NHS England

Director of Nursing/Deputy to Regional Chief Nurse

The closing date is 31 August 2025

Job summary

Ready to lead transformative change in nursing and midwifery at a regional level? We're seeking an inspiring Director of Nursing to join our senior leadership team and serve as Deputy to the Regional Chief Nurse in the North West.

This high-profile role offers the opportunity to shape regional strategy, influence national policy, and drive quality improvement across integrated health and care systems. You'll support the Chief Nursing Officer for England's priorities and provide professional leadership across the nursing and midwifery workforce.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead on quality improvement, patient safety, safeguarding, and experience.
Drive professional leadership across commissioners, providers, and systems.
Support NHS England's Long Term Plan and clinical sustainability.
Oversee key portfolios including workforce transformation and children's services.
Collaborate with Integrated Care Boards on quality frameworks and service planning.
Champion workforce development through regional education initiatives.

What You Bring:

Senior leadership experience in complex healthcare systems.
A strategic mindset and drive for system-wide improvement.
A collaborative approach across professional and organisational boundaries.

This is your chance to make a lasting impact - elevating care, empowering staff, and shaping the future of integrated care in the North West.

Main duties of the job

Deputise for the Regional Chief Nurse, supporting the CNO (England) in leading nursing and midwifery across the North West.
Contribute to strategic direction, policy development, and regional priorities to ensure high-quality, safe care.
Ensure nursing and midwifery perspectives shape national health and social care policy.
Collaborate with the medical directorate to embed clinical leadership in NHS England.
Engage with patients, carers, and the public to improve healthcare experiences and outcomes.
Support NHS England's operating model by promoting integrated care and unified leadership.
Provide system-facing leadership across quality improvement, safety, safeguarding, and patient experience.
Lead on clinical sustainability and transformation initiatives.
Offer professional nursing leadership across commissioners, providers, and systems.
Drive improvements aligned with the NHS Long Term Plan.
Hold regional portfolio responsibilities (e.g., patient safety, workforce, safeguarding, CYP, CHC).
Oversee the regional quality framework and support ICBs in maintaining a focus on quality.
Lead statutory agendas including safeguarding, nurse staffing, HCAI, and quality improvement systems.
Collaborate with HR/OD to develop and deliver regional workforce education plans.
Act in line with NHS England's statutory and regulatory frameworks.

About us

The NHS England board have set out the top-level purpose for the new organisation to lead the NHS in England to deliver high-quality services for all, which will inform the detailed design work and we will achieve this purpose by:

Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities.
Making the NHS a great place to work, where our people can make a difference and achieve their potential.
Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care
Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation
Delivering value for money.

If you would like to know more or require further information, please visithttps://www.england.nhs.uk/.

Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person.

Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.

If you are successful at interview, we will run an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) in the Electronic Staff Record system (ESR). This transfer gathers valuable information from a previous or current NHS employer to support the onboarding process, including; statutory and mandatory competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You will have the opportunity throughout the recruitment process to inform us if you do not consent.

Date posted

15 August 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£100,000 a year (starting from £100,000) -ESM 1

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

14 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

990-NW-15309-E-A

Job locations

Flexible across North West Region

M1 3BP

Job description

Job responsibilities

You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.

Secondment

Applicants from within the NHS will be offered on a secondment basis only, agreement should be obtained from their employer prior to submitting the application.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Secondment

Applicants from within the NHS will be offered on a secondment basis only, agreement should be obtained from their employer prior to submitting the application.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Current registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council
Relevant Master's degree or equivalent

Desirable

Management qualification

Experience and skills

Essential

Significant experience as a senior nurse at board level or equivalent within a provider NHS trust/ foundation trust, SHA, or PCT or an Arm's length body.
Experience of working with regulators
High level of understanding of the NHS and care system, political environment and evidence-based approach to decision making
Understanding of the political and cultural complexity of the NHS
Significant board / senior management level experience in the NHS

Desirable

Experience or knowledge of training and education

Knowledge

Essential

Knowledge of the regulatory clinical frameworks, including nursing, and experience of managing complex professional regulatory issues
Knowledge of clinical, including nursing, practice and education policy
Knowledge of safety systems, including reporting and monitoring systems and associated policies / guidelines.
Knowledge of quality assurance and improvement methods and their application
Knowledge of the FT application processes, NHS I compliance regime and quality framework and CQC compliance framework
Knowledge of adult and child safeguarding
Knowledge of IPC practice and policy
Knowledge of how to apply different approaches to change across the health service
Extensive knowledge of clinical, including nursing, practice and a strong understanding of the concepts which underpin approaches to improving the delivery of compassionate care to patients within health and social systems
Knowledge of national and international developments in improvement, and large-scale change
Knowledge of the national compassionate care agenda, and levers for change in the NHS system
Extensive experience of developing and delivering national strategies
Experience of leading and managing disparate multidisciplinary staff including virtual and home working employees
Extensive networks across the NHS
Extensive experience of developing and successfully implementing regional and or national strategies and initiatives
Experience of working with local/national politicians and national media, particularly in times of crisis

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Current registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council
Relevant Master's degree or equivalent

Desirable

Management qualification

Experience and skills

Essential

Significant experience as a senior nurse at board level or equivalent within a provider NHS trust/ foundation trust, SHA, or PCT or an Arm's length body.
Experience of working with regulators
High level of understanding of the NHS and care system, political environment and evidence-based approach to decision making
Understanding of the political and cultural complexity of the NHS
Significant board / senior management level experience in the NHS

Desirable

Experience or knowledge of training and education

Knowledge

Essential

Knowledge of the regulatory clinical frameworks, including nursing, and experience of managing complex professional regulatory issues
Knowledge of clinical, including nursing, practice and education policy
Knowledge of safety systems, including reporting and monitoring systems and associated policies / guidelines.
Knowledge of quality assurance and improvement methods and their application
Knowledge of the FT application processes, NHS I compliance regime and quality framework and CQC compliance framework
Knowledge of adult and child safeguarding
Knowledge of IPC practice and policy
Knowledge of how to apply different approaches to change across the health service
Extensive knowledge of clinical, including nursing, practice and a strong understanding of the concepts which underpin approaches to improving the delivery of compassionate care to patients within health and social systems
Knowledge of national and international developments in improvement, and large-scale change
Knowledge of the national compassionate care agenda, and levers for change in the NHS system
Extensive experience of developing and delivering national strategies
Experience of leading and managing disparate multidisciplinary staff including virtual and home working employees
Extensive networks across the NHS
Extensive experience of developing and successfully implementing regional and or national strategies and initiatives
Experience of working with local/national politicians and national media, particularly in times of crisis

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

NHS England

Address

Flexible across North West Region

M1 3BP

Employer's website

https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/working-for/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

NHS England

Address

Flexible across North West Region

M1 3BP

Employer's website

https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/working-for/ (Opens in a new tab)