Job summary
Education Lead Nurse - Neonates (Band 8a)
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS TrustNeonatal Services
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) is a large teaching trust providing tertiary neonatal care within the East Midlands Neonatal Operational Delivery Network (EMNODN). We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Education Lead Nurse for Neonates to provide strategic leadership for education, training, and professional development across neonatal services.
NUH's newly expanded Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Queen's Medical Centre is now the largest in the East Midlands, providing 38 cots across intensive, high-dependency, and special care. In its first year, the unit cared for over 590 babies, reflecting the scale and complexity of care delivered to some of the region's most vulnerable newborns. Care is delivered by a large, highly skilled neonatal nursing workforce working across City and QMC sites, ensuring safe staffing, continuity of care, and consistent implementation of evidence-based practice.
Increased capacity has reduced out-of-area transfers, enhanced family involvement, and improved outcomes and experience for babies and parents. This large tertiary environment offers exceptional opportunities for education, leadership, and professional development, supporting a highly competent and resilient neonatal workforce across NUH and EMNODN.
Main duties of the job
The Role
The Education Lead Nurse will have responsibility for the strategic planning, coordination, delivery, and evaluation of neonatal education and training across NUH Neonatal Services. The post holder will work collaboratively with senior nursing and medical leaders, practice development teams, and the EMNODN to ensure education provision is aligned with national standards, regional network priorities, and local service needs.
The role will support workforce development across all neonatal care settings, including NICU, LNU, and SCU, and will play a key role in supporting workforce transformation initiatives and service sustainability.
Key responsibilities include:
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Providing professional and strategic leadership for neonatal education and training across NUH
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Working in partnership with the EMNODN to support regional education priorities, standardisation of training, and network-wide workforce development
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Ensuring compliance with national and regional standards, including NMC requirements, QIS, GIRFT, and network education frameworks
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Leading the development, implementation, and evaluation of neonatal competency frameworks and educational pathways
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Supporting the education and development of the neonatal workforce, including registered nurses, Neonatal Nurse Associates, Advanced Neonatal Practitioners, and the wider multidisciplinary team
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Contributing to quality improvement, patient safety, and service development initiatives through education and training
About us
With over 19,000 staff, we are one of the biggest employers in the city with a central role in supporting the health and wellbeing of our local population. We play a leading role in research, education and innovation.
Come and join our wonderful team at NUH. We are big believers in diversity and welcome new ideas to help develop our team in order to deliver world class healthcare to the vast patient populations we serve. With endless personal development opportunities available, at NUH we will endeavour to turn your job into a career!
We particularly welcome applications from people who identify as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, or Disabled, as we are striving to be better represented at NUH.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The successful candidate will be an experienced neonatal nurse with substantial leadership experience and a strong background in education and workforce development.
Essential criteria:
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Registered Nurse with current NMC registration (Child or Adult)
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Significant post-registration experience within neonatal services
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Postgraduate qualification in education or evidence of working towards
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Demonstrable experience of leading education and training at a senior level
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In-depth knowledge of neonatal education standards, competency frameworks, and workforce development
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Excellent leadership, communication, and organisational skills
Desirable criteria:
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Masters level qualification or equivalent experience
-
Experience of working across a neonatal network or with an Operational Delivery Network
-
Experience within a tertiary neonatal unit and teaching trust environment
For full details please see Person Specification and Job description attached:
Job description
Job responsibilities
The successful candidate will be an experienced neonatal nurse with substantial leadership experience and a strong background in education and workforce development.
Essential criteria:
-
Registered Nurse with current NMC registration (Child or Adult)
-
Significant post-registration experience within neonatal services
-
Postgraduate qualification in education or evidence of working towards
-
Demonstrable experience of leading education and training at a senior level
-
In-depth knowledge of neonatal education standards, competency frameworks, and workforce development
-
Excellent leadership, communication, and organisational skills
Desirable criteria:
-
Masters level qualification or equivalent experience
-
Experience of working across a neonatal network or with an Operational Delivery Network
-
Experience within a tertiary neonatal unit and teaching trust environment
For full details please see Person Specification and Job description attached:
Person Specification
Training & qualifications
Essential
- oCurrent 1st level NMC Registered Nurse
- oDegree level in nursing.
- oQIS trained nurse/ or equivalent
- oWorking towards Masters qualification/ or have completed experience at level 7 education.
- oSSA training
- oWorked in tertiary level of care of neonatal care
Desirable
- oEvidence of change management
- oEvidence of improvement to patient care.
