Job summary
We are recruiting for a Head of Midwifery who share our vision to be trusted to provide consistently outstanding care and exemplary service to our patients.
Are you an experienced and passionate midwifery leader seeking a new opportunity to make a real difference? We are inviting applications for a Head of Midwifery to join our proactive and forward-thinking maternity leadership team.
At East and North Herts, we are committed to delivering outstanding, safe, and personalised care for women, babies, and families. As a senior member of the leadership triumvirate for the women's services care group you will play a pivotal role in driving sustainable quality improvement across all aspects of our service.
This is an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated, values-driven professional with a proven track record of leading midwifery and nursing teams and delivering transformational change. You will be joining a supportive environment that fosters innovation, professional growth, and collaborative working across disciplines.
At the heart of everything we do are our core values: Include, Respect, and Improve. We encourage you to embrace these values throughout the recruitment process and in your role with us.
Main duties of the job
The Head of Midwifery will work in close partnership with the Director of Midwifery, divisional leadership, and clinical directors to provide strategic, professional, and operational leadership for midwifery, and nursing within the women's services care group.
You will work in close partnership with the Director of Midwifery, divisional leadership, and clinical directors to provide strategic, professional, and operational leadership for midwifery, and nursing within the women's services care group.
As part of the Care Group's triumvirate leadership, you will contribute to setting the strategic direction and driving service improvements across maternity, neonatology, and gynaecology, with a strong focus on clinical quality and outcomes for service users.
In the absence of the Director of Midwifery, you will act as the professional lead for midwifery and represent the service at executive level, including Trust board meetings.
Supporting the development and implementation of strategic and business plans.
Leading service improvement, innovation, and quality assurance initiatives.
Championing women's experience and incorporating service user feedback.
Managing operational performance, workforce planning, and resource utilisation.
This is a senior leadership role requiring strong partnership working across internal teams and external stakeholders to ensure the delivery of safe, high-quality, and sustainable care.
About us
At East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general & specialist services we provide & our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible & innovative in the way in which we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now.
We run the following hospitals:
o The Lister Hospital, Stevenage
o New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City
o Hertford County, Hertford
o Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), Northwood
We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation; our staff & patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda.
We are committed to a positive work life balance for our employees. Employees are entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns & we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made & considered formally, & will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification applicant pack for further detailed information regarding this role.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification applicant pack for further detailed information regarding this role.
Person Specification
Qualifications / Training
Essential
- Registered Midwife.
- Holds (or working towards) a Master's qualification.
- Holds a Management / leadership qualification or equivalent experience.
- Evidence of continuing professional and personal development.
Desirable
- Teaching Qualifications or equivalent experience.
- Registered Nurse.
Previous Experience
Essential
- Extensive experience in midwifery
- Significant experience at a senior level.
- Expertise in midwifery practice.
- Experience of working within a broad range of maternity services and settings.
- Evidence of effective midwifery practice innovation.
- Experience of working collaboratively within multi-professional situations.
- Track record of serving on a range of committees.
Desirable
- Evidence of chairing and managing meetings.
- Experience of managing resources including financial resources.
- Proven record of leading change and innovation. Experience working across surgical and specialty services.
- Experience of managing teams across specialties and multi-disciplinary teams.
- Experience of working in gynaecology and or neonatal services.
Skills
Essential
- Proven record of accomplishment of achieving objectives.
- Excellent communication skills both verbal and written.
- Ability to engage with women and families from diverse social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, particularly those from disadvantaged groups.
- Effective presentation skills and the ability to represent the Trust locally and nationally.
- A confident Leader, able to coach, influence, motivate and develop people.
- Ability to work with a high level of autonomy.
- Flexibility adapts to ensure achievement of objectives within changing environment.
- Able to work collaboratively with partner organisations.
- Ability to present complex data to different audiences with different information needs
- Ability to manage conflict.
- Innovative thinker with the ability to cut through barriers to change
- Resilient and confident in adverse situations.
- Innovative and creative in the development of new approaches to care and systems of working.
- Effective organisational ability.
- Able to co-ordinate the completion of several projects simultaneously.
- Ability to use IT, including Microsoft Office and Power Point.
Knowledge
Essential
- Excellent understanding of wider NHS and Health inequalities agenda.
- Ability to understand and analyse complex statistical data.
- Demonstrate skills in supporting multi-professional team working and collective decision making.
- Willingness to work flexible hours and participate in on call Rota and manager of the day.
Other requirements
Essential
- Experience and evidence of engagement around the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda.
- Able to actively support the development of a culture that recognises and promotes equality, values diversity, and actively leads by example in deploying these qualities.
- Understands the impact on equality, diversity and inclusion issues in all aspects of service delivery and planning
- Role model our Trust values every day
Person Specification
Qualifications / Training
Essential
- Registered Midwife.
- Holds (or working towards) a Master's qualification.
- Holds a Management / leadership qualification or equivalent experience.
- Evidence of continuing professional and personal development.
Desirable
- Teaching Qualifications or equivalent experience.
- Registered Nurse.
Previous Experience
Essential
- Extensive experience in midwifery
- Significant experience at a senior level.
- Expertise in midwifery practice.
- Experience of working within a broad range of maternity services and settings.
- Evidence of effective midwifery practice innovation.
- Experience of working collaboratively within multi-professional situations.
- Track record of serving on a range of committees.
Desirable
- Evidence of chairing and managing meetings.
- Experience of managing resources including financial resources.
- Proven record of leading change and innovation. Experience working across surgical and specialty services.
- Experience of managing teams across specialties and multi-disciplinary teams.
- Experience of working in gynaecology and or neonatal services.
Skills
Essential
- Proven record of accomplishment of achieving objectives.
- Excellent communication skills both verbal and written.
- Ability to engage with women and families from diverse social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, particularly those from disadvantaged groups.
- Effective presentation skills and the ability to represent the Trust locally and nationally.
- A confident Leader, able to coach, influence, motivate and develop people.
- Ability to work with a high level of autonomy.
- Flexibility adapts to ensure achievement of objectives within changing environment.
- Able to work collaboratively with partner organisations.
- Ability to present complex data to different audiences with different information needs
- Ability to manage conflict.
- Innovative thinker with the ability to cut through barriers to change
- Resilient and confident in adverse situations.
- Innovative and creative in the development of new approaches to care and systems of working.
- Effective organisational ability.
- Able to co-ordinate the completion of several projects simultaneously.
- Ability to use IT, including Microsoft Office and Power Point.
Knowledge
Essential
- Excellent understanding of wider NHS and Health inequalities agenda.
- Ability to understand and analyse complex statistical data.
- Demonstrate skills in supporting multi-professional team working and collective decision making.
- Willingness to work flexible hours and participate in on call Rota and manager of the day.
Other requirements
Essential
- Experience and evidence of engagement around the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda.
- Able to actively support the development of a culture that recognises and promotes equality, values diversity, and actively leads by example in deploying these qualities.
- Understands the impact on equality, diversity and inclusion issues in all aspects of service delivery and planning
- Role model our Trust values every day
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).
