Overview

Job title: Chief Data Officer (CDO)

Employer: The Christie NHS Foundation Trust

Location: Manchester, M20 4BX

Salary: £109,179 to £125,637 per year (pro rata where applicable)

Working pattern: Full-time

Contract: Permanent

Posted: 4 days ago. Be among the first 25 applicants.

Why this role matters

Be the Intelligence Behind the Future of Cancer Care. Lead one of the UK’s most exciting data transformations in healthcare, shaping data, analytics, and innovation to drive personalised medicine, operational excellence, and ground-breaking research. Champion the Pathway to Intelligent Hospital - Joint Analytics for Cancer, collaborating with national bodies and industry partners.

Main duties

• Lead the development and delivery of a Trust-wide data strategy aligned with national priorities (e.g., Data Saves Lives, NHS Long Term Plan).
• Drive innovation in AI, predictive modelling, and population health analytics.
• Oversee data governance, architecture, and quality across all systems.
• Enable secure, ethical data sharing to reduce health inequalities.
• Support research and clinical trials with high-quality, well-curated data.
• Cultivate a data-literate culture across the Trust to empower staff for better care and smarter decisions.

What we're looking for

• Proven experience in senior data leadership, ideally in healthcare or public sector.
• Strategic insight and technical expertise in data platforms, governance, and analytics.
• Passion for innovation, curiosity, and solving complex system-wide challenges.
• Ability to influence at executive level and lead multidisciplinary teams.
• Commitment to equity, sustainability, and ethical data use.

What makes this role unique

This is a transformational leadership position at one of the UK's leading cancer centres. You’ll shape how data drives care, research, and operational strategy, with freedom to innovate and necessary support to succeed.

About us

The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. Based in Manchester, we serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, with national referrals. We provide radiotherapy, chemotherapy, highly specialist surgery, diagnostics, and support services, and are a leader in cancer research with extensive clinical trials. We are ranked among the best in the UK for cancer research.

Details

• Date posted: 05 December 2025
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 9
• Job locations: Manchester, Executive - E00428, M20 4BX
• Reference number: 413-101184-CD-SNR

Job responsibilities

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Oversee the quality, security, and lifecycle management of data across all Trust systems.
• Define the roadmap and oversee the implementation of organisational level data platforms, tools, capabilities and functions to ensure Christie is a leader in the use of high-quality real-world data.
• Enable data for clinical decision support, operational intelligence, and performance improvement.
• Support research, innovation, and partnerships by ensuring access to high-quality data.
• Lead development of advanced analytics, including AI and predictive modelling, for population health and personalised care.
• Develop and implement a Trust-wide data strategy aligned with national priorities for cancer care.
• Lead data governance, ensuring GDPR, Caldicott Principles, Ethics compliance.
• Champion data literacy and data-driven decision-making across the Trust.
• Collaborate with partners to enable secure and ethical data sharing across organisational boundaries.

Planning and organisational tasks

• Manage and lead teams in line with Trust policies and financial instructions.
• Develop annual objectives for data services; manage budgets within delegation limits.
• Produce an annual rolling investment plan for data infrastructure.
• Lead data platform specifications and advance analytical maturity using benchmarked standards.
• Develop and implement policies and procedures; ensure information governance and data protection compliance.

Responsibilities for information resources

• Support modern digital infrastructure to meet operational, clinical, and business data needs.
• Oversee data and intelligence support services; ensure data assets have clear ownership and accountability.
• Provide data protection measures to secure systems and data.
• Engage with industry and NHS partners to advance data utilization with patient needs at the center of decisions.

Personal development and conduct

• Adhere to high standards of personal conduct and trust values.
• Keep professional knowledge up to date; comply with NHS Manager Code of Conduct.
• Ensure access to information is maintained during absences for safe operation of services.

On-call

Participate in the Executive on-call rota.

Person specification

Essential – Qualifications

• Masters level or equivalent in a relevant field (e.g., Data Science, Informatics, Computer Science, Public Health).
• Continued professional development in data leadership, governance or analytics.

Desirable – Qualifications

• Certifications in data governance, data protection, or analytics (e.g., DAMA, CDMP, PRINCE2, TOGAF).
• Fellowship or membership of professional bodies (e.g., BCS, Faculty of Clinical Informatics).

Essential – Other

• Able to work flexible hours if required.
• Able to participate in On-Call rota if required.

Desirable – Other

• Own transport (desirable).

Essential – Experience

• Senior data leadership in a complex organisation (ideally healthcare/public sector).
• Track record delivering data strategies and governance.
• Experience with clinical and operational teams to embed data-driven decision-making.
• Experience managing data architecture, analytics platforms, and data science initiatives.
• Experience managing external relationships with national bodies and industry partners.

Desirable – Experience

• Experience within NHS Trust/ICS or healthcare provider.
• Experience supporting research and innovation through data access and curation.
• Experience in cross-organisational data sharing and regional data collaboration.

Essential – Skills

• Strategic leadership and vision in data management and analytics.
• Strong stakeholder engagement across clinical, operational, and executive levels.
• Ability to translate complex data concepts into actionable insights for non-technical audiences.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams including data scientists, analysts, and governance professionals.

Desirable – Skills

• Lead innovation in AI, ML, and predictive analytics in healthcare.
• Change management and digital transformation.

Essential – Knowledge

• Understanding NHS data standards, regulatory frameworks (NHS Digital, IG Toolkit, Caldicott, GDPR).
• Knowledge of data governance, data quality management, information lifecycle.
• Familiarity with modern data platforms, interoperability standards (FHIR), analytics tools.
• Understanding of NHS Long Term Plan, Data Saves Lives, and ICS priorities.

Desirable – Knowledge

• Research data management, clinical trials, and academic partnerships.
• Awareness of NHS funding models and regulatory reporting.

Essential – Values

• Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours.

Disclosures

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975 and requires a Disclosure to the DBS. See guidance for overseas criminal records checks as applicable.

Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require Skilled Worker sponsorship will be considered. See UK Visas and Immigration for details. For overseas applicants, refer to guidance on criminal records checks.

Employer details: The Christie NHS FT, Manchester, M20 4BX. Employer website: https://www.christie.nhs.uk/

Note: This description includes multiple repeated sections from the original and may contain residual boilerplate not essential to the role description.