Chief Nurse

NHS; Kettering; On-site; GBP 138,000 - 196,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group seeks an outstanding Chief Nurse (VSM) to join our Executive Team and lead nursing, midwifery and AHP practice across Kettering General Hospital and Northampton General Hospital.

The successful candidate will champion high-quality patient care, safety and experience, while shaping organisational priorities and supporting staff to thrive.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse or Midwife with current registration.
• MSc or equivalent experience and ongoing professional development.
• Proven leadership at executive level within complex healthcare.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive leadership for quality, patient safety and experience.
• Lead nursing, midwifery and AHP workforce development.
• Drive culture of compassion, learning and continuous improvement.

Skills

Communication skills

Influencing

Leadership

Multi-disciplinary teamwork

Strategic thinking

Education

Registered Nurse or Midwife

MSc in relevant subject

CPD evidence

Job description

Site University Hospitals of Northamptonshire Town Kettering and Northampton Salary £138,018 - £195,526 per annum Closing 14/09/2026 23:59 Interview date 28/09/2026

Job overview

Chief Nurse (VSM)

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) is seeking an outstanding and inspirational nursing leader to join our Executive Team as our substantive Chief Nurse.

This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of care across Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital, leading nursing, midwifery and allied health professional practice at a pivotal time for our organisation.

As a key member of the Executive Team, the Chief Nurse will have responsibility for championing the highest standards of quality, patient safety, experience and professional practice, while helping to deliver our organisational priorities:

• High-quality patient care
• A positive, inclusive and compassionate culture

The successful candidate will provide visible professional leadership, working alongside colleagues across clinical, operational and corporate teams to ensure patients receive safe, effective and compassionate care every day.

We are looking for a leader who is passionate about improving care and outcomes for patients, developing and supporting our people, and creating the conditions for teams to thrive.

If you are an experienced executive nurse leader who shares our commitment to high-quality care, compassionate leadership and continuous improvement, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

The Chief Nurse will play a pivotal role in:

• Providing executive leadership for quality, patient safety and patient experience.
• Leading and supporting the nursing, midwifery and AHP workforce.
• Strengthening our culture of compassion, inclusion, learning and continuous improvement.
• Driving improvements in quality, safety and clinical outcomes.
• Developing professional standards, workforce capability and leadership at all levels.
• Working collaboratively with partners across the wider health and care system.
• Supporting the delivery of organisational transformation and financial sustainability while maintaining a relentless focus on quality and safety.

We are seeking an experienced executive leader with:

• Current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
• A strong track record of leadership at Board or executive level within a complex healthcare organisation.
• Significant experience leading quality, patient safety and professional practice improvements.
• A demonstrable ability to influence, inspire and lead through complexity and change.
• Strong strategic, operational and financial awareness.
• A commitment to partnership working and system leadership.
• Exceptional communication and engagement skills.

At UHN, we believe that how we achieve our goals is just as important as the goals themselves.

Working for our organisation

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) brings together Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust. As a group, we are committed to improving services for our communities through collaboration, modernising care delivery and striving for excellence. Working together enables us to share expertise, strengthen services and create greater opportunities, and there may be a requirement to work across sites depending on service needs.

Our Excellence Values are Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Integrity and Courage. UHN welcomes applications from all backgrounds and is committed to an inclusive working environment. We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and hold the Gold Award under the Employer Recognition Scheme. Candidates who identify as members of the Armed Forces community and meet the essential criteria will be guaranteed an interview.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We are looking for a values-based leader who demonstrates compassion, integrity, inclusion and accountability in everything they do.

The successful candidate will:

• Be a visible and approachable leader.
• Lead with authenticity, humility and compassion.
• Create an environment where staff feel valued, listened to and empowered.
• Foster a culture of openness, learning and continuous improvement.
• Champion equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Build trust across professional, organisational and system boundaries.
• Hold themselves and others to high standards while supporting people to succeed.

We want someone who can balance challenge with support, pace with compassion, and delivery with engagement.

This is an opportunity to join an organisation with ambitious plans for the future and a strong commitment to improving outcomes for patients and communities.

