Job summary
The Head of Medical Workforce provides high-level leadership, expert guidance, and a proactive operational service for all medical and dental staffing across the Trust. As the Trust's specialist lead for medical workforce policy, recruitment, rostering, and terms and conditions, the postholder ensures safe, effective, and compliant workforce management that supports high-quality patient care.
Working closely with Clinical Directors, General Managers, senior medical leaders, and national/regional partners, the role oversees end-to-end medical resourcing--including workforce planning, rota management, safe working processes, revalidation, job planning, and reduction of agency spend. The Head of Medical Workforce acts as the primary point of contact for highly complex Medical & Dental Terms and Conditions matters, provides authoritative advice to senior stakeholders, and leads the implementation of electronic workforce systems.
The postholder ensures the delivery of a responsive, accurate, and value-for-money service, while promoting excellence in workforce practice, equality and inclusion, and continuous improvement across the organisation. They will also manage the Medical Workforce Administrator and support training across workforce systems and medical staffing processes.
Main duties of the job
The Head of Medical Workforce leads a specialist, high-quality service covering all medical and dental staffing. The role provides expert advice on Medical & Dental Terms and Conditions, recruitment, rota governance, and safe working practices, ensuring consistent, compliant processes across the Trust. Working with Clinical Directors, General Managers, and senior medical leaders, the postholder resolves complex workforce issues, supports policy interpretation, and ensures timely responses to sensitive or technical queries.
A key focus is overseeing medical recruitment, workforce planning, and the effective design and management of rotas. The role ensures safe rota coverage, monitors exception reporting, supports the Guardian of Safe Working, and drives reductions in agency use through proactive planning and adherence to capped rates. The postholder also leads implementation and optimisation of electronic workforce systems, ensuring accurate data, robust reporting, and efficient workforce controls.
The role maintains strong relationships with national and regional bodies, manages governance processes such as revalidation and appraisal, and leads policy development affecting medical staff. With responsibility for service improvement, training, financial oversight, and line management of the Medical Workforce Administrator, the postholder ensures a responsive, compliant, and high-performing medical workforce function that supports safe, effective clinical care.
About us
Rated GOOD overall with outstanding care by the CQC. A specialist NHS hospital providing life-changing reconstructive surgery, burns care and rehabilitation services across the South of England and beyond.
We specialise in conditions of the eyes (corneoplastics), hands, head and neck cancer and skin cancer, reconstructive breast surgery, maxillofacial surgery and prosthetics, providing regional and national services in these areas of clinical expertise.Our world-leading clinical teams also treat more common conditions of the eyes, hands, skin, and teeth for the people of East Grinstead and the surrounding areas. In addition, QVH provides a minor injuries unit, expert therapies, a sleep service, and a growing portfolio of community-based services.Patients consistently rate QVH amongst the top hospitals in the country for quality of care.
Our success is underpinned by the skills and enthusiasm of our staff and a strong culture of partnership. We are fully committed to training and development of the workforce with support for continuing education and learning.
Job description
Job responsibilities
1. Specialist Workforce Advice
- Provide expert guidance on all Medical & Dental Terms and Conditions, contracts, and Working Time Directive requirements.
- Ensure all medical workforce queries are resolved promptly, accurately, and in line with national policy.
2. Medical Recruitment & Workforce Planning - Lead all medical and dental recruitment processes to ensure timely, proactive filling of vacancies.
- Analyse recruitment trends and produce complex workforce data reports for managers.
- Oversee AAC panels and selection processes, ensuring fair and robust appointments.
- Work with Clinical Directors and General Managers to plan medical workforce needs and reduce reliance on temporary staffing.
3. Rota & Temporary Staffing Management - Lead the daytoday management of medical rotas, ensuring safe staffing and compliance.
- Oversee rota coordinators and support the design, review, and implementation of compliant rotas.
- Manage bank and agency usage, reducing agency spend and ensuring adherence to capped rates.
- Act as first point of contact for the Guardian of Safe Working on exception reporting and additional hours.
