Digital Estates Programme Manager in Dorchester

The Digital Estates Programme Manager bridges the gap between digital healthcare technology and physical estate construction, ensuring all modern facilities are fully integrated, digitally advanced, and compliant with national digital blueprints. As part of the Dorset Digital Service, spanning the three NHS Trusts in Dorset, you will lead on strategic planning, alignment, and execution of all digital infrastructure requirements, clinical systems, and smart technology requirements. This is an exciting and challenging role supporting the information technology needs across capital estates projects and New Hospital Programme (NHP) projects.

Reporting to the Associate Director of Infrastructure & Estates Programmes, you will work closely with senior stakeholders across Digital, Clinical, Operational and Estates teams, as well as external partners, to ensure that digital infrastructure is fully integrated into major capital developments, estate refurbishment programmes and service transformation initiatives across the Trust.

You will have strong programme and project management expertise and experience of leading NHS transformation programmes within estates, facilities, and clinical environments. The successful candidate will have significant experience managing large-scale projects, engaging a wide range of stakeholders, and delivering technology-enabled change that improves operational efficiency and service delivery.

The role is being advertised across the three Dorset NHS Trusts and applications are welcomed from current employees of Dorset County Hospital (DCH), Dorset Healthcare (DHC) and University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) NHS Foundation Trusts.

We understand that some applicants may choose to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in preparing their application materials. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind candidates that all submissions must be truthful and accurately reflect your own experiences and suitability for this role. Personal integrity and authenticity are central to our recruitment process. We value honesty and appreciate applications that are genuine and representative of the individual behind them.

This role may be available for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). Sponsorship will be determined based on your current situation and on a case-by-case basis.

Qualifications & Experience

• Educated to master's level (or equivalent experience).
• Evidence of relevant continuing professional development.
• APM Prince 2 Qualification or equivalent.
• Experience of working in the NHS or similar multi-disciplinary organisation in a management capacity.
• Experience of giving briefings and presentations to large groups and to senior forums including board level.
• Drafting and reviewing policy documents.
• Experience and competence in implementing and managing significant cross-organisational change.
• Extensive experience of implementing best practice in Project Management.
• Familiar with acute hospital environment.
• AutoCAD qualification and experience.
• Experience of healthcare in estates environment and project delivery, working with NHS capital procurement.
• Experience in delivering projects involving large-scale transformation and/or service redesign.

Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

• Shows kindness when in incidental contact with patients.
• Helps patients when necessary.
• Skills to give advice on potential impacts on patient care.

Policy /Service Development

• Has knowledge and skills to develop governance systems and Policy.
• Understands and can apply relevant legislation.
• Passionate about using information as a tool to drive improvement.
• Demonstrates an inclusive approach ensuring a wide range of voices are heard.
• Knowledge of relevant governance structures, Trust policies, procedures guidelines and protocols.
• Knowledge of national and corporate policies that apply to assigned projects.

Responsibility for Financial and Physical Resources

• Skills to identify efficiency schemes.
• Business planning knowledge and skills.
• Skills to monitor and implement programmes, measuring and evaluating whilst weighing up risk and adjusting plans to ensure benefits identified are achieved.
• Aware of financial limits and ensures consideration of resources available, always seeking to maximise productivity, reduce costs and identify savings whilst maintaining high standards of delivery.
• Understands Standing Orders and Standing Financial Instructions.

Responsibility for Human Resources

• Skills and experience to manage people and stakeholders.
• Skills to recruit, develop and motivate staff ensuring the effective management and training of any direct reports.
• Skills to manage sickness absence, conduct appraisals, performance management and disciplinary proceedings in line with DCH / DHC / UHD policy.
• Understanding of the importance for success of process and people change being given at least equal prominence with technology change; ability to explain this credibly to different audiences.

Responsibility for Information Resources

• Skills to prepare high-quality reports for both internal and external audiences.
• Able to handle sensitive data in a confidential manner.

Freedom to Act

• Ability to set a clear direction and use resources effectively and consistently.
• Ability to operate independently, autonomously and manage services for which the post is responsible; in line with Policy and Procedure and interpreting national, regional and local agendas and policy.

Effort

• Ability to cope with highly sensitive, emotional and contentious information and decision making and occasional intense concentration will be required on a wide variety of complex issues throughout the day.
• Ability to adapt to interruptions, changing priorities and re-focus the work of self and others.
• Ability to chair and facilitate meetings which require a high level of concentration on a wide range of topics, with a variety of audiences and mixture of attendees.
• Ability to deal positively and promptly with staff concerns and personal problems, challenging staff on any inappropriate behaviour or poor performance in accordance with Trust policy.
• Ability to concentrate for analysis and writing reports and frequent prolonged use of DSE.
• Significant operational challenges and demands can make for a pressurised environment.
• Able to work and travel to Dorset sites on a required basis.

Personal Attributes

• Enthusiasm, commitment and tenacity.
• Resourceful, with resilience and determination to drive results in a busy and fast-paced environment.
• Able to think creatively to identify innovative solutions to organisational redesign and development.
• Able to develop effective relationships with a range of stakeholders internally and externally.
• Confident, personable and approachable and able to inspire confidence in others.
• Able to work autonomously.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Ability to work as an individual or as a team member.
• Adaptable and imaginative.
• Innovative and enthusiastic.
• Ability to organise.
• Ability to work under pressure demonstrating the need to react to situations.
• Ability to communicate with others at all levels within the organisation and outside the organisation.
• The ability to explain the impacts and issues relating to a project and make others aware.

Planning and Organisational Skills and Experience

• With extensive management skills the post holder will be able to lead, by example, to encourage and inspire staff to freely give their best performance at all times.
• Knowledge and understanding of clinical workflow.
• Successful influencer and negotiator.
• Experience of working within and across multi-professional environments / teams.
• Experience of engaging staff in improvement initiatives at scale and overcoming barriers to implementation.
• Experience of dealing with resistance to change and overcoming barriers to effective delivery.
• Experience of working together with others to create and deliver the best outcomes.
• Experience of leading Improvement projects.

Analytical and Judgement Skills

• Excellent communicator both orally and in writing.
• Ability to work collaboratively, influencing decisions and outcomes, facilitating consensus in a healthcare organisation.
• Highly skilled at project management and organisational change.
• Must have sound understanding of principles and practical application of PRINCE2.
• Good analytical skills; the ability to learn quickly, to synthesise diverse information, and to make decisions from a range of options involving a range of highly complex facts and situations.
• Strong communication skills; credibility with all staff with whom the post-holder is likely to work; the ability to communicate complex ideas and information to audiences with differing levels of understanding.
• Highly numerate and able to communicate and present articulately both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to work under pressure to meet deadlines and prioritise workloads.
• Ability to engage others in working to timescales and deliver agreed outcomes within project governance arrangements.
• Ability to work effectively with a range of stakeholders at all levels of the organisation.
• Ability to analyse complex problems and develop recommendations and solutions.
• Ability to plan and organise complex activities.
• Ability to lead and inspire a large Team.
• Take personal ownership and responsibility.
• Use of Microsoft software.
• Excellent written and analytical skills.

Desirable Skills

• Can analyse and apply advanced levels of specialist knowledge and skills in undertaking option appraisals and risk assessments.
• Building design software packages such as AutoCAD, Revit.
• Microsoft project specifically or other project management tools.
• Health & Safety standards in relation to Building and Construction.
• Good Knowledge of healthcare guidance, HTM's, HBN's and other industry-specific guidance.
• Familiarity with digital mechanical and electrical systems.