Job summary
- Main area
- Ambulance Services
- Grade
- Executives / VSM: Executives / VSM
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 202-8387599-2
- Employer
- South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Trust HQ
- Town
- Exeter
- Salary
- VSM
- Closing
- 15/11/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Chief Transformation and Digital Officer
Executives / VSM: Executives / VSM
Job overview
Are you a strategic leader with a track record of coordinating transformation, improving performance and delivering organisational change at scale?
We are seeking an exceptional Chief Transformation and Digital Officer to join our Executive Team. This pivotal role will shape the future direction of the Trust, bringing together transformation, strategy, performance, data and analytics, digital and AI enablement into a single high-impact function.
Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, you will oversee major transformation programmes, champion evidence-based decision making, and help create a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and innovation. You will ensure the Trust has a clear strategy and strong delivery oversight alongside ensuring an effective digital architecture to deliver the service to patients.
The successful candidate will bring significant senior leadership experience within a complex NHS, public sector or highly regulated environment, with a proven ability to deliver large-scale change, robust and resilience digital services, improve organisational performance and influence at Board level.
This is an outstanding opportunity to play a key role in shaping the future of ambulance services across the South West, improving outcomes for patients, colleagues and the communities we serve.
Main duties of the job
We're looking for an inspiring and values-driven leader who lives our values of Compassion, One Team and Innovation. If you lead with empathy, bring people together to achieve shared goals, and have the ambition to challenge the status quo and drive meaningful improvement, we'd love to hear from you. This is an opportunity to shape the future of our organisation while making a real difference for patients, colleagues and communities across the South West.
For an informal discussion, please contact Julie Smalley, Business Manager to the Chief Executive at [email protected]
Assessments for shortlisted candidates will take place on 2nd December.
We encourage candidates to read the full Candidate Pack attached for more information.
Working for our organisation
Working for us is an experience like no other. We provide emergency and urgent care, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, operating across the largest ambulance region in England of 10,000 square miles and responding to an average of 2,650 incidents every day.
We remain committed to ensuring that we provide the best possible care for all our patients, which is reflected in our new five-year strategy which has continually improving patient care at its very core.
At the heart of our beautiful and diverse region we employ over 6000 people and are supported by over 575 volunteers.
You will have opportunities to progress to roles at a higher pay grade and enjoy continuous professional development.
Benefits
- Competitive NHS salary
- A standard working week of 37.5 hours
- Holiday entitlements of 27 days per year, plus general and public holidays, rising to 29 days after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years
- Pay enhancements for out of hours, shift and overtime working
- Generous Pension Scheme
- Career and salary progression
- Car leasing scheme (this is subject to your pay not falling below the National Living Wage)
- Free parking across Trust sites
- Cycle-to-work and other salary sacrifice schemes (this is subject to your pay not falling below the National Living Wage)
- Staff networks
- Access to a wide range of discounts from various organisations across the UK
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For further information about this role please see the attached job description and person specification.
Person specification
Education and qualifications
Essential criteria
- Relevant masters degree or equivalent experience
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Julie Smalley
- Job title
- Business Manager to the Chief Executive
- Email address
- [email protected]
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