Job summary
- Main area
- Health Innovation Wessex
- Grade
- Band 8a
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job ref
- 188-HS041026
- Employer
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Innovation Centre
- Town
- Chilworth
- Salary
- £57,528 - £64,750 - Per Annum, Pro Rata
- Closing
- 26/10/2026 23:59
- Interview date
- 06/11/2026
Employer heading
Programme Manager - Insight
Band 8a
Job overview
Health Innovation Wessex (HIW) is pleased to offer an exciting opportunity to join one of England's leading health innovation organisations as an Insight Programme Manager at a pivotal moment for the NHS, life sciences sector and the wider health and care system.
This is a 23 month fixed-term / secondment vacancy
Main duties of the job
About you
We are seeking an experienced evaluator with specialist knowledge and skills in mixed methods. You will be passionate about creating insights and generating real-world evidence that support innovation in the NHS and will have a demonstrable track record of leading the design, analysis and reporting of the impact and implementation of innovations or innovative ways of working in health and care. As a senior member of Health Innovation Wessex, you will provide leadership and support to other members of staff. Skills in health economics evaluation are highly desirable for this role.
You will bring:
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An understanding of the strategic challenges and opportunities facing the NHS, and how real-world evaluation can contribute to understanding and addressing these challenges
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Experience of managing a portfolio of evaluation programmes or projects in a public sector, industry or academic setting.
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Experience of managing clients and their evaluation requirements.
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Applied knowledge of mixed methods research that combines quantitative and qualitative approaches to evaluation.
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Advanced technical ability in the analysis of complex data on the impact and implementation of innovation.
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Highly developed programme and project management skills.
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Exceptional communication, analytical and decision-making capabilities.
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A genuine commitment to improving outcomes for patients, populations and communities.
Working for our organisation
What we offer:
You will join a highly regarded organisation with a national reputation for collaboration, delivery and impact.
Health Innovation Wessex is a company limited by guarantee, owned by the NHS and University Members with staff hosted by University Hospital Southampton.
We offer:
· A unique opportunity to work at the forefront of health innovation and healthcare transformation.
· Flexible and hybrid working arrangements - provides for a minimum of 2 days in office or out visiting partners/stakeholders and home working aligned to the role and business needs.
· Commitment to professional development, leadership growth and continuous learning.
· A collaborative, ambitious and supportive culture.
· An organisation committed to inclusion, diversity and wellbeing. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and able to thrive.
· Modern office facilities at Southampton Science Park in Chilworth, one of the UK's leading centres for science, technology and innovation.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
At Health Innovation Wessex, you will have the opportunity to contribute insights into some of the most important challenges facing health and care today while helping shape the future of innovation across the NHS.
You will join the Insight team within Health Innovation Wessex, a well-established and highly experienced group of evaluation and research specialists with a track record of delivering more than 100 real-world innovation evaluations. Working across a diverse portfolio of projects, you will have the opportunity to apply and develop innovative evaluation approaches, test new methods and analytical techniques, and contribute to the evolution of evaluation practice within health and care. The role offers excellent scope to broaden your experience, build expertise in real-world evaluation, and work alongside colleagues who are recognised for their leadership in evidence generation and impact assessment
What You'll Be Responsible For.
The Evaluation Programme Manager is responsible for managing and implementing projects within Health Innovation Wessex Insight team’s portfolio. The post-holder will combine expertise in evaluation of innovation with experience in project and client management, including communications and dissemination to optimise the use of insights from real world evaluations.
You will be responsible for leading the delivery of a portfolio of projects for Insight to deliver the Health Innovation Wessex business plan. This will include:
- Establishing and managing appropriate collaboration or contractual arrangements with clients
- Providing specialist advice to other members of Health Innovation Wessex on evaluation design, delivery and reporting, including leading on bid writing for Insight opportunities
- Providing specialist innovator support, which may include ‘surgeries,’ co-designing evaluation frameworks; advising on methods.
- Generating evaluation reports, leading synthesis of quantitative and qualitative data, report-writing, and quality assurance of evaluation outputs
Join Us
This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced evaluator who wants to make a lasting difference to health outcomes, healthcare transformation and economic growth.
If you are passionate about innovation, inspired by the future of the NHS and excited by the opportunity to shape the next chapter of Health Innovation Wessex, we would love to hear from you.
Together, we can accelerate innovation, improve lives and create a healthier future for Wessex and beyond.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to masters level or able to demonstrate an equivalent level of knowledge, skills and experience in data analysis, visualisation and modelling
Desirable criteria
- Evidence of CPD
- Project Management training (e.g. AGILE, PRINCE II)
Experience
Essential criteria
- Detailed knowledge and experience of quantitative and qualitative analysis – methods and reporting
- Programme and project management experience in a public sector, industry or academic setting
- Experience of leading, designing and reporting evaluation projects in a public sector, industry or academic setting
- Experience in mixed methods approaches to collect and synthesise quantitative and qualitative data
- Relevant experience in accessing, analysing and interpreting health service data, including but not limited to HES, SUS and primary care systems
- Experience of preparing evaluation reports for different audiences
- Integrated working across professional boundaries and involving several organisation
- Using a range of analytical software
- Experience of statistical packages and programming languages (e.g. Python, R)
- Experience in engaging managers and practitioners in data collection, design and review of quantitative data
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge and experience of the NHS and local health and social care service function
- Line management experience
- Experience of evaluating innovation in health and care, such as digital technologies (e.g. health care apps to support self-management)
- Experience of establishing and managing consultancy contracts
- Undertaking cost effectiveness or return on investment analysis
- Experience of working with business intelligence teams, and/or Trust information teams to specify information requirements e.g. for commissioning business cases or evaluation
- Experience of working with frontline clinical teams
- Synthesis of quantitative findings with qualitative findings to generate rich reports
Skills and Aptitudes
Essential criteria
- Applied knowledge of mixed methods research that combines quantitative and qualitative approaches to provide a comprehensive understanding of a research problem
- Applied knowledge of mixed methods research that combines quantitative and qualitative approaches to provide a comprehensive understanding of a research problem
- Application of evaluation skills across different types of research and evaluation projects
- Strong presentation and communication skills
- Report-writing
- Accurate and timely programme and project management including documentation, risk management and escalation
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Philippa Darnton
- Job title
- Director of Insight
- Email address
- [email protected]
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