4. Electronic Workforce Systems - Lead implementation and optimisation of Allocate/erota systems across the Trust.
- Ensure accurate workforce data entry, system auditing, and production of statutory workforce reports.
5. Medical Workforce Operations - Maintain effective working relationships with internal leaders and external organisations (HEE, GMC, BMA, ICS).
- Provide and receive highly complex and sensitive information where negotiation is required.
- Ensure all medical workforce processes meet legal, policy, and KPI requirements.
- Manage systems for monitoring GMC/GDC registration and compliance.
6. Policy, Governance & Improvement - Lead development and implementation of medical workforce policies, liaising with BMA and JLNC.
- Drive workforce improvement programmes and support annual medical job planning with senior medical leaders.
7. Management & Training - Linemanage the Medical Workforce Administrator.
- Provide training to rota teams, workforce colleagues, and managers on erota systems, recruitment, and employment processes.
8. Revalidation & Appraisal - Lead Trust processes for medical revalidation and appraisal for all medical and dental staff.
9. Financial Responsibilities - Ensure effective and valueformoney rota staffing.
- Support delivery of workforce costimprovement programmes and ensure the department operates
Job description
Job responsibilities
1. Specialist Workforce Advice
- Provide expert guidance on all Medical & Dental Terms and Conditions, contracts, and Working Time Directive requirements.
- Ensure all medical workforce queries are resolved promptly, accurately, and in line with national policy.
2. Medical Recruitment & Workforce Planning - Lead all medical and dental recruitment processes to ensure timely, proactive filling of vacancies.
- Analyse recruitment trends and produce complex workforce data reports for managers.
- Oversee AAC panels and selection processes, ensuring fair and robust appointments.
- Work with Clinical Directors and General Managers to plan medical workforce needs and reduce reliance on temporary staffing.
3. Rota & Temporary Staffing Management - Lead the daytoday management of medical rotas, ensuring safe staffing and compliance.
- Oversee rota coordinators and support the design, review, and implementation of compliant rotas.
- Manage bank and agency usage, reducing agency spend and ensuring adherence to capped rates.
- Act as first point of contact for the Guardian of Safe Working on exception reporting and additional hours.
4. Electronic Workforce Systems - Lead implementation and optimisation of Allocate/erota systems across the Trust.
- Ensure accurate workforce data entry, system auditing, and production of statutory workforce reports.
5. Medical Workforce Operations - Maintain effective working relationships with internal leaders and external organisations (HEE, GMC, BMA, ICS).
- Provide and receive highly complex and sensitive information where negotiation is required.
- Ensure all medical workforce processes meet legal, policy, and KPI requirements.
- Manage systems for monitoring GMC/GDC registration and compliance.
6. Policy, Governance & Improvement - Lead development and implementation of medical workforce policies, liaising with BMA and JLNC.
- Drive workforce improvement programmes and support annual medical job planning with senior medical leaders.
7. Management & Training - Linemanage the Medical Workforce Administrator.
- Provide training to rota teams, workforce colleagues, and managers on erota systems, recruitment, and employment processes.
8. Revalidation & Appraisal - Lead Trust processes for medical revalidation and appraisal for all medical and dental staff.
9. Financial Responsibilities - Ensure effective and valueformoney rota staffing.
- Support delivery of workforce costimprovement programmes and ensure the department operates
Person Specification
Shortlisting
Essential
- oPostgraduate/ Master's Degree level education or able to demonstrate highly developed specialist knowledge within medical and dental terms and conditions within the NHS
- oSubstantial relevant experience in medical workforce
- oEvidence of continuing personal and professional development
- oExperience of working to support colleagues across all levels of seniority oExperience and proven ability to work with minimal supervision
Desirable
- oProject Management qualification
Person Specification
Shortlisting
Essential
- oPostgraduate/ Master's Degree level education or able to demonstrate highly developed specialist knowledge within medical and dental terms and conditions within the NHS
- oSubstantial relevant experience in medical workforce
- oEvidence of continuing personal and professional development
- oExperience of working to support colleagues across all levels of seniority oExperience and proven ability to work with minimal supervision
Desirable
- oProject Management qualification
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).
