Senior Development Lead - Young Adults | Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

This is an exciting opportunity for an ambitious and passionate leader to shape the future of mental health care for young adults across Central and North West London. We are seeking a Senior Development Lead for Young Adults on a one-year fixed-term contract/secondment to cover maternity leave. The role sits at the heart of our transformation work, driving forward a new, innovative 16-25 model of care that responds directly to the needs, aspirations and lived experiences of young people.

You will lead the next phase of our Trust-wide programme to redesign and strengthen services for 16-25 year olds, ensuring smoother transitions, reducing gaps in provision, and embedding a model that is safe, effective and genuinely tailored to this age group. Working across five boroughs and in partnership with CAMHS, Adult Mental Health, commissioners, and young adults themselves, you will help shape a service that reflects the ambitions of the NHS Long Term Plan.

This is a senior leadership role with real scope to influence change. You will work autonomously while drawing on expertise across divisions, leading a complex transformation programme that will have a lasting impact on how young adults experience mental health support. If you are energised by innovation, collaboration and improving outcomes for young people, this role offers a rare chance to make a meaningful difference

You will lead the strategic and operational development of our 16-25 model of care, overseeing the full end-to-end process from design to implementation. This includes developing proposals and business cases, coordinating internal and external sign-off, and ensuring the model reflects best practice nationally and internationally. Working closely with CAMHS and Adult Mental Health, you will co-produce a clinical and operational model that is both ambitious and deliverable.

Operationally, you will ensure the structures, teams and governance continue to function to bring the new service line to life. This includes developing leadership and management arrangements, staffing the model, embedding robust clinical governance, and ensuring the service is built on strong foundations. You will champion the needs of young adults, ensuring their voices shape the service at every stage.

You will also lead a broad transformation and improvement programme, aligning priorities across divisions, establishing clear reporting and oversight mechanisms, and supporting project teams to deliver change at pace. This includes managing budgets, overseeing external consultancy support where required, and ensuring the programme remains on track, within scope and financially sustainable

You will be joining a Trust that is committed to innovation, collaboration and delivering outstanding care. Our teams are passionate about improving mental health outcomes and creating services that genuinely meet the needs of our communities. The 16-25 transformation programme is a flagship piece of work, and you will be supported by senior leaders across both CAMHS and Adult Mental Health divisions.

We pride ourselves on being a learning organisation where new ideas are welcomed and staff are empowered to lead change. You will work alongside talented clinicians, operational leaders, project managers and experts by experience, all united by a shared ambition to improve the lives of young adults. The culture is supportive, forward-thinking and rooted in partnership working.

As a senior leader, you will have access to development opportunities, strong professional networks and the chance to influence Trust-wide strategy. This is a role where your work will be visible, valued and impactful - and where you will be part of a team that is genuinely committed to making a difference.

The postholder will lead the furthering strategic development of the 16-25 model of care, including designing service proposals, developing business cases, coordinating financial agreements, and securing internal and external approvals. You will oversee the full lifecycle of the programme, from assessing existing models nationally to co-producing new pathways, establishing partnerships, and ensuring successful mobilisation and implementation. You will lead a virtual project team and establish reporting structures that provide clear oversight for Executive and Divisional Boards.

Operationally, you will oversee the service line's leadership, management and clinical structures, ensuring the model is innovative, safe and aligned with best practice. You will lead on staffing, embed robust clinical governance, and ensure the service reflects the needs of young adults across Central and North West London. You will benchmark against national and international models and champion the voice of young adults throughout the design and delivery process.

You will drive service improvement and transformation across divisions, ensuring alignment with commissioning intentions and the wider NHS Long Term Plan. This includes establishing systems for programme management, leading change management across clinical and operational teams, managing risks and issues, and ensuring delivery within financial constraints. You will provide leadership to project managers, oversee external consultancy support where required, and ensure all deliverables meet agreed time, quality and budget standards.

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