Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust

Assistant Director Specialist & Secured Services

The closing date is 07 April 2026

Job summary

We are pleased to offer the opportunity for an Assistant Director for remand services within our Specialist and Secured Care Delivery Pathway Services at Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. This is a pivotal role in ensuring operational excellence over our remand prisons HMP Peterborough and HMP Bedford.

The post holder must be a resilient leader able to combine broad operational knowledge with strategic planning to empowering your teams, engage stakeholders and establish and embed our vision, values, and our culture in an inclusive environment that promotes innovation and a continued focus on excellent patient care.

The Assistant Director is responsible for operationally leading Specialist and Secured Services teams and working in partnership with Clinical Leads, Strategic Directors, Nursing and Multi-professional Directors and Commissioners to deliver outstanding patient services. You will be responsible for leading on all aspects of operational delivery, regulatory and performance compliance, financial efficiency, strategic governance and development of services within your portfolio.

The post holder will be accountable for establishing and maintaining effective structures and systems of control for the management of staff, including recruitment, appraisal, continuing professional development, and support of the Trust's Human Resource policies and procedures.

Main duties of the job

As part of the Senior management team you will provide leadership to staff, ensuring clear communication of Trust vision, priorities and expectations to ensure the engagement of teams to deliver services of the highest quality

You will role model positive leadership behaviours by living the Trusts values and visibly leading on promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of the position.

You will be responsible for managing the complex nature of the business, ensuring that the appropriate strategic plans are delivered within the operating framework.

You will be a key member of the senior management team driving development of Specialist & Secured Services by working with internal and external partners.

You will provide input and challenge to clinical and business plans where necessary.

You will be responsible for identifying risk and implementing mitigation actions, and report significant risks and proposed actions through the Trust Governance processes with onward escalation to the Board as appropriate.

You will foster an effective working relationships with each of the partners to achieve effective use of resources or enhanced quality and productivity, as appropriate.

You will be expected to participate in on call arrangements.

About us

NHFT is an integrated primary care and mental health Trust. We have a well established record of providing healthcare excellence within the health and justice arena. Because we put the person at the centre of all we do, we focus on delivering care that is as easy to access as possible. Our philosophy is to provide trauma informed care based on mutual respect, striving to support recovery and independence.

NHFT promotes a culture of learning to improve the care and safety of our patients and staff, which focuses on people who enable our Trust to be 'outstanding' by supporting opportunity, innovation, development and growth.

Details

Date posted

23 March 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8c

Salary

£76,965 to £88,682 a year pa pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

270-TG811-MH

Job locations

Brightfield Business Hub

Bakewell Road

Peterborough

PE2 6UX


Job description

Job responsibilities

Applicants for this innovative and dynamic role should have values in line with our Trust values and will need to have demonstrable experience of monitoring and managing performance & quality targets and budgets at a high level. They will have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written and will need to understand and report on complex performance information.

For further information on the advertised role, please refer to the job description located under the Supporting Documents heading. The full person specification can be accessed under the About You Section of the document.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Applicants for this innovative and dynamic role should have values in line with our Trust values and will need to have demonstrable experience of monitoring and managing performance & quality targets and budgets at a high level. They will have excellent communication skills, both verbal and written and will need to understand and report on complex performance information.

For further information on the advertised role, please refer to the job description located under the Supporting Documents heading. The full person specification can be accessed under the About You Section of the document.

Person Specification

Skills

Essential

  • Comprehensive skills in change management
  • Skilled in analysis of complex information

Desirable

  • Skilled in the areas of financial management and cost saving initiatives

Experience

Essential

  • Significant experience in a senior leadership role
  • Experience of working with key senior stakeholders at a Regional/National level

Desirable

  • Experience in Senior leadership roles in secured services

Knowledge

Essential

  • In depth knowledge of NHS systems and processes
  • Knowledge of strategic and long term planning intentions in relation to secured services

Desirable

  • Knowledge of secured service health indicators and KPI's
Person Specification

Skills

Essential

  • Comprehensive skills in change management
  • Skilled in analysis of complex information

Desirable

  • Skilled in the areas of financial management and cost saving initiatives

Experience

Essential

  • Significant experience in a senior leadership role
  • Experience of working with key senior stakeholders at a Regional/National level

Desirable

  • Experience in Senior leadership roles in secured services

Knowledge

Essential

  • In depth knowledge of NHS systems and processes
  • Knowledge of strategic and long term planning intentions in relation to secured services

Desirable

  • Knowledge of secured service health indicators and KPI's

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.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust

Address

Brightfield Business Hub

Bakewell Road

Peterborough

PE2 6UX


Employer's website

https://www.nhft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust

Address

Brightfield Business Hub

Bakewell Road

Peterborough

PE2 6UX


Employer's website

https://www.nhft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Service Director

Anthony Blades

Anthony.Blades@nhft.nhs.uk

07802655510

Details

Date posted

23 March 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8c

Salary

£76,965 to £88,682 a year pa pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

270-TG811-MH

Job locations

Brightfield Business Hub

Bakewell Road

Peterborough

PE2 6UX


Supporting documents

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