Executive Director of Nursing

Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (857); Willerby; On-site; GBP 160,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (857) is seeking an Executive Director of Nursing to lead nursing, midwifery and AHPs. You will drive quality assurance, safeguarding, workforce development and clinical governance across a large NHS system, reporting to the Chief Executive and contributing to system-wide transformation.

With Board-level nursing leadership experience, you will shape strategy, partner with providers and communities, and promote inclusive, high-quality care for 1.7

Qualifications

• Registered nurse with a post-registration qualification at degree level and a track record of leadership in a large NHS organisation.
• Proven experience delivering quality and safeguarding improvements and regulatory compliance.
• Strong clinical governance, workforce development and strategic partnership skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead nursing, midwifery and AHP priorities and shape clinical strategy across the ICB.
• Embed quality assurance, safeguarding, infection control and provider improvement plans.
• Mentor senior nursing leaders and drive workforce education and talent development.
• Collaborate with executive colleagues to ensure safe, compassionate, equitable care.

Education

Post-registration degree level qualification

Masters-level qualification or equivalent experience

Job description

Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (857)

Executive Director of Nursing

The closing date is 29 November 2026

Help shape safer, more equitable care for 1.7 million people across Humber and North Yorkshire. Accountable to the Chief Executive, you will lead nursing, midwifery and allied health professional matters, quality assurance and improvement, and safeguarding. Working with the Medical Director and Executive Team, you will embed clinical leadership, influence strategy and champion patient experience. You will strengthen quality surveillance, lead nurse staffing and infection control responsibilities and shape workforce education and talent development. We seek a registered nurse with Board-level nursing leadership experience and a proven record of improving care in a complex NHS organisation. Through partnerships with providers, communities, education and other system partners, you will support transformation, reduce health inequalities and promote compassionate, high-quality and inclusive care. This agile role offers system-wide influence, with a designated HNY ICB office or home base.

Main duties of the job

Working with the Medical Director, Executive colleagues and leading a team of senior nurse directors and allied health professionals (AHPs), you will lead the delivery of nursing, midwifery and AHP priorities for the ICB, shaping clinical strategy and professional workforce development. Through the quality framework, you will identify and accelerate risks, strengthen assurance and lead safeguarding and infection control, ensuring review findings inform action. Trusted partnerships with providers, patients and communities will support safer pathways, better patient experience, co-design and reduced inequalities. Your advice on provider improvement plans and regulatory compliance will promote learning and innovation. As a compassionate and inclusive leader, you will mentor professional leaders, bring clinical challenge to ICB decisions and strengthen governance and freedom to speak up. Accountable to the Chief Executive, you will be a full member of the unitary Board and will share Executive Team corporate responsibility, participating in the Executive/Senior Management on-call rota.

About us

NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) is the strategic commissioner of NHS services for a population of 1.7 million people. We plan and arrange services to meet our populations diverse health needs, focusing on improving health outcomes, reducing inequalities and making the best use of available resources. Our area reaches over 1,500 square miles and includes the cities of Hull and York and large rural areas across East Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire.

Our role is to make sure health services work well and are of high quality. We also work to join up health and care services, improve the health and wellbeing of local people and reduce health inequalities across our area.

The ICB adopts a Purposeful Presence model as the default way of working. Subject to any reasonable adjustments that may be required, this means:

Individual work is undertaken remotely and digitally in almost all Circumstances.

Collaborative work is predominantly delivered through digital platforms.

In-person working is reserved for situations where outcomes cannot be achieved effectively through digital means.

Contractual bases are determined by post category. This post is designated as:Agile Post

This means the appointed postholder may choose either Health House, Willerby or home as their contractual base (please note that the Purposeful Presence principles still apply if Health House is chosen)

Job responsibilities

Role purpose and accountability

Accountable and responsible to the Chief Executive, the Executive Director of Nursing provides executive clinical leadership and is accountable for statutory and non-statutory matters relating to nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals, quality assurance and improvement, and safeguarding within the ICB. Working with the Medical Director, the postholder embeds high-quality clinical and professional leadership at all levels of the system. The role develops and delivers the quality framework, maintaining a consistent focus on safety, patient experience and improved care, and leads the statutory agenda for safeguarding children and adults, nurse staffing and infection control. The postholder supports integrated service delivery, clinical sustainability and transformation, and develops workforce education plans for nursing and midwifery. As an Executive Team member, they share collective corporate responsibility and act within statutory and regulatory frameworks.

Strategy and long-term transformation

Support development and delivery of the ICBs five-year plan with the Chief Executive, Board members, system partners and communities, interpreting national strategic priorities and quality standards. Contribute to the clinical strategy to improve outcomes and reduce health inequalities. Establish mechanisms to anticipate, identify and respond to clinical, safeguarding and quality risks that could affect delivery. Champion the nursing, midwifery and allied health professional workforce, working with partners to strengthen talent supply. Lead national and regional nursing initiatives and promote continuous service improvement. Draw on specialist expertise through matrix working across the system.

