Associate Chief Nurse - Workforce and Education

NHS; Greater London; On-site; GBP 91,000 - 106,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare organization in Greater London seeks an exceptional Associate Chief Nurse – Workforce and Education. This pivotal role includes strategic leadership for workforce planning, education delivery, and maintaining high professional standards. The successful candidate will ensure a skilled workforce capable of delivering quality care and lead initiatives for recruitment and retention across nursing and allied health professions. Strong communication skills and significant experience in an acute Trust are essential for this permanent, full-time position.

Qualifications

• Expert knowledge in workforce planning and education within an acute Trust.
• Significant recent experience at a strategic level in an acute Trust.
• Proven ability to lead change, manage budgets and influence across organisational boundaries.

Responsibilities

• Lead Trust-wide safe staffing and workforce transformation.
• Direct the education strategy and ensure high-quality training.
• Provide operational leadership across workforce planning and education.

Skills

Leadership

Change Management

Communication

IT Skills

Education

Master’s Degree in a relevant field

Registered Nurse (with current NMC registration)

CIPD qualification or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Summary

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 pivotal, Trust-wide leadership role carries 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 during a period 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 consistently provide high‑quality care to the diverse populations we serve.

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

Main Duties

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

• Lead Trust‑wide safe staffing, workforce transformation, recruitment and retention strategies across nursing, midwifery, and AHPs.
• Set and deliver a modern, inclusive, future‑focused education strategy, ensuring high‑quality learning, placements, and professional development at every career stage.
• Act as a senior professional leader and advisor on workforce, education, professional regulation, and standards, including NMC referrals and professional conduct processes.
• Provide visible leadership that keeps patient safety, staff experience, and equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of decision‑making.
• Represent 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 aim to cultivate a culture of engagement.

EDI Initiatives

• Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minority backgrounds, who 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 Details

• Date posted: 22 December 2025
• Pay scheme: Agenda for Change
• Band: 8d
• Salary: £91,342 to £105,337 a year plus HCA
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full‑time
• Reference number: 197‑R‑HF7699
• Job location: University Hospital Lewisham, London, SE13 6LH

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 Trust’s 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
• Desirable: CIPD qualification or equivalent, Education qualification

Person Specification – Experience and Knowledge

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

Person Specification – Skills and Abilities

• Proven ability to lead change, manage budgets and influence across organisational boundaries
• Awareness of the key issues impacting the workforce/education field
• Meticulous attention to detail
• IT skills using Microsoft Office products
• Policy/guideline development and analysis
• Ability to prioritise workload to meet competing demands

Person Specification – Personal Qualities

• Able to constructively introduce challenge
• Values diversity and equality
• Positive attitude to personal growth and development
• Effective communicator
• 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 requires a submission to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

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

Employer Details

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

University Hospital Lewisham, London, SE13 6LH

Website: https://www.lewishamandgreenwich.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)