Chief Digital and Information Officer, London Ambulance Service NHS Trust
We are the world’s busiest emergency ambulance service.
Our vision is to deliver outstanding emergency and urgent care whenever and wherever needed for everyone in London, 24/7, 365 days a year.
We are the busiest emergency ambulance service in the UK serving one of the world’s most dynamic and diverse cities. We provide emergency and urgent healthcare that is free to patients at the time they receive it.
We are the only NHS provider trust to serve the whole of London and the nine million people who live in, work in or visit the city.
We cover an area of 620sq miles and have more than 8,000 people who work or volunteer for us – rising to 10,000 when including bank staff and students.
We answer around two million 999 calls a year and our crews attend more than 3000 emergencies a day. Our 24-hour 111 integrated urgent care services London answer around two million calls a year.
We play a leading role in integrating access to emergency and urgent care in the capital and are striving to ensure patients receive the right response, in the right place, at the right time
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Dear Candidate
Thank you for your interest in becoming our next Chief Digital and Information Officer at London Ambulance Service.
London Ambulance Service is a remarkable organisation. We serve more than nine million people across one of the largest and most diverse cities in the world, providing emergency and urgent care around the clock. The nature of our work means that technology, information and data are integral to almost everything we do, from the systems supporting our control rooms and frontline teams through to how we understand demand, deploy our resources and plan future services.
We have made considerable progress in recent years. Our core technology environment is increasingly stable and resilient, and we have recently completed a major restructure of our Digital and Data Directorate. That gives the next CDIO a good platform from which to work. As our new CDIO you will develop the capability we now have and help us think differently about what digital and data can do for London Ambulance Service.
The scope of the role has also grown and alongside responsibility for our core technology services, the CDIO will lead data, business intelligence and analytics, cyber security, information risk, digital innovation, AI and automation, and will act as the Trust’s SIRO. You will be a member of our Executive Leadership Team and an important adviser to me and to the Board.
As we look to the future, I want us to make better use of the information and technology assets we already have, while being much more ambitious about how data, AI, automation and emerging technologies can improve patient care and operational performance. Some of the answers will come from within the NHS, but many will not. We need to build stronger relationships with technology businesses, suppliers, academia and other partners, and to find practical ways of turning good ideas into solutions that work reliably in a safety critical environment.
I am keen to attract candidates who bring a wide range of backgrounds to this role, and you do not need to have worked in the NHS. I would be very interested in someone who has worked in technology, another complex service environment or internationally, provided you understand the responsibilities that come with leading technology and information in an organisation such as ours. You will need to be comfortable with the fundamentals of resilient IT, cyber security and information governance, but I am particularly interested in what you can help us do next.
This is also a substantial leadership role, with a large team and budget, as well as responsibility for significant digital investment. As our CDIO you will provide inclusive leadership to that function, work closely with colleagues across our clinical and operational services and contribute fully to the wider leadership of the Trust.
London is extraordinarily diverse and we want our leadership to reflect the communities we serve. We therefore want to hear from people with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives, and we are prepared to look internationally as well as across the UK.
If that combination of public service, technology and operational challenge interests you, I hope you will consider joining us. I look forward to meeting candidates through the process and hearing what you believe London Ambulance Service could do differently and better.
Yours sincerely,
Jason Killens KAM
Chief Executive
London Ambulance Service NHS Trust -
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All applications must include:
A full curriculum vitae/resume
Quoting the relevant role reference number: A042313
A covering letter highlighting the aspects of the job description and LAS that particularly attract you to the post (Microsoft Word document)
Contact details for three referees, these will not be contacted without your permission. (References should validate a minimum period of six years employment)
A completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form (which you will be redirected to once you have submitted your application) *
Right to work checks
If you are successfully shortlisted, our partner, Yoti, will contact you to complete an online right to work check. This is a quick and secure process, ensuring that all necessary legal requirements are met before proceeding further in the recruitment process.
Monitoring
One of Alumni Global’s and LAS’s objectives is to ensure that its workforce is reflective of the local community and therefore we actively encourage applications from under-represented groups. So that we can successfully achieve these aims, while it is not mandatory we would encourage every applicant to complete the “Equal Opportunities Monitoring form” so that we can measure the effectiveness of our efforts. The Recruiting Manager does not have access to the Monitoring Information Sections of the application form at any stage of the process and the information provided will be kept entirely confidential.
For a confidential discussion on this role please contact:
Pascal Heward, Consultant or Thomas Patterson, Managing Director whose details are at the bottom of this page.
Candidate adjustment
If you require any reasonable adjustments to be made as part of the recruitment process please can you advise us so that we can ensure this is accommodated.
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Closing date: 23rd October 2026 - TBC
Final Interviews: End of November - TBC
Please ensure you have made a note of the final interview date(s). We recommend that you bookmark this microsite, as any potential updates regarding the role will be posted online.
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At London Ambulance Service we play a critical role at the heart of the capital’s health and care system. Serving more than nine million people across one of the world’s most complex and diverse cities, our teams respond to thousands of emergency and urgent care calls every day. Technology, data and information are central to how we operate today and will be increasingly important to how we develop our services in the future. We are now seeking a Chief Digital and Information Officer to join our Executive Leadership Team and lead the next phase of our digital and data development.
This is a broad executive role spanning digital transformation, data and business intelligence, technology services, cyber security, information risk, AI and automation. As the Trust’s Senior Information Risk Owner, you will also provide advice and assurance to the Chief Executive and Board on the safe and responsible use of information and technology.
London Ambulance Service has invested in strengthening its core technology and has recently completed a restructure of the Digital and Data Directorate. The incoming CDIO will therefore inherit a new operating model and a talented multidisciplinary team. These foundations provide a significant opportunity for innovative and strategic thinking.
We intend to become more ambitious in how we use technology and data to improve patient care, operational performance, productivity and the working lives of our people. That will mean maintaining safe, reliable and resilient technology across a complex 24/7 emergency service, while also looking beyond traditional approaches to NHS digital delivery. As our new CDIO you will help identify new solutions to the operational challenges we face, make better use of data and analytics, develop our approach to AI and automation and build productive relationships with technology companies, suppliers, academia and other partners.
This will require someone who can turn ideas into practical solutions. You will need to understand how technology can improve complex operations, judge where investment will make a difference and find creative ways of delivering progress within the financial realities of a public service organisation. You will lead a large team and budget, alongside having responsibility for the Trust’s digital capital investment.
We welcome interest from the broadest range of candidates. While you may already be working in healthcare, NHS experience is not required. We are interested in people from technology businesses and other large, complex or safety critical organisations, in the UK or internationally, who have led substantial digital, data and technology portfolios and can bring ideas and experience that challenge established ways of working.
You will demonstrate experience of overseeing resilient technology operations, cyber and information risk, while bringing energy to transformation, innovation, data and external partnership. You will bring the experience and judgement to lead a large directorate, work effectively with clinical and operational colleagues, and contribute as a corporate executive to the wider leadership of London Ambulance Service.
We particularly welcome interest from people whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of London and the communities we serve. For a confidential discussion about the role, please contact Thomas Patterson, Managing Director at Alumni Global on +44 7970 339 151 or thomas.patterson@alumniglobal.com.
Please take note of the reference number found under section “How to apply”. This is needed for us to process any application.