Job summary
NELFT is looking for a new Director of Allied Health Professions to be part of our senior clinical leadership team reporting to our Executive Director responsible for AHPs, Psychological Professions and Social Work. The successful candidate will be responsible for the professional standards of a cohort of 750 staff. Coproduction with staff, patients and carers will be at the centre of their work. The post is offered as an interim 6 month contract.
The successful candidate will lead and manage a talented, experienced and effective group of associate directors of AHPs who work across all 7 directorates in NELFT: in North East London, Essex and Kent. They will be able to bring the voice of AHPs to a wide variety of stakeholders across physical and mental health care.
Main duties of the job
The main duties of the role include embedding an overall clinical strategic vision for Allied Health Professions across NELFT; supporting the delivery of innovative and effective services; continuing a successful workforce initiative which has shown considerable positive impact on staff recruitment and retention; providing professional leadership to all AHPs across NELFT; showing a commitment and drive to address health inequalities in the delivery of AHPs across our directorates.
The successful candidate will be an inspirational leader with high energy and a passion to deliver best patient care. They will integrate AHP provision whilst maintaining professional identity and evidence base. They will encourage quality through creativity and innovation to ensure that AHP provision is a key ingredient of a multidisciplinary package of care. They will understand the importance of working across a system and of the need to walk hand in hand with people who use our services in order to ensure best possible care.
About us
Our Values 2025 - 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have coproduced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.
They are:
We are kind.
We are respectful.
We work together with our communities.
These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).
High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London
This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,714 to a maximum of £5,941 per annum (pro rata for part time).
Job description
Job responsibilities
- The successful candidate will provide professional supervision and guidance to professional leads.
- They will undertake some clinical practice and maintain HCPC registration.
- They will work closely with operational colleagues to promote governance and development of services, ensuring newest research innovations, national policy and efficient delivery.
- They will be competent at reviewing outcome data and acting to rectify issues highlighted through analyses of delivery.
- They will be visionary in their leadership style and ensure that AHPs are kept up to date with Trust developments.
- They will be able to work in a multidisciplinary way to ensure best care is created for people who use our services and their carers.
- They will maintain the highest standards possible of professional practice throughout the cohort.
Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer to this when completing your application.
We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Please apply as soon as possible as some posts close early to limit the number of applications.
Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.
Use of AI
Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- The successful candidate will provide professional supervision and guidance to professional leads.
- They will undertake some clinical practice and maintain HCPC registration.
- They will work closely with operational colleagues to promote governance and development of services, ensuring newest research innovations, national policy and efficient delivery.
- They will be competent at reviewing outcome data and acting to rectify issues highlighted through analyses of delivery.
- They will be visionary in their leadership style and ensure that AHPs are kept up to date with Trust developments.
- They will be able to work in a multidisciplinary way to ensure best care is created for people who use our services and their carers.
- They will maintain the highest standards possible of professional practice throughout the cohort.
Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer to this when completing your application.
We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Please apply as soon as possible as some posts close early to limit the number of applications.
Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.
Use of AI
Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Masters (MSc) level (or equivalent) with senior AHP leadership experience.
- HCPC registration.
- Postgraduate qualification in leadership and management or another relevant topic.
Desirable
- Expert/specialist across relevant functions evidenced by certifications e.g. QI/LEAN/leadership
Experience
Essential
- Experience of applying policy, research and legislation to contemporary NHS issues.
- Significant and relevant experience of working clinically with people with complex, chronic, health needs
- Previous Board/sub-board level exposure and experience.
- Extensive experience, expertise and understanding of performance and change management, business planning, budget setting and commissioning processes, within a health service setting
- Track record of significant achievement in directing and managing the delivery and improvement of services within an organisation of comparable size, scale and complexity.
- Successful track record of strategy formulation and implementation
- Proven experience of successful organisational change
- Proven record of establishing constructive interagency partnerships.
- Senior Management experience within the public sector.
- Experience of analysing the business and political healthcare environment and of developing strategies to meet this changing environment.
Knowledge
Essential
- Expert level knowledge and experience in a senior trust wide AHP role
- Knowledge and ability to lead complex change management
- Knowledge and ability to lead complex and sensitive investigations.
