Job summary
Are you a transformational leader with the passion and vision to drive outstanding care?We're seeking an exceptional Care Group Director of Nursing to join our senior leadership team a visible, strategic and compassionate leader who will shape the future of nursing across our Care Group.
As a key member of the triumvirate, you'll provide strong professional leadership and be accountable for the highest standards of clinical quality, patient safety and experience. Working with the Chief Nurse, Care Group Director and executive colleagues, you'll deliver excellence across workforce, quality, finance and transformation, embedding a culture of inclusion, innovation and continuous improvement.
You'll represent the Trust regionally and nationally, influencing strategy and driving digital transformation. A credible leader, you'll inspire teams, strengthen collaboration and enhance patient outcomes and experience.
This is a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact leading change, nurturing talent and shaping the future of nursing for our patients, our people and our community.
If you're a dynamic, values-led leader ready for a strategic challenge with real influence, we'd love to hear from you.
Care Group Specialties:
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Planned Care: Cancer, Clinical Support Services, and Surgery
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Medicine & Urgent and Emergency Care: Trust-wide operations, Emergency Care, and Medicine for Older People
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Families & Communities: Place-based Care, Therapies, Public Health, and Paediatrics
Main duties of the job
- Through strong leadership and effective change management, the post holder will develop the role within the triumvirate to design, implement and evaluate innovative care models that meet the needs of our patients, staff and community.
- The Care Group Director of Nursing will provide expert professional advice to the Care Group Director and be accountable for delivering clinical quality, patient safety and excellent patient experience across the Care Group. They will ensure consistent, high standards of practice and care, fostering a culture of safety, openness and continuous improvement.
- Working collaboratively with the executive team, the post holder will lead, manage and set professional standards for the nursing and allied health professional workforce, ensuring compassionate, safe and effective care across all services.
- As a key member of the Care Group leadership team, they will play a pivotal role in achieving performance, quality, workforce and financial objectives.
- The post holder will also work closely with the Chief Nurse and their deputies and Care Group Directors to deliver and embed the Trust's nursing and AHP strategy, ensuring alignment with wider organisational priorities and system-level goals.
About us
Why Work With Us
Recruitment have the full comms plan that can be shared regarding why TSDFT is a great place to work please refer to this.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- This role represents a highly senior leadership position responsible for shaping, influencing, and delivering high-quality patient care across a Care Group and the wider Trust. It requires exceptional communication, analytical, and leadership skills to build collaborative relationships at all levels internally across multidisciplinary teams and externally with regional and national partners. The post holder provides a visible and credible professional nursing voice, promoting a culture of openness, compassion, and continuous improvement. They lead on patient safety, quality, and governance initiatives while ensuring that staff are empowered to raise concerns and contribute to service excellence. The role also involves leading responses to critical incidents, managing sensitive or contentious issues, and navigating complex organisational dynamics with diplomacy and emotional intelligence.
- Strategically, the position demands advanced analytical and decision-making capabilities, balancing competing priorities across clinical quality, workforce wellbeing, financial efficiency, and regulatory compliance. The post holder develops governance frameworks, ensures adherence to national standards, and contributes to long-term strategic planning, policy development, and service redesign. They oversee nursing workforce planning, budgetary control, and digital transformation, ensuring data integrity and alignment with safety and quality frameworks. With a strong focus on leadership, they nurture professional development, succession planning, and staff engagement, ensuring nursing practice is evidence-based, inclusive, and fit for the future. Acting with significant autonomy, this leader drives innovation, research, and system-wide collaboration ultimately safeguarding patient care standards and advancing the Trusts strategic and clinical objectives.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- This role represents a highly senior leadership position responsible for shaping, influencing, and delivering high-quality patient care across a Care Group and the wider Trust. It requires exceptional communication, analytical, and leadership skills to build collaborative relationships at all levels internally across multidisciplinary teams and externally with regional and national partners. The post holder provides a visible and credible professional nursing voice, promoting a culture of openness, compassion, and continuous improvement. They lead on patient safety, quality, and governance initiatives while ensuring that staff are empowered to raise concerns and contribute to service excellence. The role also involves leading responses to critical incidents, managing sensitive or contentious issues, and navigating complex organisational dynamics with diplomacy and emotional intelligence.
- Strategically, the position demands advanced analytical and decision-making capabilities, balancing competing priorities across clinical quality, workforce wellbeing, financial efficiency, and regulatory compliance. The post holder develops governance frameworks, ensures adherence to national standards, and contributes to long-term strategic planning, policy development, and service redesign. They oversee nursing workforce planning, budgetary control, and digital transformation, ensuring data integrity and alignment with safety and quality frameworks. With a strong focus on leadership, they nurture professional development, succession planning, and staff engagement, ensuring nursing practice is evidence-based, inclusive, and fit for the future. Acting with significant autonomy, this leader drives innovation, research, and system-wide collaboration ultimately safeguarding patient care standards and advancing the Trusts strategic and clinical objectives.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered healthcare professional
- First level degree or equivalent
- Management or leadership qualification or relevant experience
- Evidence of continued professional development
Desirable
- Recognised teaching/educational qualification
- Qualification in project or programme management
- Completion of national leadership programme (e.g. Nye Bevan, Florence Nightengale Leadership Fellowship)
Knowledge
Essential
- Significant experience at a senior level within a complex organisation
- oExperience of leading and delivering large programmes of change within complex environments
- oExperience of managing and leading patient safety incidents and investigations
- oExperience of managing and leading workforce investigations
- oExperience of working with service users
- oIn depth knowledge of education, training, staff development requirements
- oHighly developed skills able to report and be accountable to board level committees
- oAbility to prepare reports, analyse highly complex data for boards, committees and management groups
- oTrack record of delivering against set objectives and achieving key organisational targets, under tight timescales
Desirable
- oExperience of developing and delivering strategies across an organisation
- oExperience working across integrated care systems (ICS) or cross-sector partnerships (e.g. social care, education).
- oExperience engaging with national organisations (e.g. NHSE, CQC, HEE, NHS Digital).
- oInvolvement in or leadership of research, audit, or publication in areas relevant to nursing, safety, or transformation.
specific skills
Essential
- Must be able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with the Trust's behavioural standards.
- Ability to influence and motivate staff to deliver challenging services and operational and clinical targets
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered healthcare professional
- First level degree or equivalent
- Management or leadership qualification or relevant experience
- Evidence of continued professional development
Desirable
- Recognised teaching/educational qualification
- Qualification in project or programme management
- Completion of national leadership programme (e.g. Nye Bevan, Florence Nightengale Leadership Fellowship)
Knowledge
Essential
- Significant experience at a senior level within a complex organisation
- oExperience of leading and delivering large programmes of change within complex environments
- oExperience of managing and leading patient safety incidents and investigations
- oExperience of managing and leading workforce investigations
- oExperience of working with service users
- oIn depth knowledge of education, training, staff development requirements
- oHighly developed skills able to report and be accountable to board level committees
- oAbility to prepare reports, analyse highly complex data for boards, committees and management groups
- oTrack record of delivering against set objectives and achieving key organisational targets, under tight timescales
Desirable
- oExperience of developing and delivering strategies across an organisation
- oExperience working across integrated care systems (ICS) or cross-sector partnerships (e.g. social care, education).
- oExperience engaging with national organisations (e.g. NHSE, CQC, HEE, NHS Digital).
- oInvolvement in or leadership of research, audit, or publication in areas relevant to nursing, safety, or transformation.
specific skills
Essential
- Must be able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with the Trust's behavioural standards.
- Ability to influence and motivate staff to deliver challenging services and operational and clinical targets
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).
