Are you passionate about improving the lives of people with cancer? Do you want to ensure more people survive cancer than ever before? Working in NHS England's Cancer Programme, that's just what you'll do. Our goal is to diagnose cancer earlier, help more people survive it, and improve their quality of life and experience of care. We work with people affected by cancer, clinicians, charities, Regions, Cancer Alliances and trusts, and develop national policy and strategy to transform services for people across the country.

We are working closely with colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care on the development of the National Cancer Plan, anticipated for publication in the second half of this year. Our work has been reshaping the experience of cancer patients across England. You will be instrumental in delivering our ambition to improve cancer outcomes.

The Cancer Programme takes its responsibility to promote equality and diversity seriously. We respect colleagues from different backgrounds and embrace different cultural preferences in everything we do.

Main duties of the job

Are you the right person for the job? The Policy and Strategy team within the Cancer Programme has a broad remit for strategic policy development and implementing key strategic projects to support our ambitions on improved outcomes, including activities to understand and address inequalities in cancer, and enablers such as understanding and leveraging levers and incentives and opportunities for innovation. We work with colleagues across NHS England, DHSC, and other major stakeholder organisations and partners from across the cancer community. We oversee people and communities engagement across the Cancer Programme. We are looking for a Senior Strategy Manager to join the Policy and Strategy team. You will be responsible for the strategic development and delivery of specific policy and strategy projects, including those linked to the development and delivery of the National Cancer Plan.

If you have excellent policy, strategy, stakeholder, and delivery skills, enjoy working in a fast-paced environment at the heart of NHS policy, and have a strong commitment to diversity and equality, we would love to hear from you.

About us

The NHS England board has set out the top-level purpose for the new organisation to lead the NHS in England to deliver high-quality services for all, which will inform the detailed design work. We will achieve this purpose by:

• Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities.
• Making the NHS a great place to work, where our people can make a difference and achieve their potential.
• Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values, and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care.
• Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation.

If you would like to know more or require further information, please visit https://www.england.nhs.uk/. Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person.

Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.

If you are successful at interview, we will run an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) in the Electronic Staff Record system (ESR). This transfer gathers valuable information from a previous or current NHS employer to support onboarding, including statutory and mandatory competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You will have the opportunity to inform us if you do not consent throughout the process.

Job responsibilities

You will be responsible for developing and testing national policy solutions that support improved outcomes in cancer. You will build and maintain an accurate understanding of the internal and external landscape and actively leverage opportunities to progress cancer priorities and policies with and through others. This includes leading delivery of complex, high-profile, and sensitive strategy projects and short-term work to enable and support programme delivery.

This is a key role in our efforts to drive improved patient outcomes in cancer. Get in touch to find out more.

You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.

Job description

Responsibilities

You will be responsible for developing and testing national policy solutions that support improved outcomes in cancer. You will build and maintain an accurate understanding of the internal and external landscape and actively leverage opportunities to progress cancer priorities and policies with and through others. This includes leading delivery of complex, high-profile, and sensitive strategy projects and short-term work to enable and support programme delivery.

This is a key role in our efforts to drive improved patient outcomes in cancer. Get in touch to find out more.

You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.

Secondments

Applicants from within the NHS will be offered on a secondment basis only, with agreement obtained from their employer prior to submitting the application.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Educated to master's level or equivalent experience working at a senior level in a specialist area.

Knowledge and Experience

• Experience in developing and delivering strategy and policy to develop services and improve patient experience and outcomes.
• Experience of project management in a large-scale organisation and operating within complex organisational structures.

Skills, Capabilities & Attributes

• Experience of operating successfully in a complex, highly politicised environment.
• Highly developed communication skills with the capability to analyse, review, and understand highly complex, sensitive, or contentious information across diverse subjects relevant to the role.

Salary range: £64,455 to £74,896 per year (exclusive of London Weighting).