Lead Delivery Manager
Job summary
About the role
This is an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of health and care through AI.
The 10 Year Health Plan represents one of the biggest transformations in the history of the NHS, with AI central to creating smarter, more responsive services. As a Lead Delivery Manager (AI Portfolio), you'll sit at the heart of this transformation, combining senior delivery expertise with strong AI, data and digital knowledge to turn ambitious ideas into safe, effective services at scale.
You'll lead multidisciplinary teams across the full delivery lifecycle, from discovery and experimentation through to adoption and live operation. Working across product, data science, machine learning, engineering, design, clinical safety and responsible AI, you'll ensure solutions are useful, safe, sustainable and deliver measurable benefits.
We are looking for candidates can bring the best of delivery leadership and apply this to simultaneous deliveries, whilst recognising from experience that AI discovery, data readiness, model evaluation, assurance and operational monitoring may require different delivery cadences from conventional digital services.
If you want to help turn the potential of AI into real-world improvements for digital and data products and services, and have the right blend of delivery expertise and AI literacy, this is an exceptional opportunity to make an impact.
Main duties of the job
Lead delivery across a portfolio of AI-enabled products or services from discovery through to live operation
Enable multidisciplinary teams to deliver value using agile, lean and user-centred ways of working
Work with product, clinical, operational, technical and supplier stakeholders to turn priorities and user needs into clear delivery plans, roadmaps and success measures
Manage delivery plans, milestones, risks, issues, dependencies, blockers and performance reporting across multiple workstreams
Support products and services through governance, assurance and approval processes
Ensure appropriate consideration of clinical safety, information governance, cyber security, accessibility, responsible AI, adoption and live-service support
Manage delivery risks associated with AI-enabled services, including data readiness, model performance, user trust, monitoring and operational readiness
Coordinate stakeholders across health and care organisations, suppliers and partner teams to support implementation, adoption and continuous improvement
Build and sustain effective multidisciplinary teams, adapting team structures and ways of working to meet delivery needs
About us
NHS England has a wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers. These are focused on supporting the wider NHS to deliver high quality care, as well as doing those things that are best done once for the whole NHS.
Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms -- enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.
In March 2025, the Government announced that NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will increasingly merge functions, ultimately leading to NHS England being fully integrated into the department.
If you currently work within the NHS and if successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR).This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in our offices.
Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.
We cannot offer visa sponsorship for any vacancies.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Other duties of this role include;
Coaching and supporting Delivery Managers and teams to improve agile maturity, delivery confidence and consistency of practice; Building strong relationships with suppliers and stakeholders, ensuring delivery remains aligned to agreed priorities and outcomes; Communicating complex information clearly to technical and non-technical audiences through reports, governance updates and presentations;Supporting benefits realisation, transition into live service and continuous improvement and Leading lasting improvement in agile, lean and user-centred delivery practice across teams and partner organisations.
You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, and person specification in the attached Job Description. Please ensure your supporting statement includes demonstratable evidence and specific examples on how you meet the criteria for each of the key skills specified. This will be used in both the shortlisting and interview processes.
Person Specification
Qualifications
- Educated to master's level or equivalent qualification/delivery experience.
- Degree-level or postgraduate study, training, certification or substantial demonstrable CPD in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science or responsible AI, or equivalent experience. Able to explain AI concepts, limitations, evaluation evidence and delivery trade-offs confidently to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Skills
- Planning and organising a broad range of complex activities, formulating and adjusting plans to reflect changing circumstances.
- Removing impediments and blockers that get in the way of delivery. Actively addressing complex risks, issues and dependencies, including those where no clear ownership exists and often identifying innovative ways to unblock issues. Ability to make and justify contentious and risky decisions related to delivery.
- Managing a broad range of diverse stakeholders, understanding their needs, managing expectations and building consensus. Ability to facilitate discussions about high risk and complexity within constrained timescales.
Knowledge
- Leading delivery across a portfolio of concurrent AI-enabled products and use cases, coordinating multiple multidisciplinary teams and interdependencies across discovery, data readiness, feasibility, development or integration, evaluation, responsible AI assurance, deployment and operational monitoring. Experience should span more than one AI capability, for example generative AI, predictive analytics, automation or decision support.
- Knowledge and experience of governing, assuring and managing risks associated with AI-enabled products, ensuring safe, compliant and effective adoption in a regulated environment.
Experience
- oExtensive experience of applying agile values and principles (from the agile manifesto) and lean thinking into practice to enable a multi-disciplinary user-centred development team and/or team of teams, to successfully deliver value through digital features or a product or service
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.
Employer details
Employer name
NHS England
Address
Wellington House
London
SE1 8UG
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/working-for/