Chief Digital and Infrastructure Officer

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Chief Digital and Infrastructure Officer

Executives / VSM: Executives / VSM

Main area Digital and IT Grade Executives / VSM: Executives / VSM Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 279-8280806-SEP26

Employer University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Worthing Town Worthing Salary Salary is dependent on experience Closing 05/10/2026 23:59 Interview date 27/10/2026

At UHSussex we’re proud to be at the heart of the NHS. As one of the UK’s largest acute trusts, we’re a leading example of the excellence, the ambition and the values that have embodied the NHS for over 70 years.

Our hard-working, talented and dedicated people work together towards a common goal – to deliver Excellent Care Everywhere for our patients, our people and our communities. Whatever your role here at UHSussex you will play a part in driving us forwards and in improving the lives of patients across Sussex.

At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us deliver Excellent Care Everywhere. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of staff networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 3) and a Veteran Aware Trust.

We value compassion, inclusion and respect as our core values . We treat our patients and staff with the same compassion and empathy we expect for ourselves. We’re here for them when they need us, and we go above and beyond to meet their needs. This can be seen in our wellbeing programme for staff which is extensive and designed to support you when you need it, including where possible, flexible working to support work life balance - because we know that to look after others we must first look after ourselves.

As a university trust and a leader in healthcare research , we value learning, teaching and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing UHSussex you are choosing a long and happy career where you will be able to see the difference you make and feel valued for all that you do.

As part of our commitment to access for all, please see the different ways you can access the application form: https://apps.trac.jobs/accessibility?_ts=1

We look forward to receiving your application and the start of your journey with UHSussex.

Job overview

1st Stakeholder Event: 19/10/2026

2nd Stakeholder Event: 23/10/2026

University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest acute provider organisations in the NHS, with an annual operating budget of around £1.7 billion. We employ almost 20,000 colleagues and deliver care to around 1.8 million people through seven hospitals across five main hospital sites, alongside community services and satellite locations across Sussex and beyond. We are now seeking an exceptional Chief Digital and Infrastructure Officer (CDIO) to join our Board and Executive Team at a pivotal point in our development.

This is a newly configured and strategically important executive portfolio, bringing together leadership of digital, technology, estates, facilities and infrastructure. The role reflects our recognition that the physical and digital environments in which healthcare is delivered are increasingly interdependent and must be planned, developed and transformed as a coherent whole.

Main duties of the job

There is a significant agenda ahead. We are implementing a new electronic patient record, accelerating our digital and AI ambitions and continuing to improve and invest in a large, complex and varied multi-site estate. The CDIO will provide the executive leadership and strategic coherence needed to ensure these programmes support our clinical priorities and deliver tangible improvements for patients and staff.

You will have executive accountability for our digital and technology assets, including leadership and oversight of the EPR programme and our wider digital, data, AI and cyber agenda. Alongside this, you will provide Board-level leadership for our estate, facilities and capital programme, ensuring our physical infrastructure is safe, compliant, effectively utilised and capable of supporting outstanding modern healthcare.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive and working closely with clinical and executive colleagues, this is much more than a functional leadership position. As a full member of the Board, you will contribute to the overall leadership, performance and future direction of UHSussex , while providing clear accountability for a substantial enabling portfolio.

Working for our organisation

Working for our organisation

At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always deliver Excellent Care Everywhere, as shown in our Outstanding for Caring CQC rating. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of staff networks to help break down barriers, and can offer a buddy to help new members settle in. We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 3) and a Veteran Aware Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We are looking for an accomplished senior leader with significant experience operating at or close to Executive Board level within a large and comparably complex organisation. You will bring substantial experience of digital and/or infrastructure transformation, including major technology or EPR implementation, alongside the strategic and commercial capability to lead significant programmes, investment and organisational change. Experience of complex estates and capital programmes will also be important.

Just as importantly, we are looking for the right kind of executive colleague. You will bring integrity, resilience and sound judgement, with the confidence to provide constructive challenge and name uncomfortable truths when necessary. You will be intellectually independent but collegiate, able to create clarity from complexity and committed to collective decision-making and delivery.

Our vision is Excellent Care Everywhere, underpinned by our values of being compassionate, inclusive and respectful. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive executive team and particularly welcome interest from people with backgrounds currently under-represented in NHS executive leadership.

This is a rare opportunity to shape both the digital and physical future of one of the NHS's largest organisations and to ensure that our infrastructure genuinely enables better care, better experiences and better outcomes.

