Associate Director of Nursing

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust; Ipswich; On-site; GBP 91,000 - 106,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in the UK is seeking an Associate Director of Nursing to manage quality and patient experience. The role involves leading clinical governance and workforce planning within a newly established division. Candidates should possess significant experience in clinical management and excellent leadership skills, as well as relevant nursing qualifications. This position offers a competitive salary and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

Generous pension scheme

27 days annual leave on commencement

Access to NHS discounts

Qualifications

• Significant experience of clinical management with proven experience in a senior management role.
• Significant experience of leading/managing Clinical Governance within a healthcare organization.
• Experience of leading organisational/service change to deliver improvement.
• Experience of working at a senior level across organisational boundaries.
• Leading & managing change.

Responsibilities

• Manage all aspects of quality, governance, and patient experience within the Division.
• Act as an ambassador and role model for the Trust, championing the Trust's values.
• Lead the development and implementation of workforce planning for non-medical clinical staff.

Skills

Excellent communication

Negotiation skills

Leadership

Education

Registered Nurse/AHP

Educated to Masters level or Equivalent

Post-graduate qualification in management or clinical field

Job description

Go back East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Associate Director of Nursing

The closing date is 20 October 2025

Looking for the next step on your leadership journey?

We have an exciting opportunity for an exceptional nurse/AHP leader to join our newly established Medicine and Community Division - Ipswich & East Suffolk as Associate Director of Nursing

In this pivotal role, you will work closely with the Divisional Management Team to ensure the delivery of safe, effective, and compassionate care for the communities we serve.

We are seeking a talented, passionate, and experienced nurse/AHP leader who will bring strategic insight and clinical excellence. You will be a motivated inspirational leader, with a proven track record in driving initiatives that enhance patient outcomes and service quality.

You will provide visible clinical leadership to the Division and play a major role in the continuing development of service delivery for the benefit of patients and staff.

You will work alongside ambitious and committed colleagues in the Trust and across our strategic partners, and be instrumental in shaping and delivering sustainable innovation and improvement

You'll be part of a large, forward-thinking organisation, working within a committed team of professionals in afast-paced and dynamic environment. This post offers an excellent opportunity to develop your strategic, operational, and leadership skills, with the support of a forward-looking and innovative culture.

We will consider a developmental role at a Band 8c for the right candidate.

Main duties of the job

You will be responsible for managing all aspects of quality, governance and patient experience within the Division.

You will act as an ambassador and role model for the Trust, championing the Trust's values and supporting the Trust's development as a clinically led organisation.

You will lead on the development and implementation of workforce planning in relation to non medical clinical staff to ensure provision of the right staff with the right skills, in the right place at the right time.

About us

We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes.

We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.

We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.

Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.

We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what's widely regarded as the world's best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.

Find out about living and working here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkPu7HphU8A

Job responsibilities

For full details on the roles and responsibilities please see attached job description and person specification

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse/AHP
• Educated to Masters level or Equivalent
• Post-graduate qualification in management or clinical field

Experience

• Significant experience of clinical management with proven experience in a senior management role
• Significant experience of leading/managing Clinical Governance within a healthcare organization
• Experience of leading organisational/service change to deliver improvement
• Experience of working at a senior level across organisational boundaries
• Leading & managing change

Knowledge

• Expert knowledge of the Care Quality Commission and NMC requirements
• Ability to improve clinical quality in acute setting
• Expert understanding of the NHS

Personal skills

• Excellent communication, influencing and negotiation skills.

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.

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

£91,342 to £105,337 a yearpro rata, per annum