope, benefits, and expectations for the programme, and providing robust assurance of delivery. 

Key Responsibilities 

As SRO your key responsibilities will include:

• To lead all aspects of the programme, ensuring that it delivers its strategic objectives and delivers its full benefits in line with approved business cases.
• To communicate the vision of the Programme to all key stakeholders, particularly the Trusts, who will manage assets for their lifetime.
• To put appropriate governance and control arrangements in place to provide assurance of delivery, and to ensure the Delivery team have the capability necessary to deliver.
• To engage proactively and regularly with Ministers to ensure that the NHP is delivering their strategic intent and has the support it needs.

Person specification

It is essential that you provide evidence and examples in your application against each of the selection criteria listed below. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate success in the following areas: 

Essential:

• Leadership - An experienced leader who can bring together diverse teams into one cohesive Unit. Ability to set vision and create a high performing, supporting and inclusive culture, including supporting people to thrive in a matrixed working environment across two organisations and a significant delivery partner. Credibility to line manage Director-level peers, empowering and supporting them to achieve.
• Strategic Stakeholder Management – An ability to use their personal and professional credibility to build and maintain effective working relationships across organisational boundaries, make an impact on senior stakeholders, become a key advisor and partner and gain the confidence of and influence Ministerial and “Board level” stakeholders. 
• Technical skills - As SRO of a GMPP project, the individual is expected to have demonstrable experience of successfully delivering large scale transformation programmes, and to have completed relevant professional development (for example, the major projects leadership academy for GMPP projects). The individual will be required to enrol in or have completed the MPLA SRO qualifications. They will also be expected to become an accredited Major Project reviewer and to lead or participate in such reviews for other Government departments as appropriate.
• Delivery focused – A track record of driving delivery in a challenging environment; being proactive and visible as the driving force behind a programme and developing and deploying creative solutions to unblock barriers or meet high ambitions. Experience of operating in within a complex system with limited levers. 
• An understanding of the political environment - An ability to gain and maintain the confidence of Ministers, Board members and other senior stakeholders and operate within evolving and ambiguous environments, negotiating and influencing decisions, managing risk and reaching sound judgements on a range of strategic and reputational issues.
• Budget Management – A track record of delivering financial balance, setting and assuring realistic, stretching budgets and controls, and holding people to account for spending throughout the lifecycle of a programme.

Desirable: 

• Healthcare background - An understanding and/or working knowledge of NHS systems and the Trust model which will enable the building and managing of successful relationships with Trusts throughout the length of the programme.
• Technical expertise –An understanding of infrastructure programmes and/or Commercial supply chains and/or markets.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £97,000, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £38,475 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Application

To apply for this post please submit the following documents no later than 23:55 on Sunday 21st January 2024.

1. A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
2. A Statement of Suitability (in no longer 1250 words)  explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only has limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification. 

As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say'. The information you provide when submitting your application will help us monitor our progress towards the Civil Service becoming the most inclusive employer by 2025. 

If you are unable to apply online please contact: 

Selection Panel

Sarah Pittam, a Civil Service Commissioner, will chair the process. 

The Civil Service Commission has two primary functions: 

• Providing assurance that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. For the most senior posts in the Civil Service, the Commission discharges its responsibilities directly by overseeing the recruitment process and by a Commissioner chairing the selection panel. 
• Hearing and determining appeals made by civil servants under the Civil Service Code which sets out the Civil Service values – Impartiality, Objectivity, Integrity and Honesty - and forms part of the relationship between civil servants and their employer. More detailed information can be found on the Civil Service Commission website. 

In addition to Sarah Pittam the panel will also consist of: 

• Shona Dunn – Second Permanent Secretary, DHSC 
• Alison Baptiste, Project Director, IPA 
• Julian Kelly – Chief Financial Officer, NHSE/Andy Brittain
• Lorraine Jackson – Director, Health and Work Unit, DHSC

Other panel members may also be added.

Shortlist

You will receive an acknowledgment of your application through the online process.

The panel will select a shortlist of candidates whose applications best demonstrate suitability for the role, by considering the evidence provided in the applicants’ CV and supporting statement against the essential criteria set out in the ‘Person Specification’.

Candidates applying under the who meet the minimum selection criteria in the job specification are guaranteed an interview. 

Assessment 

If you are shortlisted, you will be asked to take part in a series of assessments which will include an individual Leadership assessment and a staff engagement exercise. These assessments will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview. All stages of the assessment process may be held virtually.

Discussion with the Vacancy Holder

Shortlisted candidates may have the opportunity to speak Shona Dunn, DHSC Second Permanent Secretary, prior to the final interview. This is an informal discussion to allow candidates to learn more about the role and is not part of the assessment process.

Discussion with a Minister/ Secretary of State

Shortlisted candidates may have the opportunity to speak with a Minister / Secretary of State prior to the final interview. This is an informal discussion and is not part of the assessment process.

Interview

You will be asked to attend a panel interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification. 

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to prepare a five-minute presentation at interview. This presentation will be designed to assess each candidate’s experience within the health and social care sector. The presentation will either be one you are asked to pre-prepare, or one where you are given a scenario on the day and asked to prepare directly before presenting to the panel at interview. Full details will be provided prior to interview.

Interviews will be conducted face-to-face in London, full details of the interview format will be provided to shortlisted candidates prior to interview.

Feedback

Due to the anticipated volume of applications to this role, we are unable to offer feedback to those not selected for the shortlist.

Shortlisted candidates who attend an interview will be offered verbal feedback from a member of the interview panel.

Reserve List

Candidates who are deemed to be ‘appointable’ after interview but are not successfully appointed to the role will be held on a reserve list. This reserve list will be held for up to 12 months and may be used to fill future suitable vacancies.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.