Senior Programme Manager – Cancer & Diagnostics

Go back University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

The closing date is 28 September 2026

Band 8C

East Midlands Cancer Alliance (EMCA)

Location:
County Hall, Leicester (Hybrid Working)

Lead the transformation of cancer and diagnostic services across the East Midlands

Do you have the vision, leadership and programme management expertise to drive large-scale transformation across complex healthcare systems?

The East Midlands Cancer Alliance (EMCA) is seeking an exceptional Senior Programme Manager - Cancer & Diagnostics to lead some of the region's most significant transformation programmes. This role sits at the forefront of delivering the ambitions of the NHS 10-Year Cancer Plan, improving early diagnosis, reducing waiting times and transforming diagnostic services for more than five million people across the East Midlands.

Working with NHS England, Integrated Care Boards, Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), provider Trusts and clinical leaders, you will provide strategic leadership across cancer performance, diagnostics and service redesign

As a Senior Programme Manager, you will lead a portfolio of complex, multi-organisational programmes that improve cancer services and diagnostic pathways across the East Midlands.

You'll work at a senior system level, influencing strategic direction, translating national policy into regional delivery and ensuring programmes achieve measurable improvements in patient outcomes, operational performance and service sustainability.

What you'll do

You’ll provide strategic leadership by:

Leading the development and delivery of regional cancer and diagnostics transformation programmes.

Delivering the Operational Performance and Improvement Strategy across the East Midlands.

Translating national cancer and diagnostics policy into deliverable regional programmes.

Leading improvement of Cancer Waiting Times, including the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) and 62-day performance.

Lead the future of diagnostics

A significant element of this role is leading the transformation of diagnostic services across the region.

You'll provide strategic oversight of Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs) and support the development of modern, efficient diagnostic pathways by:

Leading system-wide Community Diagnostic Centre programmes.

Improving diagnostic capacity, utilisation and productivity.

Developing patient-centred diagnostic pathways across community and acute settings.

Our new strategy, developed with the support and feedback of colleagues, patients, and partners, is our compass for the next seven years ).

We have four primary goals:

• high-quality care for all,
• being a great place to work,
• partnerships for impact, and
• research and education excellence

And we will embed health equality in all we do - taking active steps to reduce the avoidable differences in healthcare that some people face, working in partnership with communities.

Our strategy is underpinned by new values and we will work to ensure they are an everyday reality for all:

• we are compassionate,
• we are proud,
• we are inclusive, and
• we are one team

This is an exciting moment as we look to the future with clarity on what we already do well and where we need to focus our energies to make an even bigger difference for the people we serve.

About the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust:

About you

We're looking for an experienced senior programme leader who can confidently influence at executive level and deliver complex transformation across healthcare systems.

You’ll have:

A Master's degree (or equivalent experience), with evidence of continuing professional development. Further specialist qualifications at doctoral level are desirable.

Extensive…