Associate Chief Nurse - Workforce and Education

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 91,000 - 106,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent health trust in Greater London is seeking an experienced Associate Chief Nurse for Workforce and Education. This senior role demands a strategic leader to oversee workforce planning and educational initiatives, ensuring high-quality care and staff development across the Trust. The candidate must be a registered nurse with significant experience in similar roles. This position offers a competitive salary of £91,342 to £105,337 per year, along with opportunities to shape workforce practices and improve care delivery.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse with current NMC registration.
• Expert knowledge in workforce planning and education within an acute Trust.
• Significant recent experience at a strategic level in an acute Trust.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic and operational workforce planning.
• Ensure high-quality education, training and leadership development.
• Represent the Trust at system, regional and national forums.

Skills

Leadership in workforce planning

Change management

Policy development

Attention to detail

Education

Master's Degree in a relevant field

CIPD qualification or equivalent

Job description

Associate Chief Nurse - Workforce and Education

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust is seeking an exceptional senior nursing leader to join our Executive Nursing Team as Associate Chief Nurse - Workforce and Education.

This is a pivotal, Trust-wide leadership role with joint responsibility for shaping a sustainable, skilled and compassionate nursing, midwifery and allied health professional (NMAHP) workforce. You will lead the strategic workforce and education agenda at a time of significant opportunity and transformation, ensuring safe staffing, innovative workforce models and high-quality education across all career pathways.

Working closely with the Chief Nurse, Deputy Chief Nurses, Divisional leadership teams and system partners, you will play a central role in delivering our clinical strategy Caring for our local communities -- developing our people so they can deliver consistently high-quality care to the diverse populations we serve.

This role offers the opportunity to influence at Trust, system, regional and national level, while remaining grounded in visible, compassionate professional leadership.

Main duties of the job

As Associate Chief Nurse - Workforce and Education, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across workforce planning, education delivery, professional standards and quality improvement.

Key areas of responsibility include:

Leading Trust-wide safe staffing, workforce transformation, recruitment and retention strategies across nursing, midwifery and AHPs.

Setting and delivering a modern, inclusive and future-focused education strategy, ensuring high-quality learning, placements and professional development at every career stage.

Acting as a senior professional leader and advisor on workforce, education, professional regulation and standards, including NMC referrals and professional conduct processes.

Providing visible leadership that keeps patient safety, staff experience and equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of decision-making.

Representing the Trust externally at system, regional and national forums, shaping best practice and innovation across the NHS.

About us

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

• Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
• Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
• Improving the experience of staff with disability
• Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
• Making equalities mainstream

Job responsibilities

In this senior leadership role, you will balance strategic vision with operational grip, driving delivery across both workforce and education portfolios.

You will lead the design and implementation of safe, innovative workforce models, ensuring compliance with national workforce safeguards and providing assurance to the Trust Board on staffing, workforce KPIs and quality outcomes. Through strong partnership working with clinical divisions, HR, education providers and system partners, you will ensure our workforce is skilled, flexible and equipped to meet current and future service demands.

You will direct the Trusts NMAHP education strategy and Clinical Academy, ensuring high-quality education, training and leadership development that supports recruitment, retention and career progression. This includes oversight of student placements, preceptorship, CPD investment, apprenticeships and post-registration development, aligned to service needs and population health priorities.

As a senior professional leader, you will deputise for the Chief Nurse as required, provide expert advice on professional standards and regulation, and lead on matters relating to NMC referrals, HPANs and associated professional conduct processes. You will champion a positive, inclusive culture, modelling compassionate leadership, supporting performance, and ensuring staff voices are heard and acted upon.

This role offers the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy developing people, strengthening professional practice, and shaping a workforce that reflects and serves our communities with excellence and compassion.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse (with current NMC registration)
• Evidence of Continuous Professional Development
• Master's Degree in a relevant field
• CIPD qualification or equivalent

Experience and Knowledge

• Expert knowledge in workforce planning and education within an acute Trust
• Significant recent experience at a strategic level in an acute Trust
• Experience in a similar role

Skills and Abilities

• Proven ability to lead change, manage budgets and influence across organisational boundaries
• Can demonstrate awareness of the key issues impacting on the workforce/education field
• Meticulous attention to detail
• Policy/guideline development and analysis
• Able to prioritise workload to meet competing demands

Personal Qualities

• Able to constructively introduce challenge
• Values diversity and equality
• Positive attitude to personal growth and development
• Flexible and adaptable to change
• Manages own time and maintains a healthy work/home balance

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.

£91,342 to £105,337 a yearPer annum plus HCA