Director of Midwifery and Perinatal Care

Job summary
We are seeking an exceptional and influential midwifery leader to join Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group as Director of Midwifery and Perinatal Care. This is a significant opportunity to shape the future of maternity and perinatal services across the Group, providing strategic and professional leadership to improve quality, safety, outcomes and experiences for women, babies and families.

Reporting managerially and professionally to the Group Chief Nurse, you will lead the maternity transformation agenda across three trusts, working closely with hospital leadership teams, Group Board, the Integrated Care System, regional networks, regulators and education partners. You will provide expert advice and assurance, translate national policy into local delivery and ensure maternity and perinatal services are safe, sustainable, personalised and equitable.

Main duties of the job
You will be a registered midwife with current NMC registration, educated to master's level or able to demonstrate equivalent academic achievement. You will bring Director or Head of Midwifery experience, substantial senior clinical leadership expertise and a strong record of leading maternity governance, quality, safety and complex cross-organisational change.

You will be politically astute and an outstanding communicator and relationship-builder. You will be able to influence and negotiate in complex or sensitive environments, exercise sound judgement and provide visible leadership through ambiguity and change.

This role offers the opportunity to influence maternity and perinatal care at scale, working with senior clinical and system leaders to deliver meaningful and lasting improvement. You will help create a shared vision for services across Norfolk and Waveney and ensure that quality, safety and the experiences of women and families remain central to every decision.

If you are an ambitious and values-led midwifery leader who can inspire confidence, build partnerships and turn strategy into measurable improvement, we would welcome your application.

About us
The newly formed Norfolk & Waveney University Hospitals Group (NWUHG) is placing people and culture at the heart of its transformation.

By working as one system, the Group is strengthening workforce development, improving staff experience, and creating consistent, supportive leadership across all three hospitals. This unified approach enables better training, enhanced well-being support, and a stronger culture rooted in compassion, flexibility, and continuous learning.

Focusing on people also supports national priorities--ensuring the workforce is skilled, adaptable, and ready for future models of care--and strengthens NWUHG's overall performance by improving quality, resilience, and sustainability.

Together, this creates a Groupwide commitment to making NWUHG a great place to work, with clear benefits for staff including:

• Flexible working hours
• Fast Track Staff Physiotherapy Service
• Multi Faith prayer room at NNUH Colney Lane site
• Discounted gym memberships
• Generous pension scheme and annual leave entitlement
• Wagestream - access up to 40% of your pay as you earn it
• Free Park & Ride service direct to NNUH Colney Lane site
• Free 24-hours confidential counselling support
• On-site Nursery at NNUH Colney Lane
• On-site cafes offering staff discounts at NNUH Colney Lane
• Support in career development
• Flexible staff bank
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars, Cycle to Work scheme and home electronics

Details
Date posted: 26 October 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 9
Salary: £109,179 to £125,637 a year per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
Reference number: 234-26-GROUP-DoM&P

Job responsibilities

• Provide strategic and professional leadership for maternity and perinatal care across the Group.
• Lead transformation, service improvement and the delivery of national maternity priorities.
• Provide assurance on quality, safety, governance, risk and regulatory compliance.
• Champion co-production and ensure the voices of women, babies, families and marginalised communities shape service development.
• Develop capable, compassionate and inclusive midwifery leadership, workforce and succession pipelines.
• Build strong partnerships across organisational boundaries and represent the Group at regional, public and political forums.
• Promote innovation, research, education, value for money and the consistent spread of best practice.

Person Specification
Experience (Essential)

• Director / Head of Midwifery experience.
• Substantial senior clinical midwifery experience.
• Experience of system leadership across health and social care boundaries.
• Data analysis, report writing and presentation to senior audiences.

Skills (Essential)

• Ability to plan across short-, medium- and long-term horizons and adjust resources accordingly.

Attitude & Aptitude (Essential)

• Role-models Group values and demonstrates commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Qualifications (Essential)

• Registered midwife with current NMC registration.
• Master's degree or equivalent academic achievement.
• Education or mentorship qualification.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
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).

Employer details
Employer name: Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital
Address: NWUH Group Headquarters, Centrum Building, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UG, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.nnuh.nhs.uk/

Contact for questions about the job: Business Manager Keeley Gripton, keeley.gripton@nnuh.nhs.uk