ESN Programme Lead: Emergency Services Network

Salary Band 11, £55,836 – £60,912 (Please note it is Northumbria Police policy to appoint at the beginning of the band)

Location: Agile, Working within Force Area and homeworking

Hours/Contract: 37 hours per week, 2 year fixed term, with potential for it being extended

The role

Here at Northumbria Police, we think our region is amazing! It takes a great deal of people from different backgrounds, with diverse skills and experience to serve our force area effectively. This could be the perfect time for you to join us in our Digital Department as an ESN Programme Lead. The ESN Programme Lead is responsible for the end-to-end programme management of the Emergency Services Network (ESN) delivery across the three regional forces of Northumbria, Durham and Cleveland. Acting as the local lead for the national Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP), the role ensures that ESN solutions are successfully planned, governed and implemented in line with national standards while meeting regional operational policing requirements. This includes providing strategic leadership, overseeing delivery milestones, managing risks and dependencies, and ensuring a smooth transition from existing Airwave services to ESN capabilities. Working collaboratively with senior stakeholders across the three forces, the Home Office, NEAT and national ESN partners, the postholder will provide a single point of accountability for regional ESN delivery. The role will balance national programme demands with local priorities, ensuring that solutions are operationally effective, value for money and aligned to force strategies. Through strong engagement, assurance and governance, the ESN Programme Lead will support frontline policing by enabling resilient, secure and future-proof emergency communications across the region.

What you’ll do

• Lead the end to end delivery of ESN, overseeing definition, analysis, development, procurement and implementation, with robust governance and documentation throughout.
• Ensure ESN solutions meet the operational needs of all three forces through effective quality and business assurance, including cost–benefit analysis and post implementation reviews.
• Manage, mentor and develop staff to maintain up to date skills and high performance in support of force and programme objectives.
• Represent Northumbria, Durham and Cleveland at national level, working closely with the Home Office, ESMCP and policing partners to deliver regional operational requirements.
• Support NEAT in requirements gathering and the assessment and award of national procurement for ESN operational equipment and services.

What you’ll bring

• Significant experience delivering Digital Policing projects, with a strong understanding of force service provision and operational areas impacted by ESN and a proven ability to transition solutions from development into live service.
• Demonstrable strategic thinking and action planning capability, with a goal focused approach, strong organisation skills and the ability to manage multiple complex activities in a dynamic and changing environment.
• Proven experience of estimating and managing significant budgets to support the effective delivery of ESMCP services, ensuring value for money and alignment with business priorities.
• Expert at rapidly understanding customer challenges, analysing complex requirements and translating technical and business needs into credible, pragmatic solutions.
• Lead, motivate and develop teams in line with strategic objectives, demonstrating a strong commitment to customer service, continuous improvement and effective engagement with senior officers and leadership teams.
• Develop and manage resource and capacity plans to support the delivery of digital services, including succession planning, and maintain effective supplier relationships to maximise organisational value.

We know it’s important for you to feel that you’re not only part of a great team, but part of a community. We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Harnessing these differences creates a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, and their talents are fully utilised. Appointments are based on merit alone.

Just so you know

Candidates with priority status will be given precedence for this role over other applicants. Our application form will help us understand how your work, education and life experience has prepared you for the role. To help support your application research what makes us tick here at Northumbria, the role you’re applying for and the values and behaviours that contribute. The recruitment process will consist of the initial application form followed by a face-to-face interview. Just so you know, you can save your application and come back to it any time prior to the closing date on the advert.

We are proud members of the Business Disability Forum, working together to improve the lives of disabled employees. As a Disability Confident Leader, we are committed to offering an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role. In cases of very high application volumes, we may prioritise those who most closely meet the criteria, applying the same fair approach for all candidates. If you tell us that you have a disability, we can make adjustments to support you through the recruitment process (for example we can arrange extra time for tests or provide a sign language interpreter).

You can get in touch with us via for any support regarding the application process. Please provide us with plenty of notice so we can ensure your visit goes smoothly.

Use of AI in Applications: At Northumbria Police, we embrace innovative technologies to enhance our recruitment process. We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While AI can be a valuable resource, we encourage applicants to ensure their submissions accurately reflect their personal qualifications, experiences, and skills. Our selection process includes thorough evaluations to verify the authenticity and suitability of all applications. We value genuine and thoughtful responses that showcase your unique strengths and perspectives.

If your application is successful, we’ll ask you to complete a Management Vetting (MV)/ Security Clearance (SC) form, therefore you must be a resident of the UK for a minimum period of 5 years to ensure vetting checks can be successfully performed. A job offer will be dependent upon vetting clearance, medical information, and references.

Terms of appointment

This is a fixed term role subject to a six-month probationary period. If you are successful in your application, you will have a six-month probation period with us where you will be unable to apply for any other post advertised internally or externally. Please note if you are interested in applying for this secondment opportunity, please discuss this with your Line Manager and gain agreement prior to applying.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.