Portfolio Manager (Sponsorship Available) at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Job Summary

Are you an experienced NHS Digital Portfolio/Programme Manager seeking to shape the future of healthcare?

The portfolio spans AI and Automation, Cloud First strategy, a region-wide LIMS rollout, and support for Networks of Excellence and delivery of an ambitious digital transformation plan.

As outlined in the NHS 10-Year Plan and Life Sciences Sector Plan, Genomic Medicine is a key priority for moving healthcare from treatment to prevention. Digital, Data and Informatics are vital to enabling this transformation.

In the North East and Yorkshire (NEY), the service leads nationally in research and innovation in this space. This role offers the right candidate the chance to join a forward-thinking service to drive change.

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting a highly experienced Digital Portfolio Manager to strengthen its senior Digital, Data and Informatics delivery team. This is a permanent role leading future service developments and national and regional strategic priorities.

Job Details

• Employer: The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

• Job Title: Portfolio Manager

• Location: Newcastle, United Kingdom

• Salary: £66,582 to £77,368 a year

• Job Type: Full-time

• Closing Date: 12 November 2026

Main Duties of the Job

The NEY Genomic Medicine Service (GMS) is one of seven regional services providing diagnostic, prognostic and treatment insights, delivering equitable, patient-centred care to around 9.5 million people.

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of four partner trusts in the NEY GMS, alongside Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Working with NHS and regional clinical partners, the service embeds genomics into routine care, enabling faster, more accurate diagnoses, personalised treatments, and prevention through early detection.

The role involves leading and driving forward the delivery of the digital roadmap, which is a combination of the NHSE commissioned national programme, including Digitisation of the Test Directory, Order Management and the Unified Genomics Record, plus Regional Initiatives including Cloud First Strategy, Networks of Excellence, Research and Innovation and AI and Automation.

About The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

As a flexible working friendly organisation, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust aims to ensure that employees can work in a way that is best for the service, patients and staff.

Flexible working arrangements can be discussed, and the Trust will do its best to accommodate them where they work for the service.

With around 2 million contacts with patients every year, the Trust delivers care from:

• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)

• Freeman Hospital

• Newcastle Dental Hospital

• Cramlington Manor Walks

• Urgent treatment centres

• Newcastle Fertility Centre

• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria

• Northern Genetics Service

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care, supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology, and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.

The Trust also has offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.

Information on staff benefits is available under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’.

For further information on careers at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, visit the Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust website.

Job Description

The post holder is required to develop, manage and implement a large portfolio of IT projects and programmes for the Trust.

The post holder will be responsible, together with senior managers and clinical staff, for providing strategic direction in respect of operational and project-led services across the Trust and developing a draft data and digital implementation plan, to deliver the NHS England data and digital framework to 2026.

Responsibilities include:

• Developing and leading the Project and Business Analyst function.

• Directing training to ensure that resources are aligned to ensure projects are delivered with the appropriate level of support for clinical and operational delivery.

• Overseeing the delivery of the Data and Informatics Project portfolio and coordinating project interdependencies.

• Being responsible for all service activities relating to the digital design and delivery of clinical solutions for NEYGMS, the Trust and external partners, under the direction of the North East and Yorkshire Genomic Medicine Service (NEYGMS) Data and Informatics Director.

• Making a significant contribution to aspects of the Data and Informatics strategy, which enables the Trust to meet its business goals and achieve statutory and business reporting requirements.

• Working regionally, nationally and across the Genomic Medicine Service network, establishing the digital linkages needed to establish lines of communication between key stakeholders.

• Giving comprehensive support and advice to a range of senior managers on highly complex or contentious issues.

• Advising on technology strategies and assessing emerging technologies for their value and validity to the NEYGMS business.

• Owning, developing and managing the corporate programme framework and implementing those disciplines across the organisation, ensuring delivery of a professional, high-quality service.

• Deputising for the NEYGMS Data and Informatics Director in regional and national meetings as required.

