Chief Data Officer

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Be the Intelligence Behind the Future of Cancer Care

Are you ready to lead one of the most exciting data transformations in UK healthcare? The Christie NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Chief Data Officer (CDO) to spearhead our journey toward becoming the UK’s most intelligent cancer hospital. This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of cancer care through data, analytics, and innovation—driving personalised medicine, operational excellence, and ground‑breaking research.

Why This Role Matters

At The Christie, data isn’t just numbers—it’s knowledge, insight, and life‑saving potential. As CDO, you’ll lead the strategic direction of enterprise‑wide data management, governance, and analytics. You’ll be the architect of our data future, enabling clinicians, researchers, and operational teams to make smarter, faster, and more impactful decisions. You’ll champion the Pathway to Intelligent Hospital – Joint Analytics for Cancer, collaborating with national bodies, academic institutions, and industry partners to unlock the power of real‑world data.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the development and delivery of a Trust‑wide data strategy aligned with national priorities like Data Saves Lives and the 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, curated data.
• Cultivate a data‑literate culture across the Trust, empowering staff to use data 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.
• A passion for innovation, curiosity, and solving complex system‑wide challenges.
• The ability to influence at executive level and inspire multidisciplinary teams.
• A commitment to equity, sustainability, and ethical data use.

What Makes This Role Unique

This isn’t just a data role—it’s a transformational leadership position. You’ll be at the heart of shaping how data drives care, research, and operational strategy in one of the UK’s leading cancer centres. You’ll have the freedom to innovate, the support to lead, and the platform to make a lasting impact.

The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15 % of patients are referred to us from other parts of the country. We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years.

We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.

For further details / informal visits contact: Name: Matt Barker‑Hewitt, Job title: Chief Information Officer (Interim), Email: matthew.barker‑hewitt@nhs.net, Telephone: 07833046090.