Person specification

Essential qualifications and experience

• Educated to master’s degree level or equivalent, with substantial senior management experience at Board level.
• Active member of a relevant professional body.
• Significant senior management experience operating at or close to Executive Board level, gained in a comparably complex organisation in the public or private sector.
• Extensive experience of delivering effective digital and/or estates transformation programmes within a complex organisation, ideally within healthcare, public services, or a similarly regulated environment.
• Proven experience of leading large-scale technology or EPR implementations, with a track record of benefits realisation.
• Proven experience of setting, communicating, and translating strategic vision into deliverable operational plans.
• Extensive experience of working across organisational boundaries to successfully implement and manage change.
• A strong track record of collaboration and productive partnership working with internal and external stakeholders.
• Extensive experience of commissioning, contracting, and supplier management for major programmes.
• Experience of managing significant capital programmes within a complex, multi-site environment, ideally including a varied estate with a mix of building ages, conditions, and clinical functions.
• Proven experience of planning, policy development, and strategic prioritisation at senior level.
• Proven success in leading, inspiring, and developing high-performing, cross-functional technical teams, establishing clear performance frameworks and developing critical capabilities.

Knowledge and skills

• Knowledge and understanding of the political context, policy environment, and financial regime in which an NHS Foundation Trust operates.
• Highly developed knowledge of digital and/or infrastructure functions and their strategic management in complex organisations, including the challenges of managing a diverse estate.
• Understanding of the NHS digital landscape, including national programmes, frameworks, and regulatory expectations (DSPT, NHSE digital standards, cyber requirements).
• Working knowledge of emerging digital trends and technologies, including artificial intelligence, data analytics, and digital health innovations — including their regulatory and ethical dimensions.
• Understanding of the NHS capital regime and the governance requirements for estates and infrastructure investment.
• Strategic thinker with strong communication, interpersonal, negotiating, and influencing skills.
• Able to translate complex technical and infrastructure concepts into clear strategic choices for clinical and board audiences.
• Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to represent the organisation credibly at national and regional level.

Personal attributes and leadership style

• Brings absolute personal integrity and a commitment to openness, transparency and candour.
• Is resilient and calm under pressure, with the judgement to act decisively when representing the organisation at the highest level.
• Draws genuine satisfaction from organisational success and team performance rather than personal profile — bringing confidence and authority to their own portfolio while being equally at ease supporting and amplifying the work of the whole executive team.
• Has a collegiate leadership style that combines intellectual independence with the discipline to commit — someone who brings genuine challenge and diverse thinking to collective decisions, but who understands that high-performing teams align fully behind decisions once made and deliver without reservation or revisitation.
• Has the confidence to name uncomfortable truths — to challenge the Executive team, the Board and the Chief Executive where that is the right thing to do — and the judgement to do so constructively.
• Is deeply committed to equity, diversity and inclusion as core organisational values, not a separate programme.
• Holds a genuine passion for high-quality patient care and staff wellbeing as the purpose of everything the Trust does.
• Shows genuine curiosity and a commitment to continuous learning and improvement.

Important information for applicants:

A Note on AI Use in Applications

UHSussex values authenticity and encourages applicants to ensure that all application materials accurately reflect their own skills, experience, knowledge and motivations. Candidates may use AI and digital tools to support the preparation of applications, for example to assist with spelling, grammar, structure or accessibility needs. However, applicants remain responsible for the content submitted and should ensure that it genuinely represents their own abilities and experience. Where there are reasonable concerns that an application does not authentically reflect the applicant's own knowledge, skills, experience or suitability for the role, the Trust reserves the right to explore this further and, where authenticity cannot be satisfactorily demonstrated, to reject the application.

Closing Adverts Early: In the event of exceptional interest, we may close adverts earlier than specified.

Some of our adverts are capped for a limited number of applications; therefore, the advert will close once the cap has been reached. We therefore encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible if you are interested in the position to prevent you from missing out on applying for the opportunity.

Flexible Working: If you would like to explore potential options regarding flexible working please speak with the appropriate recruiting/line manager.

DBS Checks: As part of our commitment to a safe working environment, we undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check on all new employees where the role is eligible for a criminal record check . We make offers in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975.

Skilled Worker Visa: Applications for Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome for the roles that meet the Visa and Immigrations eligibility criteria. For further information please visit the gov.uk website searching for Skilled Worker. It is your responsibility as the applicant to ensure that you meet this criteria.

UHSussex reserves the right to close the role early if we receive a high volume of applications

Further Information

For help with the application process for Nursing vacancies, please email uhsussex.nursingteam@nhs.net.

For help with the application process for Non-Nursing vacancies, please email uhsussex.nonnursingteam@nhs.net.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.