• Ensuring the timely and accurate production of programme status reports for senior management and Trust Board.

• Leading the Data and Informatics Project Management team, with matrix management of other IT staff as required.

• Analysing and reporting on a range of options to contribute to decision-making regarding major strategic programmes, such as the implementation, roll out and future versions of a new region-wide Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS).

• Developing and delivering a comprehensive portfolio of work comprising programmes, projects, technical requests and feasibility studies.

• Managing client interaction, including developing a pipeline of work from the client, managing programme/project priorities with the client, financial and project tracking, and reporting.

• Advising NEY GMS on the most effective way to utilise existing investment in digital solutions and associated technology.

• Taking responsibility for the leadership and management of a team of Project Managers and Business Analysts.

• Providing active leadership in information governance and information security, systems integration, quality control, standards, working practices and continuous improvement, with adherence to and compliance with NHS methodology policy and procedure.

• Providing quality assurance and control over programme/project execution and outcomes, including initial point of review for governance packs, prioritisation challenges, cost and resourcing pinch points.

• Advising NEYGMS on Information Governance and Information Security compliance of all programmes and projects and ensuring that appropriate IG and IS measures have been created and are in operation.

• Managing effective interfaces to maintain an end-to-end view of programme priorities and direction.

• Owning and maintaining a register of portfolio risks and issues, including mitigation plans, ensuring these are escalated and acted upon effectively.

• Providing advice and guidance to programmes and projects on processes and controls, building an improved understanding and capability in conformance to defined governance and practices.

• Informing major investment decisions that can impact on Trust performance.

• Managing stakeholders and debate, up to Director level.

The post holder will report directly to the NEYGMS Director of Data and Informatics and be accountable to the NEYGMS Managing Director, Operations Director and Laboratory Services Director.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Education

Essential

– Educated to relevant Masters level or equivalent level of qualification and experience e.g. IT, Business, Health or have extensive experience with an informatics and analytical focus, some of which must have been at a senior management level.

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Experience with project management and have demonstrated success in delivering business and technical change programmes in a large organisation and the delivery of the digital delivery and development agenda.

• Demonstrable track record of delivering all elements of complex programmes/projects and managing the complete systems development life cycle, from systems analysis and design through to system delivery, in a demanding and dynamic environment.

• High level and current awareness of IT and other developments in support of electronic health information. Ability to identify examples of national and international best practice and to ensure that the GMS benefits from innovations in Digital Design.

• Expert knowledge in programmes and project management and the delivery of these services.

• A proven track record of people and systems management within a demand-led service environment.

Desirable

– Experience of other organisations of similar size and complexity within or outside of the NHS.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Have a clear understanding of the NHS organisation and ability to keep abreast of the NHS modernisation agenda, be able to evolve their department accordingly to provide optimal support to the organisation.

• Excellent inter-personal and communication skills with the ability to communicate a wide variety of complex information to senior managers, clinicians and other staff across different professional groups and organisations.

• Excellent analytical and numerical skills – confident with statistics and their presentation. Formal training or experience in advanced use of Microsoft Excel, Business Intelligence tools (e.g. PowerBI, Tableau, QuickSight) and Structured Query Language (SQL).

• Ability to lead change, drive reform and champion Digital Design and Delivery Solutions based organisational change initiatives.

• Ability to work at a strategic level. (Including a proven record of achievement in strategic planning, policy development and implementation.)

• Ability to communicate at Board level. (Including the ability to present to and engage a high-level managerial or clinical audience.)

• Ability to understand and apply Information Governance and Data Protection law and regulations, and to advise senior stakeholders and team members on application and implications of IG on Digital Design and Delivery Solutions.

• High-level analytical skills and the ability to draw qualitative and quantitative data from a wide range of sources and present in a clear and concise manner.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

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.

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 in 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 under Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

How to Apply

If this opportunity interests you, head to the company’s official website for full details — click here to submit your application.