Job Advert
Flexible Location: Based throughout Scotland, NES is a remote friendly employer supporting office and hybrid working. Please note, regular presence at our offices throughout Scotland is a requirement of this role. We’re happy to talk about how you want to work.
Work Pattern: Fixed Term to 31 March 2026 part-time(0.6wte) 22hours and 12 minutes per week
You must have eligibility and entitlement to work in the UK which is required to be maintained throughout your period of employment.
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.
We are leaders in remote, rural and island healthcare educational design, delivery and quality assurance and provide wide-ranging support for workforce development. We support national workforce planning and develop digital technologies that support innovation and transformation.
Our purpose is to drive change and improve the quality of care experienced by citizens across Scotland by ensuring that we have the right staff, with the right skills, in the right place, at the right time. NES is integral to improving outcomes for people and in ensuring a skilled and capable workforce underpins the design and delivery of services. As an organisation, we recognise the significant contribution we can make to improving population health, reducing inequalities and economic development.
The Opportunity
We are looking for a Programme Manager to join our highly talented and growing team to help address some of the challenges within remote & rural communities.
The National Centre (the Centre) for Remote and Rural Health and Care was established by NES on behalf of the Scottish Government in 2023. As a valued member of our team, you will support the delivery of improved care for remote, rural and island communities across Scotland and reduce remote, rural and island health and wellbeing inequalities through focused work to improve the sustainability, capacity, and capability of remote, rural and island primary care and community-based workforce and service delivery.
The Centre supports the delivery of improved care and contributes to reducing remote, rural and island health and wellbeing inequalities, through focused work to improve the sustainability, and capacity of primary and community-based workforce and service delivery.
The initial Phase 1 of the Centre has a focus on Primary Care services up until 31 March 2026. This includes community-based health services provided by a range of healthcare professionals. This work is organised across within four main programme themes:
Supporting and Developing the Remote, Rural and Island Healthcare Workforce for Improved Service User Access and Enhanced Multi-Disciplinary Team Working
Building Sustainable Remote, Rural and Island Health and Care Services and Workforce, to support Improved Service User Access
Building Rural Primary Care Knowledge and Data for Improved Health and Care, to support Reducing Rural Health Inequalities
Sharing knowledge for Improved Remote, Rural and Island Health and Care
As a Programme Manager you will:
Have a critical awareness of knowledge in the field of programme management, health and care and preferably remote and rural healthcare.
Proposes changes to department’s working practices and procedures, where impact of change will frequently be beyond own area of work.
Responsible for project management to ensure effective and timely delivery of outcomes, recommendations and appropriate use of resources. The scope of these pieces of work will vary and the post holder will provide expert advice regarding the most appropriate approach to meet project outcomes.
Assist in the preparation of options appraisals, business cases, business plans, contract documents and the commissioning of consultancy services as required.
Promote, monitor and maintain best practice in Health and Safety.
Ensure compliance with relevant Health and Safety legislation and NES Health and Safety Management system.
Assist in coordinating and standardising the management of all projects/ programmes across the workstream.
Proactively manage the flow of business to and between the main decision-making channels of the organisation, ensuring a co-ordinated and timely process.
Responsible for developing and implementing standard and highly effective programme management systems across a wide range of complex programmes of work in line with the agreed objectives and timelines for delivery.
Contribute to operational plans in line with NES Strategy, utilising National Policy documents, formulating and adjusting plans and liaising with key stakeholders throughout Scotland, as necessary.
Provide leadership and change management expertise.
Investigate highly complex queries, aiding and advice as required.
Support with gathering knowledge and data from a wide range of sources.
Ensure all necessary records are maintained.
Do you enjoy working with a wide range of stakeholders and across a multidisciplinary team?
Do you enjoy making a difference, influencing improved ways of working, and sharing innovative ideas?
Do you enjoy working at pace and being adaptive to an ever-changing environment?
Do you enjoy problem solving and collaborating with others?
Do you want to support colleagues in the National Centre for Remote & Rural Health & Care and across the organisation, sharing information and expertise, where appropriate, and offering advice and support?
Does this sound like you?
What We Love to See
Programme Managers offer a broad range of skills and experience, if you can offer some or all of these, we’d love you to apply:
Track record in a business or operational management role, with evidence of a range of applied examples of practice.
Experience of delivering outcomes in a context of change and growth.
Ability to work on own initiative, to organise and prioritise own workload and that of others, and to meet strict deadlines.
Experienced in working across complex environments with multiple stakeholders, with a track record of collaborating and influencing at all levels.
Ability to confidently lead conversations to understand needs and take a proactive approach to planning and prioritising workload whilst maintaining business operations documentation.
Track record in managing people, plans and performance.
Experience of creating reports and documents related to progress, risks, issues, and governance.
Experience of budget planning and forecasting.
Highly effective communicator knowing how to make complex information and language simple for diverse internal and external stakeholders (both verbally and in writing).
Benefits Which Matter
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.
Diversity and Inclusion
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 working in a Programme Manager role, 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.
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) will take place on 20 October 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.
To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service.
As part of the pre-employment checks for a preferred candidate, NHS Scotland Boards will check your entitlement to work in the UK. It can be evidenced through a number of routes including specific types of visa as well as EU settled and pre-settled status. To find out more about these routes of permission, please refer to the GOV.UK website here.
For specific types of post, if you do not have the necessary eligibility to work in the UK, it might be possible (though not guaranteed) to secure sponsorship via a UK Skilled Worker/Health & Care Worker Visa. However, this is only possible if the employer is a licenced Sponsor, and if the post does not fall below the current minimum salary threshold or ‘going rate’. Further information on these criteria can be found here.
It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form.
If you have any queries regarding the NHS Scotland National Recruitment Portal or the recruitment process, please don't hesitate to contact our recruitment partners, the East Region Recruitment Service, at: EoS.ERRS@nhs.scot