Director of Nursing

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust; Manchester; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A major healthcare provider in Manchester, England, is seeking an experienced Director of Nursing. This key leadership role focuses on advancing patient care, enhancing clinical practices, and championing quality improvement initiatives. The ideal candidate will possess extensive senior nursing experience and expertise in leading change across complex healthcare settings. Join us at the forefront of healthcare delivery and make a lasting impact on patient outcomes.

Qualifications

• Proven ability in managing large-scale change successfully.
• Demonstrated breadth of understanding of NHS Policy.
• Evidence of securing funding for organizational initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Provide strong clinical leadership across all services.
• Lead change management initiatives within the Clinical Group.
• Ensure patient and staff voices are included in service delivery.

Skills

Senior nursing & managerial experience

Leadership and influencing

Negotiation skills

Conflict resolution

Understanding of NHS Policy

Experience in workforce planning

Education

RN

Masters in health-related subject

Graduate

Job description

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Director of Nursing

The closing date is 06 January 2026

Join MFT as we seek a Director of Nursing role for Specialist Hospitals Clinical Group. Reporting to the Chief Executive & as a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, you'll provide visible, inspirational & professional leadership to Nurses & AHPs. Working alongside the Trust Chief Nurse, you'll champion & embed a culture of quality improvement, research & innovation (R&I), ensuring that all services are of high quality now & in the future, with the best care possible provided first time, every time.

In partnership with the Clinical Group Medical Director, you'll be responsible for providing strong & effective clinical leadership, improving, and sustaining clinical practices & standards across all services, including patient safety, patient experience, and clinical effectiveness, forming part of the overarching responsibility for the delivery of clinical governance & any regulatory and/or statutory requirements pertinent to the service.

It goes without saying at MFT, we foster a culture of inclusion & belonging, providing equal & transparent opportunities for career development & value wellbeing. As the Director of Nursing for Specialist Hospitals Clinical Group, you'll help drive this culture, so all individuals thrive and feel a sense of belonging.

So, if this sounds like you & you have the skills, expertise & motivation to succeed in this career changing role, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

• With extensive senior nursing & managerial experience across acute (or comparatively large and complex multi-disciplinary organisation), you'll be a self-motivated, innovative, compassionate & inclusive leader using a positive, strong influencing & coaching style & with an emphasis on high standards of patient care, safety & efficient and effective use of resources.
• With effective influencing and negotiation skills, you'll work collaboratively with the Trust Chief Nurse & other nursing & AHP colleagues across the Trust, anticipate & interpret national & regional policy for the Clinical Group & lead the implementation of any changes to practice that may be required.
• As a highly motivated, inspirational leader with the drive to deliver a commitment to excellence across all areas. You'll horizon scan, identify & act upon current & future strategic opportunities for the Clinical Group, ensuring they are aligned with the objectives of MFT as a whole.
• On behalf of the Trust Chief Nurse - MFT, you'll take the lead on specific programmes or projects across the Trust, working closely with colleagues from other Clinical Groups to ensure effective delivery of the programme's objectives.
• You'll ensure that the voices of patients, families & colleagues are always heard & listened to in the development of services & delivery of care, exercising skills of professional curiosity & appropriate challenge.
• The post holder will participate in the Director on call rota

About us

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) is the largest provider of specialist services, and our Oxford Road Campus in Manchester, the largest health academic campus in Europe. We are an ambitious organisation, serving over 1 million patients and users annually through our 10 hospitals and extensive community services. With a workforce 30,000 plus, we are a driving force for innovation, clinical excellence, and system leadership across Greater Manchester.As a senior leader at MFT, you will shape strategy and transformation at scale, working alongside a diverse, high-performing executive team. Our £3bn plus turnover and leading-edge digital infrastructure, including the Hive EPR, enable us to deliver integrated, patient-centred care and drive continuous improvement.We are committed to fostering an inclusive, values-led culture where your expertise, vision, and leadership will directly influence organisational direction and population health outcomes. You will have the opportunity to lead complex change, champion research and innovation, and develop future talent in a supportive, collaborative environment.Join us to make a lasting impact--on our Trust, our communities, and the future of healthcare.

Job responsibilities

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience youll need, take a look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the Supporting Documents heading. So that youre even more equipped to make an informed decision to apply to us, youll need to take time to read the Candidate Essentials Guide that sits with the Job Description and Person Specification. This document provides you with details about the Trust, our benefits and outlines how we care for you as you care for others. Most importantly, it also contains critical information youll need to be aware of before you submit an application form.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in your application

Here at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, were proud to be ALL HERE FOR YOU for our patients, our communities, and each other.

As part of our commitment to fairness, transparency, and personal integrity, we ask all applicants to ensure that their job applications reflect their own experiences, skills, and motivations. While AI tools can support spelling, grammar, or formatting, we expect that the content of your application especially personal statements and responses to role-specific questions is written by you. This helps us get to know the real you and ensures that our recruitment process remains equitable and meaningful for everyone.

Thank you for helping us uphold the values that make our Trust a place where people belong, grow, and thrive. We look forward to receiving your application.

Diversity Matters

MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post.As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, please contact the manager named below.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• RN
• Masters in health related subject
• Graduate
• Understanding of integrated health and social care models

Experience

• Extensive senior nursing and managerial experience within a large acute Trust
• Extensive experience as an experienced clinical practitioner
• Extensive experience in workforce planning and modelling
• Demonstrates breadth and depth of understanding of current NHS Policy and ability to interpret and implement in practice
• Experience in developing clinical teams Experience of working with national programmes and initiatives
• Experience in managing large scale change successfully
• Evidence of influence and negotiating skills
• Evidence of successful change management
• Evidence of managing conflict and deploying successful conflict resolution strategies
• Evidence of securing funding to support organisational initiatives
• Ability to work with different disciplines across the health, education and social care settings
• Evidence of undertaking audit and contributing to research programmes
• Contributor to research studies publications

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.

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Depending on experienceSalary to be confirmed on appointment