AHP Workforce and Education Lead

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Swindon; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an AHP Workforce Lead to provide strategic leadership for education and workforce development across the Trust. The role will drive undergraduate activity, student placements, and early-career programs while strengthening career pathways and partnerships with HEIs, HR, and system colleagues.

The post requires HCPC registration with a Master's level qualification or equivalent, and experience in managing learning programs, governance, and

Qualifications

• Registered AHP with HCPC registration.
• Master's degree level qualification or equivalent experience.
• Experience supporting education and workforce development in healthcare.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate AHP workforce development across GWH.
• Support undergraduate activity and student placements.
• Line-manage the GWH student placement project team.
• Collaborate with HR, HEIs and system partners to ensure governance and safe learning culture.
• Support development of extended scope, ACP routes and leadership pathways.

Skills

Leadership

Workforce development

Project management

Education coordination

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Master's degree or equivalent

HCPC registration

Tools

Data management

HRIS

Job description

Job Summary

The role provides strategic leadership for AHP workforce development across GWH, promoting innovative practice, early-career engagement, equitable preceptorship, and high-quality student placement experiences. It leads and coordinates undergraduate activity, supports return-to-practice and apprenticeship expansion, and strengthens career pathways including extended scope, ACP routes, leadership development, and research opportunities. The post works collaboratively with AHP managers, HR, HEI partners, and system colleagues to ensure compassionate, inclusive workforce practices, robust governance, and high standards of education and staff development. It oversees mentorship and preceptor capability, manages learner-related data, builds strong relationships with service leads, contributes to trust-wide AHP initiatives, and supports the AHP Staff Council. The role also provides professional leadership, project management, and delegated support to the AD for AHPs, ensuring effective communication, safe learning culture, and alignment with organisational workforce priorities.

Main duties of the job

The role provides strategic leadership for AHP workforce development across GWH, promoting innovative practice, early-career engagement, equitable preceptorship, and high-quality student placement experiences. It leads and coordinates undergraduate activity, supports return-to-practice and apprenticeship expansion, and strengthens career pathways including extended scope, ACP routes, leadership development, and research opportunities. The post works collaboratively with AHP managers, HR, HEI partners, and system colleagues to ensure compassionate, inclusive workforce practices, robust governance, and high standards of education and staff development. It oversees mentorship and preceptor capability, manages learner-related data, builds strong relationships with service leads, contributes to trust-wide AHP initiatives, and supports the AHP Staff Council. The role also provides professional leadership, project management, and delegated support to the AD for AHPs, ensuring effective communication, safe learning culture, and alignment with organisational workforce priorities.

About Us

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group - a formal partnership between Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.

We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

Job Description

Job responsibilities

The AHP Workforce Lead will work closely with the Associate Director of AHPs, the AHP student service, and the wider trust workforce team to support, strengthen, and develop AHP services across GWH. The role contributes to shaping and delivering key workforce workstreams, including those aligned to the NHS Long Term Plan, and leads initiatives to maximise AHP training pipelines, enhance retention, and grow our own workforce through preregistration, apprenticeship, and career‑development pathways. The post holder will collaborate across the Group hospital model particularly with RUH and Salisbury to ensure AHP workforce development is safe, productive, sustainable, and aligned with local and system needs. They will line‑manage the GWH student placement project team and require experience in project management or service improvement, alongside a broad understanding of AHP workforce structures, enhanced and advanced practice pathways, consultant roles, AHP Faculties, and the wider healthcare system.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered AHP
• Master's Degree level qualification or equivalent experience

Desirable

• Management qualification
• Leadership course
• Project management course

Experience

Essential

• Significant experience of being a clinical AHP
• Up to date knowledge of HCPC standards and NHS long term workforce plan
• Significant post registration experience at band 7 or above

Desirable

• Management experience
• Experience of working to achieve AHP strategic drivers
• Understanding of AHP workforce planning and barriers
• Working across organisational boundaries

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.

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).