Job summary
Fixed Term/Secondment - 1st October 2025
Are you looking for a fresh challenge or an opportunity toenhance and develop in your career progression? We are looking for anexperienced programme management officer (PMO) who will support the work of theLocal Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS).
LMNS are recruiting a PMO to join theirteam. The successful candidate must be organised and able to work autonomouslyacross a system. They must have experience at project management, delivery ofNHS programmes including tracking actions, performance escalation and a trackrecord of business/budget holding support.
As part of the LMNS team, you will be work closely withothers within the Integrated Care Board, the trust maternity and neonatal serviceleads, ICB finance colleagues, and the regional team.
As the LMNS PMO you will be required to work closely with otherorganisations and to drive forward transformational change to support deliveryof the three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services. You will contribute to the LMNS vision that Suffolk andNortheast Essex will provide the best maternity and neonatal services in theEast of England.
You should have an in-depth expert knowledge of projectmanagement and strategic thinking. You will be required to negotiate, problemsolve, and able to build effective relationships with a wide range ofstakeholders.
If you like to work collaboratively and are a dynamic andenthusiastic programme manager we would love to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
1. Working with the Director of Midwifery and the Transformational and QI leads, provide programme and project management expertise to ensure implementation of the Three-Year Delivery Plan for maternity and neonatal services.
2. Develop and support the delivery of non-clinical improvement or transformation projects to support the LMNS work programme.
3. Work with ICB finance colleagues and is responsible for managing and monitoring the LMNS funding resource.
4. Ensure robust LMNS/ICB governance processes are in place to meet regional and national NHSE reporting requirements.
5. Support robust governance and assurance processes to facilitate the effective delivery of the LMNS programme, and its associated projects, including tracking actions and monitoring progress/performance, escalation of issues and demonstrating the successes and benefits delivered from individual programmes of work.
6. Contribute to the Suffolk and North-East Essex LMNS clinical governance agenda by setting, implementing, and evaluating best practice in maternity and neonatal care.
7. Contribute to setting long term strategy ensuring the aims and objectives of the organisation/system are embedded and progressively built upon, as well as taking responsibility for the implementation of one or more plans which align with it.
About us
The NHS Suffolk and North-East Essex Integrated Care Board(ICB) plans and buys healthcare services for our population. This function iscommonly referred to as commissioning. To do this, we work within a budget of around£ billion, which is set by NHS England, and work closely with localgovernment and the NHS providers in our area. Our performance is judged by howwell our local health and care system as a whole is working, including thehealth outcomes of our communities. The ICB has delegated some authority to the threehealth and wellbeing alliances that operate in Suffolk and North-East Essex toact on its behalf. This is to ensure that the needs of smaller, local areas areaddressed. The ICB remains accountable for all of its functions, includingthose it has delegated. Local residents have a big role to play in theoperation of the ICB. We rely on the experiences and perspectives of ourcommunities to help shape our decision-making.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This role descriptor is for the Local Maternityand Neonatal System Program Management Officer.
The job descriptionand person specification are an outline of the tasks, responsibilities andoutcomes required of the role. The job holder will carry out any other dutiesas may reasonably be required by their line manager.
Thesuccessful applicant will carry out any other duties as may reasonably berequired by their line manager.
The job descriptionand person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance withthe changing needs of the Department and the Organisation.
TheSuffolk and North-East Local Maternity & Neonatal System (LMNS) is a groupof local system leaders that include provider, commissioner, and other localorganisations, with the active involvement of service user representatives.
Thepurpose of this role will be to lead the development and implementation of key prioritiesand deliverables linked to the NHS Maternity Transformation programme (MTP) andthe NHS Long Term Plan. The LMNSProgramme Manager will work closely with the LMNS team to ensure maternity andneonatal services are safer, more personalised, more equitable, and meet theneeds of the local population.
They will be responsible for providing programmemanagement to key workstreams and programmes of work to ensure they runefficiently and within budget.
Person Specification
Knowledge, Training and Experience
Essential
8. Educated to Masters level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area.
9. Extensive knowledge of specialist areas, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to masters level equivalent
10. Evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development
11. Must have an understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and appreciate the implications of this on engagement
12. Should have an appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health, NHS England and individual provider and commissioning organisations
13. Project management qualification or equivalent experience
14. Member of relevant professional body
Communication, Analytical, Planning, Management and Physical Skills
Essential
15. Must be able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups
16. Negotiate on difficult and controversial issues including performance and change.
17. Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands
18. Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options
19. Takes decisions on difficult and contentious issues where there may be a number of courses of action.
20. Strategic thinking ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise.
21. Demonstrated capability to plan over short, medium and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly
22. Comprehensive experience of project principles techniques and tools such as Prince 2 and Managing Successful Projects
23. Must be able to prioritise own work effectively and be able to direct activities of others. Experience of managing and motivating a team and reviewing performance of the individuals.
24. Working knowledge of Microsoft Office with intermediate keyboard skills.
Equality and Diversity
Essential
25. Needs to have a thorough understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships both in terms of day-to-day working practices, but also in relation to management systems in the area
Other
Essential
26. Previously responsible for a budget, involved in budget setting and working knowledge of financial processes.
27. Used to working in a busy environment
28. Adaptability, flexibility and ability to cope with uncertainty and change
29. Willing to engage with and learn from peers, other professionals and colleagues in the desire to provide or support the most appropriate interventions
30. Professional calm and efficient manner
31. Effective organizer, influencer and networker
32. Demonstrates a strong desire to improve performance and make a difference by focusing on goals.
33. Completer/Finisher
Autonomy Freedom to Act
Essential
34. Must be able to use initiative to decide relevant actions and make recommendations to Sponsor/ Manager, with the aim of improving deliverables and compliance to policies.
35. Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues, working to tight and often changing timescales
36. Experience of identifying and interpreting National policy. Experience of researching best practice (globally, private and public sector), interpreting its relevance and processes/ practices which could be implemented successfully to achieve system reform (advising on policy implementation)