Head of Programme – Digital Learning Infrastructure

NHS National Services Scotland; United Kingdom; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 75,000

Job description

Flexible Location: Based throughout Scotland, NES is a remote friendly employer supporting office and hybrid working. We’re happy to talk about how you want to work.

Work Pattern: Fixed Term, Full time, 37 hours per week

Fixed-term or Secondment** until 31 March 2027

**For NHS applicants, an NHS secondment will be offered in the first instance. For non-NHS applicants, a fixed-term or secondment would be considered.

You must have eligibility and entitlement to work in the UK which is required to be maintained throughout your period of employment.

Due to legislative changes from 1 April 2025, this post may require a different level of criminal records check done than is currently the case. If the post is assessed as a "regulated role", your appointment will be subject to joining the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. If there is any change to what is currently required, this will be confirmed by either the Hiring Manager or the Recruitment Team. For more details on these changes please visit: Disclosure Scotland Changes.

Who We Are

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is the national health board with statutory responsibilities to effect sustainable change through workforce development, education and training across the health and social care system in Scotland, while working at UK level with partner organisations.

NHS Scotland Academy, Learning and Innovation is a recently formed (2023) directorate within NES to support the development of learning and innovation within the organisation which will have system-wide impact on the development of the health and social care workforce. Uniquely, the Director works across the executive teams of two national health boards: NES and NHS Golden Jubilee to lead the development, implementation, and ongoing management of NHS Scotland Academy.

The Opportunity

As we embark on the next phase in the development of an enhanced Digital Learning Infrastructure for the Health and Social Care workforce, we are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Head of Programme to lead the initiative and drive its successful execution. The completion of the discovery and early planning phases have created a robust foundation to take the programme to fast-paced, agile delivery. This programme is aligned to the Director of the NHS Scotland Academy, Learning and Innovation illustrating the recognition of all aspects of a digital learning infrastructure – emergent educational technology; evidence-driven pedagogy; intuitive design and horizon scanning (ensuring we are responsive to innovations in the health and social care system).

Successful delivery will result in an open and personalised learning and development platform, where the Health and Social Care workforce can easily find and undertake learning relevant to them. The Turas platform will make learning available to everybody working in health and social care, whether provided by NES on a national basis, by their employer using the Turas platform, or via access to high-quality learning provided by partner organisations.

Learning offers will meet the needs of learners by understanding their requirements through collaborative working with staff, stakeholders, and commissioners. There will be the ability to use learner activity data to better enable workforce planning and allow the Health and Social Care system to understand skill gaps. It will provide consolidated learning resources, portable learning records for individuals, provide appropriate reporting of learning for organisations on elements such as essential learning and bring improved experience of our services for users and partners.

It will support the data requirements to deliver new insights and reporting alongside full Learning Management System (LMS) functionality, supporting learning and education quality management, assurance and enhancement processes for organisations that use the Turas platform.

The platform will use resilient learning technology addressing the requirements of learners, partners, as well as supporting organisational systems and processes. The technology deployed will be sustainable, maintainable, and future-proofed and be informed by best practice and use of effective education technology.

We are seeking a dynamic and innovative Head of Programme to lead the integration of technologies into the digital learning infrastructure including leveraging and advising cutting-edge educational technologies to improve the Digital Learning Infrastructure for Health and Social Care. The ideal candidate will have a passion for education, a deep understanding of educational technologies, and a strong ability to drive change and innovation in educational settings.

The Head of Programme will be responsible for overseeing strategic planning, execution, and successful delivery of a complex and transformative initiative. They will play a pivotal role in leading a diverse team of professionals to ensure the project’s alignment with the NES Strategy, commissioner expectations, and the ambitions set out in the Scottish Government’s Vision for Reform.

Do you want to ensure the effective alignment between NES’s Learning and Education Strategy and the organisation’s development and/or use of educational technology (EdTech) – our Digital Learning Infrastructure?

Do you want to lead the successful delivery of a complex multi-year programme, ensuring effective collaborative working across a large multi-disciplinary programme team to redevelop our national learning platform?

Do you have a passion to continuously evaluate the effectiveness of educational technology tools being used in other learning contexts and recommend new technologies or improvements based on feedback and emerging trends?

Do you want to drive the delivery of the programme in an agile way to respond to evolving context and emerging stakeholder requirements?

Do you enjoy working with Senior Leadership to address stakeholder concerns and ensure a shared understanding of the project’s objectives, benefits, and impacts?

Working within the NHS Scotland Academy, Learning and Innovation directorate, and stakeholders across the organisation and beyond, you will have the opportunity to oversee the strategic planning, direction setting, execution, and successful delivery of the Digital Learning Infrastructure Programme.

Does this sound like you?

What We Love to See

Head of Programme’s offer a broad range of skills and experience, if you can offer some or all of these, we’d love you to apply:

1. Strong strategic leadership skills with proven ability to deliver corporate programmes while engaging credibly with a range of stakeholders to influence policy and delivery.
2. Extensive track record of collaborating and influencing at all levels within a complex system of stakeholders in public or private sector. Enabling innovation and the delivery of products aligned to corporate programme objectives.
3. Proven experience in the design, implementation and evaluation of business/management processes and systems within a health and social care or education environment
4. Proven track record of delivering innovative largescale change.
5. Expertise in educational technologies and technology enabled learning.
6. Strong understanding of educational technology trends, tools, and best practices.
7. Demonstrate honesty, integrity, care and compassion when dealing with others, utilising tact and persuasion skills when necessary
8. Ability to work on own initiative, to organise and prioritise own workloads, to meet strict deadlines

Benefits Which Matter

As a valued employee of NHS Scotland, you can enjoy an extensive range of benefits including:

1. Life-work balance - with opportunities for flexible working and hybrid working
2. Generous NHS pension scheme
3. Annual incremental salary progression (up to the maximum of the salary band) plus annual NHS salary scale review
4. Annual Leave - 27 Days increasing in line with service plus 8 days public holiday
5. NHS discounts and more

Diversity and Inclusion

Developing a successful national service for Scotland is impossible without ensuring we consider the diverse needs, perspectives and backgrounds of everyone in Scotland in our work.

We are focused on hiring the very best talent available for NES, and actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and aim to ensure everyone is treated fairly, with respect and has a positive recruitment experience – regardless of the outcome.

It’s not essential to be in a Head of Programme role right now. You may be returning from a career break (e.g. maternity, paternity, caring for others) or returning after working in another field. Your experiences elsewhere can bring a fresh perspective to our work.

If you are considering applying and feel it would be helpful to discuss this initially, please contact [e-mail]

Next Steps

**NHS candidates will be considered firstly on a secondment basis, and so are strongly encouraged to discuss this with their current NHS employer at the earliest opportunity, ideally prior to application.

Our recruitment process is currently 100% remote and if successful you would initially work remotely, working from our offices as operationally required.

All applicants who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail.

Online interviews (including a presentation) will take place on or around Friday 25th April 2025. The presentation topic will be sent to candidates selected for interview.

For further information please refer to the Job Information Pack below.

Unless otherwise stated the deadline for applications is 23:59 hours on the closing date. Please note, CVs will not be accepted.

If you have any queries regarding the NHS Scotland National Recruitment Portal or the recruitment process, please don't hesitate to contact our recruitment partners, the East Region Recruitment Service, at: [e-mail]