Job summary
The Families First & Waterdale Development Programme Director is a senior strategic leadership role delivering a large-scale, multi-agency transformation across Rotherham, Doncaster and North Lincolnshire. The postholder will lead the design, mobilisation and delivery of the Families First Partnership Programme, aligning with national Children's Social Care Reform and ensuring readiness for April 2027.
The role requires close collaboration across health, local authorities, education, police and the voluntary sector to strengthen family help, safeguarding and integrated services. It includes establishing effective governance, overseeing system-wide change, and improving outcomes for children, young people and families.
The postholder will also support mobilisation of the Waterdale development in Doncaster, contributing to a "health on the high street" model through coordinated service design, stakeholder engagement, and alignment of estates, workforce and community input.
They will lead a multi-disciplinary team, manage significant resources, influence multi-million-pound budgets, and embed co-production with families and communities. Operating at system leadership level, the role requires strong partnerships, political awareness, and the ability to communicate complex issues while overseeing risk, performance and sustainable transformation.
Main duties of the job
The role includes responsibility for:o Establishing programme governance and delivery infrastructure across organisations.o Leading a multi-disciplinary programme team operating across organisational boundaries.o Coordinating transformation across children's social care, health, education, policing and the voluntary sector.o Influencing the alignment and reconfiguration of multi-million-pound budgets and service models.o Ensuring benefits realisation and sustainable service redesign.o Embedding the voice and lived experience of families in programme design and delivery.
About us
Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) employ around 4000 talented colleagues who are very much appreciated, valued, and respected.
We have a wide portfolio which includes mental health, physical health, learning disability and drug and alcohol services.
We are dedicated to the development of our our people and hold a learning half day every month for our colleagues.
We are passionate about enhancing the quality of our service and we work hard to attract and select the right colleagues for our organisation. Our goal is to employ those who share our passion for providing first class care while remaining committed to our vision and values. Please view our Strategy using the link below:
https://www.rdash.nhs.uk/documents/clinical-and-organisational-strategy-2023-to-2028/
To find out more about working for RDaSH and the fantastic benefits we offer visit our website:
https://workwithrdash.co.uk/
We are committed to inclusive cultures and really value people in our organisation, view our Allyship video on YouTube to find out more:
https://youtu.be/WMJSkLoTk4Q
The main terms and conditions of service can be found here:
https://www.nhsemployers.org/publications/tchandbook
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please view the attached job description and person specification to view the full details about the role.
We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if there are a high amount of applications.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please view the attached job description and person specification to view the full details about the role.
We reserve the right to close the vacancy early if there are a high amount of applications.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level (ideally in a leadership related discipline)
- Relevant master's degree or equivalent experience
- Evidence of continuous professional development
Experience
Essential
- extensive healthcare management experience in an operational setting
- clear evidence of strategic leadership in a healthcare setting, including in an off-line role
- recent senior management of children's services
- significant experience of leading communication and stakeholder engagement across complex multi-agency systems
- experience of influencing and negotiating with senior stakeholders across organisations to deliver service transformation and resolve conflict
- experience of working within politically sensitive environments, including engagement with elected members and system leaders
- experience of operating at system-wide or regional level, leading cross-organisational collaboration and influencing strategic decision-making beyond own organisation
Knowledge
Essential
- understanding of Families First Partnership Programme and Children's Social Care Reforms and the direction of travel of national policy
- strong local knowledge of operating environment of RDaSH and the three local authorities
- understanding of the purpose and detail of the Trust's strategy including our 28 promises
- knowledge of effective system leadership, stakeholder engagement and communication strategies within large-scale public sector transformation
Skills
Essential
- ability to achieve results to a defined and required pace
- engaging style able to curate the contributions of others
- understanding of programme delivery models
- highly developed communication skills with the ability to convey complex, sensitive and contentious information to a wide range of audiences, including senior executives, elected members, partners and the public.
- advanced influencing and negotiation skills, with proven ability to secure agreement and commitment across organisational boundaries where there is no direct line authority and where priorities may conflict
- ability to operate effectively within complex political and system environments, including experience of working with elected members, scrutiny processes and external stakeholders under public and reputational scrutiny.
- ability to develop and deliver strategic communication and engagement approaches to support large-scale transformation and cultural change across multiple organisations
- highly developed Board-level written communication skills, including the ability to produce clear, persuasive and complex reports, business cases and briefings for senior leaders, Boards and national bodies.
- expert-level communication and relationship management skills, demonstrating the ability to influence, negotiate and manage highly complex, sensitive and contentious situations at the most senior levels across multiple organisations and systems.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level (ideally in a leadership related discipline)
- Relevant master's degree or equivalent experience
- Evidence of continuous professional development
Experience
Essential
- extensive healthcare management experience in an operational setting
- clear evidence of strategic leadership in a healthcare setting, including in an off-line role
- recent senior management of children's services
- significant experience of leading communication and stakeholder engagement across complex multi-agency systems
- experience of influencing and negotiating with senior stakeholders across organisations to deliver service transformation and resolve conflict
- experience of working within politically sensitive environments, including engagement with elected members and system leaders
- experience of operating at system-wide or regional level, leading cross-organisational collaboration and influencing strategic decision-making beyond own organisation
Knowledge
Essential
- understanding of Families First Partnership Programme and Children's Social Care Reforms and the direction of travel of national policy
- strong local knowledge of operating environment of RDaSH and the three local authorities
- understanding of the purpose and detail of the Trust's strategy including our 28 promises
- knowledge of effective system leadership, stakeholder engagement and communication strategies within large-scale public sector transformation
Skills
Essential
- ability to achieve results to a defined and required pace
- engaging style able to curate the contributions of others
- understanding of programme delivery models
- highly developed communication skills with the ability to convey complex, sensitive and contentious information to a wide range of audiences, including senior executives, elected members, partners and the public.
- advanced influencing and negotiation skills, with proven ability to secure agreement and commitment across organisational boundaries where there is no direct line authority and where priorities may conflict
- ability to operate effectively within complex political and system environments, including experience of working with elected members, scrutiny processes and external stakeholders under public and reputational scrutiny.
- ability to develop and deliver strategic communication and engagement approaches to support large-scale transformation and cultural change across multiple organisations
- highly developed Board-level written communication skills, including the ability to produce clear, persuasive and complex reports, business cases and briefings for senior leaders, Boards and national bodies.
- expert-level communication and relationship management skills, demonstrating the ability to influence, negotiate and manage highly complex, sensitive and contentious situations at the most senior levels across multiple organisations and systems.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