You will work alongside dedicated colleagues who are passionate about making a difference and who understand that sustainable improvement is achieved through strong relationships, shared purpose and collective leadership.

For a full list of all roles and responsibilities please refer to the attached job description and person specification

Person specification

Educations, Training and Qualifications

• Registered Nurse or Midwife.
• MSc in relevant subject, or equivalent experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Evidence of leadership development

Knowledge and Experience

• Expensive knowledge and experience of clinical governance systems, infection prevention and control and children’s and adults safeguarding.
• Extensive experience of leading and directing change in clinical practice with evidence of successful outcomes in a Provider Trust.
• Experience of improving the patient experience.
• Successful track record at senior leadership levels, including exposure at Board Level in a large complex organisation.
• An understanding of key NHS Service Quality and Safety Standards.
• Experience of developing and implementing transformation programmes with a track record of successful delivery against national and local targets.
• Demonstrable experience of setting and delivering a long-term vision, whilst responding to short-term challenges and opportunities.
• Experience of successfully delivering quality improvement programme
• Experience of supporting integration and collaboration across separate legal entities.
• Sound knowledge of clinical governance and risk management.
• Knowledge of national NHS policy and strategy.
• Ability to assess, analyse, synthesise and act upon complex data and information.

Skills

• Well-developed communication and influencing skills, with the ability to motivate teams and gain consensus at all levels within and between organisations.
• Ability to lead and work in multi-disciplinary team.
• Strong personal impact. Highly developed interpersonal, networking, advocacy, written and presentation skills that are persuasive and influential and develop relationships that inspire respect, trust and confidence with a wide range of organisations and individuals, both internally and externally.
• Highly developed analytical skills with the ability to think and act strategically/laterally, maintain a clear view of the issues affecting the Trusts.
• The ability to translate strategic vision into operations, to communicate those objectives and ensure they are actioned.
• Demonstrable success in building, leading, motivating and developing multi-disciplinary teams and promoting, leading and implementing strategies and change programmes to secure continuous service improvement, successful outcomes and significant operational and service changes.
• Evidence of communicating successfully and working effectively in co-operation with a wide range of internal and external bodies, including statutory and non-statutory organisations, senior managers, colleagues and their representatives.
• Able to deal positively and promptly with colleagues’ concerns and personal problems, challenge colleagues on any inappropriate behaviours or poor performance and investigate and deal with complaints as required.

At Northampton General Hospital we provide general acute services and hyper-acute stroke, vascular and renal services to people living in Northamptonshire. As well as this we are an accredited cancer centre and provide cancer services to a wider population of Northamptonshire and parts of Buckinghamshire.

We are proud to be the first hospital in the UK to have obtained Pathway to Excellence® designated accreditation from the American nurses credentialing centre (ANCC).

We celebrate staff achievements and value the importance of working as one big team. That’s why we talk about Team NGH. It’s all about working together to provide the best possible care for our patients and supporting each other to grow and develop our skills. We are driven to helping you to be the best you can be.

We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire and help to unleash everyone’s full potential. As an organisation, we value how we communicate and promote our vacancies to all communities. The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups, especially those from BAME, Disabled and LGBTQ+ backgrounds as these are underrepresented in our hospitals. We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative. We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds.This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.

Our Excellence Values:

• Compassion
• Respect
• Integrity
• Courageous
• Accountable

To apply for this post, scroll down to the bottom of this page and select “apply online now”.

In submitting an application form, you authorise Northampton General Hospital to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Electronic Staff Record Inter Authority Transfer process should you be appointed to the post.

Due to the high number of applications received we are unable to respond to each application individually. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you have been unsuccessful in this application.

For further information on nursing, apprenticeships, A&E or any other departments please visit our specific website or pages that are indicated on the right hand side of this advert.

Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust recognises that staff of differing backgrounds and life experiences enrich our workforce and bring different skills and knowledge. We therefore encourage and welcome applications for our vacancies from all candidates regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CLOSE VACANCIES PRIOR TO THE ADVERTISED CLOSING DATE WHEN WE ARE IN RECEIPT OF SUFFICIENT APPLICATIONS

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.