Deputy Head of GP School KSS

NHS England; Horley; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS England is seeking a Deputy Head of GP School to support the Primary Care Dean and Head of GP School in delivering strategic educational objectives, providing leadership for programmes, portfolios and professional groups. The postholder will collaborate with senior educational leaders to ensure high-quality education, safe learning environments and continuous learner progression.

The role entails leading workstreams such as programme management, quality management and workforce development,

Qualifications

• Medical practitioner with GMC registration or equivalent local requirement.
• Evidence of education and training leadership experience.
• Continuing professional development relevant to education and leadership.

Responsibilities

• Support the NHS England People Directorate in delivering national and regional education priorities.
• Lead significant workstreams and delegated programmes for GP School.
• Oversee learner supervision, progression and experience improvements.

Skills

Strategic educational leadership

Evidence-based planning

Clear communication & influencing

Stakeholder management

Cross-boundary collaboration

Faculty development

Data-informed decision making

Digital literacy

Education

GMC licence

Fellowship/College recognition

Education & training experience

CPD evidence

Educational leadership development

Job description

The role of Deputy Head of GP School is to support the Primary Care Dean and Head of GP School in delivering strategic and operational educational objectives and to provide leadership for delegated programmes, portfolios, professional groups, functions or geographical areas.

The postholder will work with the Head of GP School and senior educational leadership team to ensure that high-quality education and training are delivered in safe and effective learning environments and that learner supervision, assessment, progression and experience are continuously improved.

The Deputy Head of GP School will exercise leadership through delegated authority and will be expected to lead significant workstreams, programmes, projects or portfolios on behalf of the GP School. This may include responsibility for programme management, quality management, learner support, faculty development, workforce development, placement capacity, curriculum delivery or regional consistency.

Main duties of the job

The role supports NHS England People Directorate in meeting corporate, statutory and professional responsibilities and in implementing national and regional policy, quality frameworks and workforce priorities.

The Deputy Head of GP School will work with GP Associate Deans, Training Programme Directors, educational supervisors, clinical supervisors, programme teams and wider faculty to support effective operational delivery and to ensure that concerns are identified, escalated and addressed appropriately.

The postholder will work across health and, where relevant, social care to ensure that provision of education reflects changing service models and supports multiprofessional collaboration and workforce transformation.

Local arrangements may vary, but the role is expected to combine operational leadership, educational quality management, delegated strategic leadership, faculty development and service improvement responsibilities.

About us

NHS England has a wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers. These are focused on supporting the wider NHS to deliver high quality care, as well as doing those things that are best done once for the whole NHS.

Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms -- enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.

In March 2025, the Government announced that NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will increasingly merge functions, ultimately leading to NHS England being fully integrated into the department.

If you currently work within the NHS and if successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR).This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.

Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in our offices.

We cannot offer visa sponsorship for any vacancies.

Job responsibilities

You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.

Internal Key relationships: Primary Care Dean, Head of GP School, Associate Deans, Training Programme Directors, educational supervisors, clinical supervisors, programme management teams and learners.

External and system relationships: healthcare providers, Integrated Care Systems, Training Hubs, education providers, professional bodies and regulatory organisations.

Leadership responsibilities: Direct reports may include Associate Deans, Training Programme Directors, programme leads, project leads or other designated educational leadership roles, depending on local structures.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Medical practitioner registered with the GMC and holding a current licence to practise or meeting an equivalent local requirement specified for the role.
• Membership, Fellowship or equivalent recognition from an appropriate College, Faculty, professional association, regulator or educational body.
• Evidence of education and training experience appropriate to the level and scope of the role.
• Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to education, leadership, management or workforce development.
• Evidence of leadership development through a recognised leadership programme, formal qualification or equivalent experience.
• Evidence of educational leadership development and continuing professional development.

Knowledge and experience

• Significant experience of healthcare education, training, programme leadership or workforce development.
• Experience of leading educational portfolios, programme management, quality improvement or faculty development activity.
• Experience of supporting learner progression, learner support, curriculum delivery or educational governance.
• Experience of working with senior stakeholders and delivering objectives across complex systems.
• Understanding of healthcare education and training within the NHS and the relationship between education, workforce development, service transformation and patient care.
• Knowledge of educational governance, quality management, quality improvement, assurance and escalation processes.
• Understanding of learner supervision, assessment, progression, support, remediation and attainment.
• Understanding of professional and regulatory frameworks relevant to healthcare education and training, including the importance of safe and effective learning environments.
• Understanding of workforce development, recruitment, retention, transformation and the contribution of multiprofessional education to sustainable healthcare services.
• Experience of working across organisational and professional boundaries and engaging effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Knowledge of NHS structures, policy priorities and ways of working, including the role of Integrated Care Systems and place-based partnerships where relevant.
• Understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion principles and their application to education, training and workforce development.
• Awareness of the opportunities and risks associated with digital, data-informed and technology-enabled approaches to education and workforce development.

Skills, capabilities & attributes

• Provides strategic educational leadership and a clear vision aligned to the scope of the role.
• Translates national and regional priorities into deliverable plans using evidence, data and stakeholder insight.
• Communicates complex information clearly and effectively through strong presentation, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Builds and maintains effective relationships across healthcare, education, regulatory and professional organisations, system partners and learner groups.
• Works collaboratively across organisational and system boundaries, delivering outcomes through influence and formal authority.
• Supports the development and performance of educators, supervisors, programme leaders and faculty teams.
• Analyses qualitative and quantitative information to identify risks, evaluate impact and improve educational quality and learner outcomes.
• Manages competing priorities effectively, exercising sound judgement and contributing to governance and assurance processes.
• Supports educational innovation, curriculum delivery, assessment, learner support, supervision, faculty development and quality improvement.
• Demonstrates digital literacy and uses information systems and data to support decision-making, collaboration and continuous improvement.

Values and behaviours

• Demonstrates commitment to the NHS Constitution and NHS England values, placing patient care, learner safety and educational quality at the centre of decision-making.
• Acts with integrity, professionalism and accountability, maintaining high standards of personal conduct and behaviour.
• Demonstrates inclusive and compassionate leadership, creating a culture where learners, educators and colleagues feel valued, respected and supported.
• Builds effective relationships and works collaboratively across organisational, professional and system boundaries.
• Demonstrates commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, promoting fair access, participation, and outcomes.
• Takes a proactive and improvement-focused approach to educational quality, service development, and workforce improvement.
• Demonstrates resilience, adaptability and sound judgement when managing complexity, risk and change.
• Promotes a culture of learning, reflection, openness and continuous improvement.
• Acts as an ambassador for NHS England Training and Education across the workforce and the role of education in improving patient care and outcomes.