Job summary
Be the Voice. Lead the Change. Shape the Future of Maternity Care.
Are you an inspirational, visionary and compassionate senior midwifery leader ready to make a lasting impact?
At East Kent Hospitals, we are on a continuous journey of improvement -- learning, listening and delivering outstanding maternity and gynaecology services that truly place women, birthing people and families at the heart of care.
As our Director of Midwifery, you will be the most senior midwifery leader in the Trust, working at sub-Board level to set and deliver the strategic vision for safe, innovative and inclusive maternity care across one of England's largest acute hospital trusts. You will lead a talented, passionate team of midwives and nurses, inspiring excellence through compassionate and visible leadership.
Main duties of the job
- Extensive experience at Head of Midwifery level or above, with a proven record of driving quality improvement and service transformation.
- The ability to influence at senior and national levels, translating strategy into meaningful change.
- A collaborative, values-led approach -- working with women, families, staff and partners to co-design services that tackle inequalities and improve outcomes.
- Confidence in representing your profession with authority and authenticity at Trust Board and regional forums.
This is a pivotal leadership role for an exceptional, forward-thinking midwife who is ready to influence at the highest level and shape the future of maternity and gynaecology care.
About us
We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference'. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It's about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day-to-day. We're looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.
Please note that if you require a Certificate of Sponsorship to work in the UK you must declare this on your application form, even if you currently have a certificate of sponsorship or a work permit for another role and are already working in the country. Please note we are only able to sponsor candidates on a Skilled Worker Visa applying for roles Band 5 and above.
Job description
Job responsibilities
As Director of Midwifery, you will hold strategic and professional responsibility for the delivery of safe, compassionate and innovative maternity services across a large, complex provider organisation. Operating at sub-Board level, you will act as the senior professional voice for midwifery setting standards, driving improvement, and ensuring the voice of women, birthing people and families is heard and acted upon.
This is a role for a visionary leader who can inspire through authenticity, compassion and credibility. You will be adept at translating national priorities into meaningful local action, building trust and collaboration across professional boundaries, and leading your teams through transformation with clarity and purpose.
This post offers an opportunity to lead with vision, authority and compassion creating the conditions for outstanding maternity care and professional pride across a major health system.
Job description
Job responsibilities
As Director of Midwifery, you will hold strategic and professional responsibility for the delivery of safe, compassionate and innovative maternity services across a large, complex provider organisation. Operating at sub-Board level, you will act as the senior professional voice for midwifery setting standards, driving improvement, and ensuring the voice of women, birthing people and families is heard and acted upon.
This is a role for a visionary leader who can inspire through authenticity, compassion and credibility. You will be adept at translating national priorities into meaningful local action, building trust and collaboration across professional boundaries, and leading your teams through transformation with clarity and purpose.
This post offers an opportunity to lead with vision, authority and compassion creating the conditions for outstanding maternity care and professional pride across a major health system.
Person Specification
Qualifications and training
Essential
- Management training or evidence of equivalent competence.
- Evidence of sustained and recent personal and professional development.
- Registered as a practising midwife and nurse with the NMC.
- Master's degree or equivalent level of academic achievement.
Desirable
- Specialist training/knowledge to doctorate or equivalent level
Clinical Skills & Experience
Essential
- Head of Midwifery experience is essential broad range of clinical midwifery experience acquired through significant practice at a senior level.
- Significant experience of leading clinical teams and professional agendas. This includes managing many services in a complex organisation, including people and budgetary management.
- Experience of leading crossboundary projects.
- Significant experience of leading / managing clinical governance within a healthcare organisation.
- Experience of leading organisation / service change to deliver improvement.
- Experience of strategy development and implementation.
- Experience of working at a senior level across other NHS organisations/ organisational boundaries for benchmarking purposes or to identify best practice/ areas for improvement.
- Experience of developing successful networks and delivering innovation.
- A demonstrative track record or delivering initiatives to improve quality of care.
- Experience and ability in interpreting legislation.
- Can deliver clinical and strategic reports and recommendations.
