Principal Technical Specialist
Job summary
Collaboration Services
We deliver secure, user-focused digital platforms that enable collaboration and communication across health and social care. This includes a national communications platform with 1.7 million active users, ensuring the NHS workforce maximises technology to boost productivity. We simplify and enhance our external digital presence through a reliable, secure CMS-driven website experience, and provide NHS Futures - a secure collaboration environment for national and international partners to share resources, manage programmes, and build communities beyond IT restrictions.
Main duties of the job
- Manages the relationship between NHS.net Connect Teams and internal/external Stakeholders.
- Actively contributes to the strategy and vision for the future of the NHSmail and O365 for the NHS using specialist knowledge.
- Managing the support for the NHS.net Connect service and O365 suite sitting on technical design authority and governing new technology in regard to central tenant enablement
- Maintaining individual and team development to support new and upcoming technologies with full understanding of key developments in relevant professional spheres.
- Manages and maintains own professional knowledge and development in their technical specialism and embraces development opportunities to support new technologies, frameworks and services including the move to AI and the Microsoft Roadmap.
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
You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.
Person Specification
Knowledge & Experience
- Demonstrable understanding and knowledge of Microsoft O365 Core technologies
- Substantial knowledge and experience of the technical governance and utilisation of email and M365 products
- Significant understanding of security features and best practice including device security
Skills
- Communicate confidently with customers and stakeholders alike and be able to present technical information to an array of audiences
- Proven ability to act as a consultant, bringing specialist experience of M365 to the provision of well-informed technology advice, taking steps to ensure that it is properly understood and appropriately articulated, to enhance the effectiveness of decision making and direction setting, and other significant activities
- Structured approach to troubleshooting and fault-finding including root cause analysis
Qualifications
- Educated to master's degree level or equivalent work experience
- ITIL Foundation Qualification or equivalent work experience
Interpersonal Skills
- Ability to empower individuals to perform their roles and drive the team to be excellent and deliver right first time
Equality, diversity and inclusion
- Challenges behaviour that does not align with a collaborative and inclusive environment
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
Any NHSE Office
Nationally
LS1 4AP
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/working-for/