What are the responsibilities and job description for the Head of Service – DFD Additional Channels Workstream Lead position at NHS Ayrshire & Arran?
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
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.
NES Technology Service (NTS) has created a strategic programme for the transformation of digital based services to allow NES to become a leading digital organisation in Scottish Health, digital by default and fully aligned with the Scottish Government’s technology strategies.
Our Technology
We are in the business of providing safe, secure and innovative technology products and services that aim to improve outcomes across education, training, workforce, health and care in the public sector in Scotland. Using modern cloud-based technology we deliver sustainable products and services for the future.
The Opportunity
The Digital Front Door (DFD) Programme is a Scottish Government sponsored major initiative to provide multi-channel digital access to data, information and Health and Social Care services for all people in Scotland.
To enable delivery of the DFD Programme, which NES is leading and also the technology delivery partner, NTS is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Head of Service to fulfil the role of Workstream Lead for the Additional Channels workstream within DFD. Workstream Leads will provide leadership and co-ordinate specific major areas of work within the DFD Programme, ensuring collaboration and end-to-end delivery across the Programme.
Specifically, the Additional Channels workstream within DFD will focus on ensuring a multi-channel approach to support and compliment the technical deliverables from DFD, including non-digital options to ensure equity of access. This will require extensive collaboration and co-ordination of contributors from different areas and organisations.
Do you want to play a lead role in the delivery of a major transformation programme that will contribute highly to Health and Social Care reform?
Do you enjoy working with stakeholders and subject matter experts from across many different areas of expertise and organisations to ensure high quality outputs to meet both user needs and strategic objectives?
Do you want to play a crucial role in delivering highly visible strategic outcomes across Health and Social Care in Scotland?
Do you enjoy working at pace and being adaptive to an ever-changing environment?
Does this sound like you?
What We Love To See
The Workstream Lead for Additional Channels role requires a broad range of skills and experience, if you can offer some or all of these, we’d love you to apply:
As a valued employee of NHS Scotland, you can enjoy an extensive range of benefits including:
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 an exactly similar role at present. 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
greg.thomson@nhs.scot.
Next Steps
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) are aimed to take place on the 29 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, CV’s will not be accepted.
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.
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.
NES Technology Service (NTS) has created a strategic programme for the transformation of digital based services to allow NES to become a leading digital organisation in Scottish Health, digital by default and fully aligned with the Scottish Government’s technology strategies.
Our Technology
We are in the business of providing safe, secure and innovative technology products and services that aim to improve outcomes across education, training, workforce, health and care in the public sector in Scotland. Using modern cloud-based technology we deliver sustainable products and services for the future.
The Opportunity
The Digital Front Door (DFD) Programme is a Scottish Government sponsored major initiative to provide multi-channel digital access to data, information and Health and Social Care services for all people in Scotland.
To enable delivery of the DFD Programme, which NES is leading and also the technology delivery partner, NTS is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Head of Service to fulfil the role of Workstream Lead for the Additional Channels workstream within DFD. Workstream Leads will provide leadership and co-ordinate specific major areas of work within the DFD Programme, ensuring collaboration and end-to-end delivery across the Programme.
Specifically, the Additional Channels workstream within DFD will focus on ensuring a multi-channel approach to support and compliment the technical deliverables from DFD, including non-digital options to ensure equity of access. This will require extensive collaboration and co-ordination of contributors from different areas and organisations.
Do you want to play a lead role in the delivery of a major transformation programme that will contribute highly to Health and Social Care reform?
Do you enjoy working with stakeholders and subject matter experts from across many different areas of expertise and organisations to ensure high quality outputs to meet both user needs and strategic objectives?
Do you want to play a crucial role in delivering highly visible strategic outcomes across Health and Social Care in Scotland?
Do you enjoy working at pace and being adaptive to an ever-changing environment?
Does this sound like you?
What We Love To See
The Workstream Lead for Additional Channels role requires a broad range of skills and experience, if you can offer some or all of these, we’d love you to apply:
- Proven experience of leading collaborative teams and influencing at a senior level to achieve agreed outcomes, securing by-in and reaching agreement of appropriate actions and solutions to deliver DFD while adhering to wider strategic needs
- Owning, defining and delivering solutions at pace to achieve programme and strategic outcomes
- Successfully navigating a fast-paced environment with often disparate and conflicting opinions and interests, ensuring collaboration and excellent team and stakeholder relationships
- Highly effective communicator knowing how to make complex functional information and language simple for a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders (both verbally and in writing)
- Demonstrate honesty, integrity, care and compassion when dealing with others, utilising tact and persuasion skills when necessary
- Ability to work on own initiative within agreed Programme boundaries, to generate, organise and prioritise own workloads and that of others, and to meet strict deadlines
As a valued employee of NHS Scotland, you can enjoy an extensive range of benefits including:
- Life-work balance - with opportunities for flexible working and remote working
- Generous NHS pension scheme
- Annual incremental salary progression (up to the maximum of the salary band) plus annual NHS salary scale review
- Annual Leave - 27 Days increasing in line with service plus 8 days public holiday
- NHS discounts and more
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 an exactly similar role at present. 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
greg.thomson@nhs.scot.
Next Steps
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) are aimed to take place on the 29 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, CV’s will not be accepted.