Desirable
- Experience of being a member or attendee of a board
- Previous experience as a Director of Midwifery
Skills
Essential
- Leadership skills and ability to motivate a team, providing clinical advice to managers and staff at all levels including working with Executive Directors and senior clinicians.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to network across professional boundaries.
- Practical problem -solving ability.
- High influencing and negotiation skills lo contribute to strategic direction of maternity services.
- Proven practice and service development skills.
- Demonstrable data collection, analysis and evaluation skills.
- Be able to manage all aspects of work including. identifying training needs, conduct and capability cases of a department
- Excellent communication, influencing and negotiation skills.
- Able to deal with extremely sensitive or contentious Issues, potentially in a challenging or hostile environment
- Effective Implementation or change with positive and enthusiastic approaches.
- Ability to improve clinical quality in acute setting.
- Exceptional report writing and well -developed IT skills.
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered as a practising midwife with the NMC.
- Master's degree or equivalent level of academic achievement.
- Management training or evidence of equivalent competence.
- Education/ mentorship qualification
- Evidence of sustained and recent personal and professional development
Personal/Professional Attributes
Essential
- Confident, inspiring and compassionate leadership skills, able to take others with them
- Ability to function in a multiprofessional environment
- Demonstrates personal resilience, self-awareness, ability to cope under pressure, support other team members and meet ambitious deadlines
- Self-motivated, energetic and flexible, with well-developed interpersonal skills
Person Specification
Qualifications and training
Essential
- Management training or evidence of equivalent competence.
- Evidence of sustained and recent personal and professional development.
- Registered as a practising midwife and nurse with the NMC.
- Master's degree or equivalent level of academic achievement.
Desirable
- Specialist training/knowledge to doctorate or equivalent level
Clinical Skills & Experience
Essential
- Head of Midwifery experience is essential broad range of clinical midwifery experience acquired through significant practice at a senior level.
- Significant experience of leading clinical teams and professional agendas. This includes managing many services in a complex organisation, including people and budgetary management.
- Experience of leading crossboundary projects.
- Significant experience of leading / managing clinical governance within a healthcare organisation.
- Experience of leading organisation / service change to deliver improvement.
- Experience of strategy development and implementation.
- Experience of working at a senior level across other NHS organisations/ organisational boundaries for benchmarking purposes or to identify best practice/ areas for improvement.
- Experience of developing successful networks and delivering innovation.
- A demonstrative track record or delivering initiatives to improve quality of care.
- Experience and ability in interpreting legislation.
- Can deliver clinical and strategic reports and recommendations.
Desirable
- Experience of being a member or attendee of a board
- Previous experience as a Director of Midwifery
Skills
Essential
- Leadership skills and ability to motivate a team, providing clinical advice to managers and staff at all levels including working with Executive Directors and senior clinicians.
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to network across professional boundaries.
- Practical problem -solving ability.
- High influencing and negotiation skills lo contribute to strategic direction of maternity services.
- Proven practice and service development skills.
- Demonstrable data collection, analysis and evaluation skills.
- Be able to manage all aspects of work including. identifying training needs, conduct and capability cases of a department
- Excellent communication, influencing and negotiation skills.
- Able to deal with extremely sensitive or contentious Issues, potentially in a challenging or hostile environment
- Effective Implementation or change with positive and enthusiastic approaches.
- Ability to improve clinical quality in acute setting.
- Exceptional report writing and well -developed IT skills.
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered as a practising midwife with the NMC.
- Master's degree or equivalent level of academic achievement.
- Management training or evidence of equivalent competence.
- Education/ mentorship qualification
- Evidence of sustained and recent personal and professional development
Personal/Professional Attributes
Essential
- Confident, inspiring and compassionate leadership skills, able to take others with them
- Ability to function in a multiprofessional environment
- Demonstrates personal resilience, self-awareness, ability to cope under pressure, support other team members and meet ambitious deadlines
- Self-motivated, energetic and flexible, with well-developed interpersonal skills
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).