- A detailed understanding of NHS Plans and clinical governance priorities
- Detailed and advanced knowledge of a range of therapeutic interventions and their practical application in a range of health settings.
- Comprehensive knowledge of health policy.
- Knowledge of complex strategic planning processes.
- Knowledge of and ability to lead complex DEI initiatives.
- Comprehensive knowledge of financial management and budget setting processes with ability to lead this on behalf of AHPs.
- Extensive knowledge of national policy developments relating to health and social care reforms with ability to lead their implementation.
Skills
Essential
- Excellent leadership and influencing skills with ability to engage effectively with a range of stakeholders in sometimes contentious situations
- Excellent communication skills with ability to quickly change communication approach depending on situation and/or audience.
- Ability to lead transformational change.
- Effective written / report writing skills with ability to present complex, detailed information clearly to a range of audiences
- Able to critically appraise and interpret complex data / statistical information to support the improvement of AHP services.
- Ability to lead complex quality improvement initiatives and projects at scale.
- Positive, professional approach and image: a leading role model for staff.
- Proven leadership skills in a complex healthcare setting
- A leading expert within specialist field of practice.
- Resilient, able to challenge as well as deal with challenge.
- Able to work under pressure and to tight Deadlines.
- Establish visibility and credibility in equal measure across all localities and professional groups
- Manage own workload - be a self-starter, working autonomously, able to prioritise knowing when to escalate concerns to executive
- Proactive and able to lead problem solving efforts.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Masters (MSc) level (or equivalent) with senior AHP leadership experience.
- HCPC registration.
- Postgraduate qualification in leadership and management or another relevant topic.
Desirable
- Expert/specialist across relevant functions evidenced by certifications e.g. QI/LEAN/leadership
Experience
Essential
- Experience of applying policy, research and legislation to contemporary NHS issues.
- Significant and relevant experience of working clinically with people with complex, chronic, health needs
- Previous Board/sub-board level exposure and experience.
- Extensive experience, expertise and understanding of performance and change management, business planning, budget setting and commissioning processes, within a health service setting
- Track record of significant achievement in directing and managing the delivery and improvement of services within an organisation of comparable size, scale and complexity.
- Successful track record of strategy formulation and implementation
- Proven experience of successful organisational change
- Proven record of establishing constructive interagency partnerships.
- Senior Management experience within the public sector.
- Experience of analysing the business and political healthcare environment and of developing strategies to meet this changing environment.
Knowledge
Essential
- Expert level knowledge and experience in a senior trust wide AHP role
- Knowledge and ability to lead complex change management
- Knowledge and ability to lead complex and sensitive investigations.
- A detailed understanding of NHS Plans and clinical governance priorities
- Detailed and advanced knowledge of a range of therapeutic interventions and their practical application in a range of health settings.
- Comprehensive knowledge of health policy.
- Knowledge of complex strategic planning processes.
- Knowledge of and ability to lead complex DEI initiatives.
- Comprehensive knowledge of financial management and budget setting processes with ability to lead this on behalf of AHPs.
- Extensive knowledge of national policy developments relating to health and social care reforms with ability to lead their implementation.
Skills
Essential
- Excellent leadership and influencing skills with ability to engage effectively with a range of stakeholders in sometimes contentious situations
- Excellent communication skills with ability to quickly change communication approach depending on situation and/or audience.
- Ability to lead transformational change.
- Effective written / report writing skills with ability to present complex, detailed information clearly to a range of audiences
- Able to critically appraise and interpret complex data / statistical information to support the improvement of AHP services.
- Ability to lead complex quality improvement initiatives and projects at scale.
- Positive, professional approach and image: a leading role model for staff.
- Proven leadership skills in a complex healthcare setting
- A leading expert within specialist field of practice.
- Resilient, able to challenge as well as deal with challenge.
- Able to work under pressure and to tight Deadlines.
- Establish visibility and credibility in equal measure across all localities and professional groups
- Manage own workload - be a self-starter, working autonomously, able to prioritise knowing when to escalate concerns to executive
- Proactive and able to lead problem solving efforts.
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).
