Job summary
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust is seeking an exceptional and visionary Director of Midwifery to lead and shape the future of maternity services across the Trust. This is a pivotal leadership role, responsible for ensuring the delivery of safe, high-quality, and compassionate care for women, babies, and families.
As a key member of the senior leadership team, you will work closely with the Chief Nursing Officer, Chief Medical Officer, and divisional teams to drive strategic improvements, foster innovation, and champion the voice of midwifery across the organisation.
***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as 'Priority' and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***
Main duties of the job
As a Director of Midwifery you would need to provide strategic leadership and professional accountability for midwifery services.
Leading the development and implementation of maternity transformation programmes aligned with national policy and local priorities.
Ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and drive continuous quality improvement.
Promote a culture of safety, learning, and excellence in care.
Support workforce development, retention, and wellbeing of midwifery staff.
Collaborate with system partners to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities in maternity care.
As an individual we are looking for a dynamic and experienced midwifery leader who:
- Is a registered midwife with significant senior leadership experience.
- Has a proven track record of delivering service improvement and innovation.
- Demonstrates excellent communication, influencing, and partnership-building skills.
- Is passionate about equity, safety, and person-centred care.
- Can inspire and lead teams through change with compassion and clarity.
About us
University Hospitals Plymouth is the largest hospital in the South West Peninsula and a major trauma centre, offering a diverse and complex clinical environment. You'll be joining a Trust committed to excellence, inclusion, and innovation, with strong links to education and research through our partnership with the University of Plymouth. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment manager for this post who will put you in touch with the recruitment team. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Director of Midwifery is a high-impact leadership role focused on clinical excellence, strategic transformation, and workforce development. It blends operational oversight with professional advocacy, ensuring that midwifery and integrated care services are safe, effective, and continuously improving. The role demands vision, resilience, and a deep commitment to patient-centred care.
The postholder is responsible for:
- Develop and implement divisional midwifery strategy aligned with Trust-wide goals.
- Lead transformation initiatives, workforce planning, and service redesign.
- Represent the Division in system-level planning and external networks.
- Drive research, innovation, and academic excellence in clinical practice.
- Accountable for care standards, safety, and effectiveness across the Division.
- Lead quality assurance, planning, monitoring, and improvement efforts.
- Oversee complaints, incident investigations, and risk mitigation.
- Occasionally work clinical shifts to maintain credibility and visibility.
- Line manage senior clinical leaders and oversee performance management.
- Lead recruitment, retention, and professional development initiatives.
- Conduct disciplinary and grievance procedures when necessary.
- Manage budgets and contribute to financial improvement programmes.
- Authorised signatory for staffing and operational expenditures.
- Ensure delivery of high-quality clinical services across midwifery and nursing.
- Hold directorates accountable for performance and standards.
- Lead divisional performance reviews and improvement plans.
- Work across divisions and with external stakeholders to enhance care models.
- Lead corporate projects and transformation programmes.
- Foster collaboration among midwives, nurses, and allied health professionals.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The Director of Midwifery is a high-impact leadership role focused on clinical excellence, strategic transformation, and workforce development. It blends operational oversight with professional advocacy, ensuring that midwifery and integrated care services are safe, effective, and continuously improving. The role demands vision, resilience, and a deep commitment to patient-centred care.
The postholder is responsible for:
- Develop and implement divisional midwifery strategy aligned with Trust-wide goals.
- Lead transformation initiatives, workforce planning, and service redesign.
- Represent the Division in system-level planning and external networks.
- Drive research, innovation, and academic excellence in clinical practice.
- Accountable for care standards, safety, and effectiveness across the Division.
- Lead quality assurance, planning, monitoring, and improvement efforts.
- Oversee complaints, incident investigations, and risk mitigation.
- Occasionally work clinical shifts to maintain credibility and visibility.
- Line manage senior clinical leaders and oversee performance management.
- Lead recruitment, retention, and professional development initiatives.
- Conduct disciplinary and grievance procedures when necessary.
- Manage budgets and contribute to financial improvement programmes.
- Authorised signatory for staffing and operational expenditures.
- Ensure delivery of high-quality clinical services across midwifery and nursing.
- Hold directorates accountable for performance and standards.
- Lead divisional performance reviews and improvement plans.
- Work across divisions and with external stakeholders to enhance care models.
- Lead corporate projects and transformation programmes.
- Foster collaboration among midwives, nurses, and allied health professionals.