Partnerships and communities

Work with Nurse Directors across acute, community and mental health providers to strengthen professional leadership. Contribute to clinical policies and operating models that improve person-centred, compassionate care. Lead collaborative responsibility for whole pathways and address organisational barriers to access. Oversee safeguarding and quality issues affecting multiple organisations, incorporating the perspectives of patients, families, carers and communities into service improvement and strategic decisions. Build relationships with government, public health, higher education institutions and workforce partners to inform policy, care delivery and workforce strategies.

Social justice and health equality

Promote equality, diversity, inclusion and allyship throughout the role. Use population health management approaches to embed patient and public involvement in service design and decision-making. Support personalised care and co-production in clinical and professional practice. Target quality and service improvements on better outcomes and reduced inequalities in access to healthcare.

Work with Executive colleagues to oversee the quality of health services and promote a safer, just culture, safer systems and safer care. Provide robust, considered clinical and professional advice and challenge in ICB and system decision-making. Strengthen integrated clinical and care leadership and collective responsibility for shared priorities. Address service underperformance promptly and promote continuous improvement through learning, improvement methodologies, research and innovation. Provide professional advice on the quality and effectiveness of provider improvement plans, including CQC-related delivery plans. Participate in regulatory processes and identify the undertakings and support needed to achieve improvement and compliance.

Governance and assurance

Support public accountability, probity and compliant governance arrangements that minimise risk and promote freedom to speak up. Ensure clinical and professional leadership supports the quality of services commissioned across ICB boundaries. Establish a system quality assurance framework with outcome measures that enable early identification, escalation and support for concerns. Support implementation of the accountability and oversight frameworks identified in the JD and provide evidence for their application. Ensure robust safeguarding arrangements with system partners, reporting safeguarding adult and children review findings to place-based leadership boards and overseeing implementation of required actions.

Compassionate and inclusive leadership

Model visible, collaborative, multi-professional leadership and engage health and care professionals in integrated strategy across places, primary and social care and provider collaboratives. Encourage staff development and provide mentoring and support for clinical and care professional leaders. Embed talent management and leadership development across the system. Manage complex and sensitive employment matters relating to provider Executive Nurse Directors. Champion patients interests and involve patients and the public in policy development and decision-making.

Professional responsibilities and working arrangements

Maintain confidentiality, uphold health and safety and equal opportunities requirements, complete mandatory training, and fulfil safeguarding responsibilities in accordance with relevant legislation and local procedures. Demonstrate the ICBs values of care, connect and innovate. Participate in the Executive/Senior Management on-call rota. The role is agile with a designated HNY ICB office base. Key external relationships include academic health science networks, workforce education bodies, the Health Foundation, DHSC, universities, Royal Colleges, other arms-length bodies and the Department for Education. Refer to the attached full JD for the complete responsibilities and additional information.

As part of the Executive Leadership Team, you will work collaboratively with clinical and non-clinical colleagues, sharing corporate responsibility for the ICBs priorities. Our values of care, connect and innovate underpin a culture of kindness, curiosity, authenticity, accountability and bold thinking. You will build partnerships across providers, places, education and other system partners, as well as local communities, champion patient involvement and support multi-professional leaders to develop their skills. The team promotes compassionate, inclusive leadership, learning and continuous improvement. The JD describes agile working with a designated HNY ICB office base; contractual-base arrangements require confirmation.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Evidence of sustained personal and professional development. Registered nurse with a post-registration qualification at degree level. Masters-level qualification or equivalent experience.

Experience

• Previous Board experience as an Executive Director of Nursing, with a demonstrable track record of success in a large, complex NHS organisation. Proven nursing leadership experience, driving standards of care and delivering organisational change. Experience of litigation, regulation and improvement. Knowledge and substantial experience of leading the nursing agenda within an NHS organisation. Knowledge and experience of leading clinical quality, clinical governance and risk management agendas. Demonstrable achievement in quality and patient safety. Experience of managing complex projects. Effective partnership working with internal and external stakeholders. Experience of implementing governance frameworks.
• Whole-systems management experience. Director-level experience within provider, commissioning and oversight and assurance/regulatory organisations.

Skills and Attributes

• Significant experience of providing executive leadership across and within organisations. Highly developed verbal communication and report-writing skills. Open, participative and engaging communication skills. Ability to meet deadlines and balance regulatory management, flexible management and holding to account. Highly developed influencing skills to shape development across the health and social care system. Team player committed to corporate effectiveness. High level of confidence, integrity and trustworthiness. Approachable, with the ability to build effective working relationships. Resilience and strategic thinking ability.
• Demonstrable experience of implementing and leading nursing and quality professional leadership across systems

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.

Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (857)

£159,681 to £189,831 a yearDependent on skills and experience and subject to approval