- oPost graduate qualification in teaching
- oNLS- GIC instructor
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of management and leadership experience
- Practical experience of teaching small groups and multiprofessional teams
- Evidence of leading change and able to demonstrate implementation of new ways of working within the team
- Involvement in clinical audits and the development of action plans
- Knowledge of patient safety programmes, Root Cause Analysis and Datix investigations Able to manage time effectively
Desirable
- Experience of working in an office environment
Communication and Relationship Skills
Essential
- Ability to prioritise own workload
- Ability to work under pressure
- Good people skill
- Able to communicate information using a variety of written and verbal communication skills
- Understands and practices the principles of confidentiality
- Able to minimise interpersonal conflict
- Demonstrable negotiating and influencing skills
- Assertiveness skills with people at all levels
- The ability to deal with interpersonal conflict
- Team player who can initiate, delegate and complete projects
- Experience of supporting individuals and the team to achieve objectives of the organisation
- Able to present and receive complex information to a multi-professional audience
Desirable
- Experience of dealing with customers
Analytical and Judgement Skills
Essential
- Ability to respond to, prioritise and analyse complex problems/situations and ensure effective interventions are put in place
- Ability to generate and present Trust and directorate level reports and documents
- Deal effectively with clinical issues within defined procedures/guidelines
- Participation in audit and/or research projects
- Evidence of data collection, evaluation and analysis
- Application and interpretation of quality standards benchmarks
- Able to use judgement in straightforward situations.
- Awareness of limitations and when to seek advice to solve problems
Planning and Organisation Skills
Essential
- Ability to prioritise own workload.
- Can formulate short and long term objectives
- Experience of operational management and leadership
- Ability to lead and remodel professional development and education programmes across the directorate
- Experience of audit management Provide training and education in a range of subjects
Physical Skills
Essential
- Manual dexterity required to perform tasks
- Able to undertake clinical duties
- Updated in manual handling
- Able to transfer relevant teaching aids and materials as necessary for the delivery of educational programmes
- Able to deliver core and expanded clinical skills Keyboard skills
Other requirements specific to the role
Essential
- Flexibility in shift/working patterns to meet the needs of the service
- Is able to participate as a team member
- Is of good health and good character as per NMC requirements
- Willing to accept additional responsibilities as delegated by senior staff
- Displays NUH trust values:
- Ability to support staff/ colleague, patients, relatives/ carers in distressing circumstances.
- To help with recruitment and selection of staff.
Person Specification
Training & qualifications
Essential
- oCurrent 1st level NMC Registered Nurse
- oDegree level in nursing.
- oQIS trained nurse/ or equivalent
- oWorking towards Masters qualification/ or have completed experience at level 7 education.
- oSSA training
- oWorked in tertiary level of care of neonatal care
Desirable
- oEvidence of change management
- oEvidence of improvement to patient care.
- oPost graduate qualification in teaching
- oNLS- GIC instructor
Experience
Essential
- Evidence of management and leadership experience
- Practical experience of teaching small groups and multiprofessional teams
- Evidence of leading change and able to demonstrate implementation of new ways of working within the team
- Involvement in clinical audits and the development of action plans
- Knowledge of patient safety programmes, Root Cause Analysis and Datix investigations Able to manage time effectively
Desirable
- Experience of working in an office environment
Communication and Relationship Skills
Essential
- Ability to prioritise own workload
- Ability to work under pressure
- Good people skill
- Able to communicate information using a variety of written and verbal communication skills
- Understands and practices the principles of confidentiality
- Able to minimise interpersonal conflict
- Demonstrable negotiating and influencing skills
- Assertiveness skills with people at all levels
- The ability to deal with interpersonal conflict
- Team player who can initiate, delegate and complete projects
- Experience of supporting individuals and the team to achieve objectives of the organisation
- Able to present and receive complex information to a multi-professional audience
Desirable
- Experience of dealing with customers
Analytical and Judgement Skills
Essential
- Ability to respond to, prioritise and analyse complex problems/situations and ensure effective interventions are put in place
- Ability to generate and present Trust and directorate level reports and documents
- Deal effectively with clinical issues within defined procedures/guidelines
- Participation in audit and/or research projects
- Evidence of data collection, evaluation and analysis
- Application and interpretation of quality standards benchmarks
- Able to use judgement in straightforward situations.
- Awareness of limitations and when to seek advice to solve problems
Planning and Organisation Skills
Essential
- Ability to prioritise own workload.
- Can formulate short and long term objectives
- Experience of operational management and leadership
- Ability to lead and remodel professional development and education programmes across the directorate
- Experience of audit management Provide training and education in a range of subjects
Physical Skills
Essential
- Manual dexterity required to perform tasks
- Able to undertake clinical duties
- Updated in manual handling
- Able to transfer relevant teaching aids and materials as necessary for the delivery of educational programmes
- Able to deliver core and expanded clinical skills Keyboard skills
Other requirements specific to the role
Essential
- Flexibility in shift/working patterns to meet the needs of the service
- Is able to participate as a team member
- Is of good health and good character as per NMC requirements
- Willing to accept additional responsibilities as delegated by senior staff
- Displays NUH trust values:
- Ability to support staff/ colleague, patients, relatives/ carers in distressing circumstances.
- To help with recruitment and selection of staff.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).