Head of Service - 111 Digital Front End
Job summary
This senior role leads the clinical direction, safety, and transformation of the NHS 111 Wales Digital Front End, including the 111 website, virtual assistants, symptom checkers, and integrated clinical decision support.
The post holder will ensure robust clinical governance, risk management, and regulatory compliance underpin all public-facing digital services, enabling safe innovation, improved access, and optimised patient flow across urgent and emergency care pathways. They will drive the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of digital clinical systems, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities and delivering measurable benefits in quality, safety, and efficiency.
Acting with a high degree of autonomy, the role provides expert strategic advice on digital clinical transformation, capital investment, and system integration, while leading complex programmes of change to embed advanced technologies into frontline care.
The post holder will operate at a national level, building and influencing partnerships with Welsh Government, Digital Health and Care Wales, NHS 111 partners, and commercial and academic stakeholders to shape and deliver a coherent, future-focused 111 digital offer.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will lead the operational delivery and ongoing development of the NHS 111 Wales Digital Front End, ensuring public-facing services support safe, effective patient navigation across urgent and unscheduled care. This includes oversight of digital clinical pathways, triage, and online tools, ensuring they are clinically validated, user-focused, and outcome-driven.
They will be accountable for embedding robust clinical governance and risk management across all platforms, ensuring compliance with clinical safety, regulatory, and data protection standards. The role will oversee complex digital programmes, ensuring effective delivery, performance monitoring, and realisation of benefits aligned to quality, safety, and efficiency.
The post holder will work across organisational and national boundaries to align delivery, build capability, and drive innovation in digital clinical care. They will lead multidisciplinary teams, manage key stakeholder relationships, and support senior leadership, ensuring the 111 digital front end remains sustainable, high-performing, and future-ready.
The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.
About us
#RemarkablePeople
Our workforce is made up of over 4,000 remarkable people who contribute to the delivery of world-class patient care across Wales, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Whether you work in a patient-facing role or within our range of support services, the work that you do enables us to provide high quality care, wherever and whenever we're needed.
The Trust recognises the need for its workforce to represent the diversity of the population it serves across the whole of Wales and seeks to create an environment where diversity is celebrated and inclusivity matters. We are also keen to break down any barriers into the Trust, and would encourage applications from under-represented groups, including those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, LGBTQ+ communities and disability groups.
Careers within the Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust are diverse and varied, with opportunities arising right across the service. Whatever your skills and background, you're sure to find a career with us which is fulfilling, challenging, and rewarding.
In line with the Trust's Starting Salary Procedure, all applicants will start at the bottom of the band for the position applied for, but can apply for a higher salary if they have previous experience relevant to the position.
Job description
Job responsibilities
You will be able to find a full Job Description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click Apply now toview in Trac.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Knowledge
- Master's degree in a clinically or digitally relevant field (e.g., Digital Health, Clinical Informatics, Advanced Clinical Practice), or equivalent experience
- Evidence of ongoing continuous professional development, especially in clinical digital health, AI, or digital clinical safety.
- Proven track record of leadership and management of transformational change programmes
- Registered clinician with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) or Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), or General Pharmaceutical Council (GPC).
- Professional certifications in digital transformation, AI, or information governance (e.g., PRINCE2).
- Understanding of digital content accessibility, usability, and user experience (UX) in public-facing health platforms.
- Familiarity with current developments in AI, machine learning, and digital symptom checking in healthcare.
Experience
- Significant experience leading and managing digital clinical system transformation in large, complex healthcare or public sector organisations.
- Strong experience in stakeholder engagement and management, including clinical staff, executive leaders, commercial agencies, technology vendors, and regulatory bodies, with a focus on digital clinical innovation.
- Experience in budgeting, financial planning, and resource allocation for digital health projects.
- Experiences in procurement rules, regulations and processes.
- Experience in leading organisational-level change for digital clinical systems, including change management and digital literacy training.
Skills and Attributes
- Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate multidisciplinary digital and clinical teams.
- Adaptable problem-solving skills, critical reasoning, and creative thinking for digital clinical change.
- Demonstrates resilience, confidence, and self-belief under pressure, especially in digital clinical environments.
- Proven ability to identify digital clinical opportunities, develop solutions, and implement effective action plans.
- Flexibility and adaptability to manage rapid change in digital health technologies and public-facing platforms.
- Proactive in exploring and implementing new digital technologies
- Skills in optimising digital processes and systems for maximum efficiency and effectiveness.
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.
Employer details
Employer name
Welsh Ambulance NHS Trust
Address
Pan Wales
St Asaph, Cwmbran
NP44 7HF
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.ambulance.wales.nhs.uk/en/5