Delivery manager - nhs innovation accelerator

Delivery Manager – NIA

About the NHS Innovation Accelerator

The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) is an award-winning national NHS England (NHSE) initiative in partnership with England’s 15 Health Innovation Networks (HINs). Delivered by UCLPartners, the programme supports committed individuals (‘Fellows’) to scale high impact, evidence-based innovations across the NHS and wider healthcare system. The programme is chaired by the National Medical Director for NHS England, and supported across senior leadership. The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) exists to accelerate the uptake of high-impact, evidence-based innovations across the NHS and wider health and care system.

Sitting at the intersection of health, innovation, and systems, we connect innovators with NHS stakeholders and decision-makers to unlock scalable solutions. Through tailored support, expert mentoring, and shared learning, we help overcome barriers to adoption and embed innovation where it’s needed most.

Our mission is to drive meaningful change by improving patient outcomes, supporting workforce sustainability, and enabling a more efficient, collaborative system that learns from what works and scales it effectively.

The Role

We have an exciting opportunity for a fixed term contract until 31st March 2027 working within the NIA. As a Delivery Manager, you will be the primary contact point and problem solver for our fellows and our system partners. You will work with our HIN, ICB, Trust and wider system stakeholders in the East of England, London, South East, and South West regions to match-make NIA fellows to strategic system priorities, unblock barriers to adoption and work together to create joint opportunities to showcase NIA fellows and the programme.

You will work with our new and existing cohort of fellows, getting to know their innovations as well as their challenges. You will be responsible for managing relationships and being the single point of contact for our HIN partners, also getting to know their priorities, ways of working and challenges.

You will also be responsible for a number of internal projects, including the digitisation of our programme, and the onboarding journey of our new cohort.

You will manage the delivery and relationship building through your creativity, operational effectiveness and experience of innovation adoption in complex environments. You are results driven and clearly focused on patient and system impact.

The role is an outstanding opportunity to have real impact on health and healthcare in supporting the NHS and the Fellows with adoption and scale.

Key Responsibilities

To work closely with managers in implementation, commercial and innovation in 7 HINs, key ICB’s and strategic trusts.

To act as a single point of contact within the NHS system and build on strong relationships to collectively help scale solutions & innovations

Work closely with system partners alongside the Co Directors on prioritization of innovations

Investigate potential funding opportunities for Fellows to help them further scale and spread their innovations within trusts/ICSs

Plan, manage, and deliver regional and local innovation exchange events

To work closely with colleagues in the NIA team to support an engaging and impact driven culture

To work collaboratively across the NIA team, adopting a one-team approach to meeting our objectives.

Manage and drive internal projects, including programme improvement and digitisation.

You

Have successfully managed NHS-based adoption or business cases digital health innovations (essential)

Subject matter understanding on digital health, medical devices, and software as a medical device (essential)

Clear understanding of Health Innovation Network and ICB/Trust Innovation pathways and systems (essential)

Outstanding relationship management skills

Commercial acumen, and key understanding of NHS funding flows

Experience working with small – large innovators to help them scale their solutions in the NHS

Experience managing and implementing change, innovation or transformation in healthcare

Ability to convey complex and challenging issues to stakeholders in science and healthcare and more widely across academia, the NHS and government.

Ability to collaborate with and influence a wide range of individuals and groups in professionally based organisations

A strong commitment to diverse and inclusive teams and principles.

Understanding of the role and remit of the NHS; awareness of re…