OverviewOur National Priority Programme Director for Mental Health, Learning Disabilities and Neurodevelopmental Conditions provides senior, credible and visible leadership to the department and system on these topics – setting clear delivery priorities, breaking down silos, driving improvement out in the system and catalysing change across services that support people with mental health needs, learning disabilities and neurodiversity.ResponsibilitiesSet the strategic direction for mental health, learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental conditions in line with ministerial expectations;Work with leads from across the department and NHS England to ensure robust delivery plans are in place and delivering;Act as Secretary of State’s key advisor on this area, engaging regularly with the Secretary of State, ministerial teams and other government departments (e.g. Work and Pensions, Home Office, Education and Cabinet Office);Develop strong partnerships required to drive forward delivery of programmes across the system and externally, spending substantial time speaking to systems to understand risks, support behaviour change and galvanise partners;Report to the NHS Chief Executive and advise Ministers on progress and outcomes;Lead the organisation through transformation, working with the national executive to design an effective approach to delivering national priorities and ensuring the department meets ministerial priorities and delivers the envisaged benefits through organisational redesign;Focus on efficiency savings and creating a new operating model that empowers local systems;Provide expertise on mental health, learning disabilities and neurodevelopmental conditions, with a particular focus on autistic and ADHD populations;Coordinate with executive teams to draw in specialist and technical expertise from the wider organisation in a matrix model, collaborating across teams to deliver strategic goals;Ensure delivery across regional and national performance, setting parameters and thresholds for regional and national performance and ensuring improvement interventions are effective.Our NHS Leadership ApproachEnable local systems and providers to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities;Make the NHS a great place to work, where people can make a difference and achieve their potential;Work collaboratively to ensure the workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care;Optimise the use of digital technology, research and innovation;Deliver value for money.LocationThis role requires regular attendance at both DHSC and NHS England headquarters in Leeds and London, with travel to other locations as necessary. Candidates may be based at any current regional site, with the expectation of regular time in London each week.Selection ProcessSift by CV and personal statement; shortlisted candidates will be invited to suitability chats with the selection panel;Applicants must submit a CV (max 2 pages) highlighting key responsibilities and achievements and a 500‑word personal statement aligning their skills with the person specification;Applicants must have prior agreement that they can be released for the duration of this secondment and must meet security requirements before appointment (level‑security check);Applicants may be offered a secondment to NHS England for the duration of this role and may opt out at any stage of the recruitment process;If successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) to retrieve key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding;Application deadline: 11:59 pm on 23 Oct 2025;Feedback is only provided if an interview or assessment is attended.SecuritySuccessful candidates must meet the required security checks, including baseline personnel security standard checks. Refer to the vetting charter for details.ClosingThis advert closes on Thursday 23 Oct 2025. #J-18808-Ljbffr