Associate Director of Nursing for Children | Barts Health NHS Trust

Barts Health Nhs Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A major NHS organization is seeking an Associate Director of Nursing for Babies, Children, and Young People. This senior leadership position involves leading nursing teams, ensuring high-quality patient care, and driving service improvements. The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership skills, a nursing degree, and experience in a similar role. The position offers an opportunity to influence healthcare services for children across various sites.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in a senior nursing leadership role.
• Experience in delivering high-quality care in a complex environment.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage nursing teams across various services.
• Oversee the delivery of safe and effective patient care.
• Shape strategy for children’s services across multiple sites.

Skills

Leadership in nursing

Strategic planning

Patient care advocacy

Service improvement

Collaboration and engagement

Education

Nursing degree

Postgraduate qualification in Nursing Leadership

Job description

We are seeking an exceptional, inspiring and experienced nursing leader to join us as Associate Director of Nursing for Babies, Children and Young People at The Royal London Children's Hospital.

As a key member of the Divisional Leadership Team, working alongside the Divisional Director and Divisional Director of Operations, you will play a central role in shaping our journey from Good to Outstanding – not only as a place to receive care, but as a place where colleagues thrive and feel proud to work.

In this high-profile role, you will:

• Lead nursing teams across all BCYP services, including acute and specialty wards, Neonatal and Paediatric Critical Care.
• Ensure delivery of safe, evidence-based, compassionate, and family-centred care.
• Strengthen patient pathways, drive service improvement, and elevate the experience of patients, families, and colleagues.
• Shape strategic initiatives and professional standards, acting as a trusted advisor and advocate for children and young people across the Trust.

This is an opportunity to lead, influence, and shape children's services across multiple sites with in Barts Health.

About You

• Envision and implement future models of nursing care.
• Drive improvement through engagement, collaboration and clinical credibility.
• Foster high-performing teams and positive working cultures.

The Associate Director of Nursing (ADoN) for Children is the most senior professional nursing leader for Babies, Children and Young People's (BCYP) services across the Royal London Hospital, Mile End Hospital, and associated community services. As a key member of the BCYP Divisional Triumvirate, the ADoN is accountable for delivering high-quality, safe, effective, efficient, and compassionate care aligned with Barts Health's vision, values, and Safe & Compassionate programme.

This role provides strategic direction, professional leadership, and operational oversight for children's nursing services across acute, ambulatory, and community pathways. The postholder is part of the Trust's senior nursing leadership team for BCYP, championing the Young Barts Health vision and ensuring children's rights, voices, and experiences shape service design and delivery.

The ADoN will work collaboratively with colleagues across Barts Health (Royal London, Mile End, Whipps Cross, Newham, St Bartholomew's, and community services), Local Authorities, Primary Care Networks, Higher Education Institutions, the North Thames Paediatric Network, Integrated Care Systems, NHS England, and professional networks such as the Association of Chief Children's Nurses (ACCN). The postholder will drive integrated models of care, strengthen healthcare transition pathways, reduce inequalities, and build a sustainable, skilled, and empowered workforce for the future.

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.

The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm‑free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.