Person Specification
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- oSignificant demonstrable experience of working at a senior manager level and relevant clinical and management experience at Divisional/Care Group level
- oDemonstrable experience of working and influencing at a very senior level and leading a group of teams and services
- oDemonstrable experience of developing staff and teams
- oSenior operational management experience in complex services
- oHighly effective communication skills - able to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, to large groups of staff, patients and relatives, ensuring that communication is tailored to the person being addressed
- oAbility to lead, motivate and empower others and lead change through people
- oDemonstrable experience of implementing and managing change effectively
- oThorough and up-to-date proven knowledge of nursing theory and best practice and application in practice
- oUnderstanding of NMC/HCPC code of practice and requirements for the practice and behaviour of staff and self
- oSignificant experience of effective budgetary management
- oDemonstrable experience of developing business cases/business planning
- oDemonstrable experience of involvement in clinical governance
- oDemonstrable experience of involvement in service users' advocacy and complaints resolution
- oDemonstrable project management experience
Desirable
- oDemonstrable project management experience
Aptitude & Abilities
Essential
- oHighly effective communication skills - able to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, to large groups of staff, patients and relatives, ensuring that communication is tailored to the person being addressed
- oAbility to lead, motivate and empower others and lead change through people
- oAble to deal with conflict within any of the teams for which this post is responsible, which also may include service users
- oAbility to interpret and analyse highly complex data and adapt national and local policy from several sources into Trust standards
- oAbility to apply research-based practice and advocate it to improve the quality and efficiency of wards/units and services
- oAble to gain credibility with and influence fellow clinicians, managers and specialty leads
- oDemonstrates commitment to an empathetic and caring approach to patients and relatives and ability to motivate staff to demonstrate this ensuring that all patients' dignity and respect are maintained at all times
- oAppropriate skills for professional clinical practice
- oResilient, comfortable in giving and receiving professional challenge/ conveying unwelcome news where progress or outcomes are not yet as expected.
- oStrong organisational skills-able to organise own workload and take responsibility for clinical actions and systems/ standards across area of responsibility
Disposition & Attitude/Motivation
Essential
- oPositive and effective team worker
- oUnderstands and able to lead by example within the Trust values
- oWillingness to work anywhere in the Trust and to travel, on occasions, within the region and nationally
- oTo be self-aware, have personal integrity and the ability to self-manage.
Desirable
- oAbility to work flexibly and undertake on call duties as required.
Person Specification
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- oSignificant demonstrable experience of working at a senior manager level and relevant clinical and management experience at Divisional/Care Group level
- oDemonstrable experience of working and influencing at a very senior level and leading a group of teams and services
- oDemonstrable experience of developing staff and teams
- oSenior operational management experience in complex services
- oHighly effective communication skills - able to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, to large groups of staff, patients and relatives, ensuring that communication is tailored to the person being addressed
- oAbility to lead, motivate and empower others and lead change through people
- oDemonstrable experience of implementing and managing change effectively
- oThorough and up-to-date proven knowledge of nursing theory and best practice and application in practice
- oUnderstanding of NMC/HCPC code of practice and requirements for the practice and behaviour of staff and self
- oSignificant experience of effective budgetary management
- oDemonstrable experience of developing business cases/business planning
- oDemonstrable experience of involvement in clinical governance
- oDemonstrable experience of involvement in service users' advocacy and complaints resolution
- oDemonstrable project management experience
Desirable
- oDemonstrable project management experience
Aptitude & Abilities
Essential
- oHighly effective communication skills - able to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, to large groups of staff, patients and relatives, ensuring that communication is tailored to the person being addressed
- oAbility to lead, motivate and empower others and lead change through people
- oAble to deal with conflict within any of the teams for which this post is responsible, which also may include service users
- oAbility to interpret and analyse highly complex data and adapt national and local policy from several sources into Trust standards
- oAbility to apply research-based practice and advocate it to improve the quality and efficiency of wards/units and services
- oAble to gain credibility with and influence fellow clinicians, managers and specialty leads
- oDemonstrates commitment to an empathetic and caring approach to patients and relatives and ability to motivate staff to demonstrate this ensuring that all patients' dignity and respect are maintained at all times
- oAppropriate skills for professional clinical practice
- oResilient, comfortable in giving and receiving professional challenge/ conveying unwelcome news where progress or outcomes are not yet as expected.
- oStrong organisational skills-able to organise own workload and take responsibility for clinical actions and systems/ standards across area of responsibility
Disposition & Attitude/Motivation
Essential
- oPositive and effective team worker
- oUnderstands and able to lead by example within the Trust values
- oWillingness to work anywhere in the Trust and to travel, on occasions, within the region and nationally
- oTo be self-aware, have personal integrity and the ability to self-manage.
Desirable
- oAbility to work flexibly and undertake on call duties as required.
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).
