Midwifery Director

Job overview

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (STH) is one of the largest and most respected NHS organisations in the country, employing over 20,000 colleagues and providing local, regional and specialist services to more than two million people across South Yorkshire and beyond. With a strong reputation for clinical excellence, teaching, research and innovation, we are committed to delivering outstanding care and improving outcomes for the communities we serve.

Our maternity, gynaecology and neonatal services are central to this ambition. As home to one of the UK's largest maternity centres, supporting around 5,700 births each year, we provide a comprehensive range of services, including specialist regional tertiary care. Building on significant progress in recent years, we are now focused on sustaining improvements, strengthening our positive culture and taking the quality, safety and experience of our services to the next level.

We are seeking an exceptional Midwifery Director to provide visible, compassionate and influential professional leadership across our Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology Care Group. As the Trust's senior professional leader for midwifery, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our services, championing clinical excellence, strengthening professional practice and ensuring that women, babies and families remain at the heart of everything we do.

Main duties of the job

Working in close partnership with clinical, operational and professional colleagues, you will drive improvements in quality, safety, workforce development and patient experience, while fostering a culture of openness, learning and continuous improvement. You will champion meaningful engagement with women, families and our diverse communities, ensuring their voices help shape the services we provide.

We are looking for an accomplished, values-led and collaborative midwifery leader with the professional credibility, strategic perspective and personal qualities to inspire confidence at every level. Approachable, authentic and highly visible, you will combine a genuine connection to frontline services with the ability to influence at Board level, navigate complexity and build effective partnerships across professional and organisational boundaries.

Working for our organisation

You will be working for an organisation which values and respects all of its staff and the community it serves. The Trust is a leader in the NHS and research sectors and provides excellent benefits for its employees. This includes commitments to professional development but also many policies to support employees in balancing their personal and professional lives.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

This is a compelling opportunity to make a lasting difference within a major teaching hospital Trust. Joining a committed and supportive leadership team, you will build on strong foundations, influence the next chapter of service development and help deliver our ambition for consistently safe, inclusive and outstanding care for women, babies and families across Sheffield and the wider region. For further information please visit alumniglobal.com/job/sthmidwiferydirector or contact Micheal Earnshaw on E: michael.earnshaw@alumniglobal.com or M: 07719055971 for a confidential discussion.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Registered Midwife with significant experience
• Evidence of Continuous Professional Development
• Masters degree

Desirable criteria

• Registered Nurse

Experience

Essential criteria

• Extensive post registration experience working effectively in a relevant multi-professional acute environment.
• Significant experience at a senior level in a large acute setting including effectively managing staff budgets and high quality patient centred services.
• Previous experience of managing midwifery in a complex environment, including understanding and applying relevant national standards.
• An expert understanding of the statutory framework governing midwives.
• An expert awareness of the national and local context affecting midwifery and maternity services and the delivery of care.
• A detailed awareness and an understanding of the clinical governance agenda.
• Evidence of a commitment to Evidence Based Practice.

Desirable criteria

• Experience at Midwifery Director Level.
• Recent evidence of participation on national or regional groups dealing with NHS strategic issues.
• Evidence of relevant management development and ability to manage change effectively
• Evidence of relevant professional development and experience of contributing to, and effectively implementing nursing / midwifery strategy.

Skills

Essential criteria

• A strong focus on developing excellence in the planning and delivery of maternity care.
• Proven professional and personal leadership skills with an emphasis on engagement and delivery.
• Ability to communicate very complex sensitive and contentious information to a range of colleagues and in a variety of media.

Please note that in order to comply with the UK Government’s rules on Skilled Worker sponsorship, any applicants who do not meet the eligibility requirements or concessions on salary thresholds under the Skilled Worker visa will not be eligible to receive sponsorship from the Trust. Please keep this in mind when submitting your application. Further details on these concessions, and who qualifies for them, can be found here.

Candidates are advised to read the attached guidance on using AI technology. When you complete your application, you are required to declare that the information in your application form is true and complete. The personal statement is exactly that; personal.

When selecting to apply via NHS Jobs, you will be redirected to our preferred recruitment system called Trac. You will be asked to create and submit your application via the Trac recruitment system.

You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website, and furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e-mails sent to us via the NHS Jobs website. All communications should be sent via your Trac system account.

If you are offered employment at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals your information will be transferred from the Trac recruitment system into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. In addition, in submitting an application form, you authorise our Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the ESR IAT process should you be appointed.

Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email sent via the Trac recruitment system, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.

The Trust is committed to its obligations in accordance with the Equality Act 2010, and we positively encourage applications from all sections of the community. Should you require any assistance in applying for the position please contact the General or Medical Human Resources Departments on the number identified on the NHS Jobs page for the organisation.

Job Share applicants are welcome for all full time posts unless indicated but cannot be guaranteed. In addition for Fixed Term Contracts, internal secondments may be considered, please seek the approval of your current line manager before applying for the position.

All employment with the Trust is subject to a number of NHS Employment Checks being met to a satisfactory standard including verification of identity, eligibility to work in the United Kingdom, references and qualifications in addition to professional registration, a disclosure and barring records check and occupational health check if these are deemed to be a requirement for the position to be undertaken.

For more information about our organisation and the opportunities available, please visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• JD and person spec (PDF, 176.7KB)
• Candidate Application Best Practice Guide - please read before completing your application (PDF, 304.4KB)
• Information for Candidates (PDF, 496.3KB)
• Getting to Work at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals (PDF, 212.3KB)
• Applicants - How We Use Your Information (PDF, 87.4KB)
• Policy Statement on the Recruitment of Ex-Offenders (PDF, 124.0KB)
• Staff Benefits (PDF, 2.7MB)
• A Guide to Using Artificial Intelligence and With Your Personal Statement (PDF, 163.6KB)

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

NameChris MorleyJob titleChief NurseEmail addresschristopher.morley3@nhs.netTelephone number01142713077Additional information

The job is being managed by Alumni and all contact should be made through them - contact details to follow.