Safer Nursing Care Tool Programme Director

Go back University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

The closing date is 13 March 2026

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.

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

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top quality patient care, excellent education, and world class research.

We provide first class acute and specialist services across eight sites:

• University College Hospital (incorporating the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing)
• National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
• Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals
• University College Hospital Grafton Way Building
• Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine
• University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre
• The Hospital for Tropical Diseases
• University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street

We are dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of many complex illnesses. UCLH specialises in women's health and the treatment of cancer, infection, neurological, gastrointestinal and oral disease. It has world class support services including critical care, imaging, nuclear medicine and pathology.

We are committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.

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

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?

• Educated to degree level plus postgraduate qualification or equivalent
• Experience of leading and delivering national health/social care programmes
• Knowledge of NHS issues and current health policy
• Knowledge of NHS workforce issues.
• Comprehensive knowledge of safer staffing tools
• Qualification/training in project/programme management (eg. PRINCE 2)
• Knowledge of digital transformation, research and commercial partnerships

• Proven experience in programme management, preferably in a national or multi organisational context
• Experience in improvement and transformation, preferably in a national or multi organisational context (NHS desirable)
• Senior management in large complex organisation (NHS desirable)
• Demonstrable experience of effective budgetary management and control
• Experience of leadership of high profile programmes whilst developing and maintaining high standards of quality.
• Quality focused with innovative problem solving
• Commitment to multi disciplinary working.
• Experience of leading relationships with national stakeholders
• Experience of presenting to Executive Directors, CEOs, national stakeholdersPartnership working at senior level across organisations
• Proven success in programme delivery and effective implementation of high profile strategic plans.
• Experience of complex stakeholder and cross boundary management

• Influencing, persuasion, negotiation and diplomacy
• Highly developed communication skills
• Analysing and presenting complex information concisely
• Partnership working across professional boundaries
• Highest standard of presentation both verbally and in writing.
• Line management and team leadership
• IT literate

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

£117,645 to £134,103 a year Per annum inclusive of HCAS Pro rata