Head of Midwifery

Calderdale and Huddersfield Solutions Ltd; Halifax; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Job summary

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust in Halifax is recruiting for a Head of Midwifery. You will lead maternity, gynaecology and neonatal services, partnering with the ADN/DOM to ensure high-quality patient care across the Women’s and Family Health Directorate.

You will join a senior leadership team driving safety, innovation and compassionate care, with emphasis on governance, performance and service development across the trust.

Qualifications

• Registered Midwife with current registration.
• Degree level qualification in a relevant subject.
• Evidence of professional development in the last 3 years.
• Master’s level degree or equivalent demonstrable experience.
• Registered Nurse.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and strategic direction to maternity, gynaecology and neonatal services within the Women’s and Family Health Directorate.
• Be a key member of the directorate senior leadership team alongside the Clinical Director and General Manager.
• Lead a portfolio of work identified and delegated by the ADN/DOM.
• Support delivery of the clinical governance programme and drive quality and safety improvements.
• Deputise for the ADN/DOM when required and represent maternity services at committees and external forums.

Education

Registered Midwife

Degree level education

Master's degree

Registered Nurse

Job description

Main area Midwifery Grade NHS AfC: Band 8c Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week (up to 37.5 hours per week) Job ref 372-FSS3150

Employer Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Calderdale Royal Hospital Town Halifax Salary Dependant on experience Closing 20/09/2026 23:59 Interview date 08/10/2026

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT) are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics.

We are committed to recruiting to our values. Leading One Culture of Care underpins our values by creating an environment, tone and behaviours across all parts of the Trust that are fundamentally rooted in compassionate care.

We are open to considering a wide range of flexible working arrangements. There are opportunities to flex the days of the week, hours and times of work and place of work including: part-time, job-share, flexible working hours and the possibility to work from home when appropriate. Please talk to us during the interview process to discuss any flexibility that you may require.

We received our Silver Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme which is helping actively promote SaBRE - Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers. This means that we provided its statement of intent to support all Defence personnel and we welcome application to work for us.

Our Future Plans

The Department of Health and Social Care has awarded capital funding to invest in local health services at both Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. This is a significant investment and an opportunity to enhance services for our populations in Calderdale and Huddersfield and West Yorkshire for generations to come. To find out more, please visithttps://future.cht.nhs.uk/

Job overview

Calling all aspiring Heads of Midwifery!

Join us at CHFT for an exciting opportunity to lead and influence the future of maternity and women's services. You'll play a key role in driving safety, quality, and innovation while supporting our dedicated teams to deliver outstanding care for women, babies, and families.Make a difference. Lead with purpose. Shape the future of maternity care with us at CHFT

You will work closely with the Director of Midwifery, Deputy Director of Operations, Clinical Director for Family and Specialist Services, and the wider directorate management team to champion and promote our maternity and Gynaecology services, ensuring the continuous delivery of safe, high-quality care for women, babies, and families every day.

Main duties of the job

The Head of Midwifery will work collaboratively with the Associate Director of Nursing / Director of Midwifery (ADN/DOM) to provide assurance to the Divisional Senior Leadership team, Executive Team and Board of Directors that robust systems of governance and performance management are in place and that high quality patient led services are being developed and delivered in the Women’s and Family Health Directorate (WFH).

Working for our organisation

CHFT is an integrated acute and community Trust serving diverse communities across Calderdale and Kirklees, with strong partnerships across West Yorkshire. We are proud of our One Culture of Care — caring for each other with the same compassion, kindness and respect that we show our patients and of the values that underpin how we work: we put people first, we go see, we work together to get results, and we do the must dos.

CHFT is recognised as a forward looking, digitally enabled Trust, with a strong track record of using data, innovation and system collaboration to improve quality, safety and outcomes. We are ambitious about the role that acute trusts play in prevention, population health and reducing inequalities, and this post sits at the heart of that agenda.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• The post holder will support the ADN/DOM in providing leadership and strategic direction to the maternity, gynaecology and neonatal services in the WFH directorate.
• The post holder will be a key member of the directorate senior leadership team alongside the Clinical Director and General Manager (directorate triumvirate), who will be jointly responsible for the delivery of clinical and professional standards in the directorate.
• The postholder will lead on a portfolio of work identified and delegated by the ADN/DOM.
• The postholder will have a key role in supporting the delivery of the clinical Governance Programme for the WFH directorate leading on key aspects of the Quality and safety agenda.
• The post holder will have an in-depth knowledge of the services, locally and nationally, and the political environment the post holder is working. This role provides direct support to the ADN/DOM.
• The post holder will deputise for the ADN/DOM when necessary, undertaking any responsibilities, as delegated, including representing maternity services at Trust Quality Committee, Board level and external local, regional or national forums as required.
• The post holder will provide midwifery and nursing leadership and expert midwifery and nursing advice working closely with the ADN/DOM to ensure that a high standard of patient care is delivered.
• The post holder will support the ADN/DOM to lead midwifery and nursing practice and will be expected to develop innovative practice in relation to the provision of midwifery and nursing services to women and other pregnant people, babies and families.

Person specification

Qualifications and Training

• Registered Midwife
• Educated to Degree Level in a relevant subject
• Evidence of Professional Development across the last 3 years
• Master’s level degree/evidence of study at Master’s level or equivalent demonstrable experience
• Registered Nurse

Knowledge, Experience and Expertise

• Significant proven managerial experience at a senior level within midwifery leading and managing a number of clinical areas or departments
• A proven track records of leadership, performance improvement and organisational change
• Evidence of forging and nurturing partnerships and collaborative relationships
• Experience of supporting a large, complex professional workforce
• Experience of quality and risk management, to include experience in analysing and resourcing complex complaints
• Understanding and appreciation of diversity
• Understanding and appreciation of key issues and pace of change facing the NHS nationally and locally and can describe impact on clinical professional service
• Knowledge and understanding of computerised- financial, management, budgetary management, and workforce information systems
• Knowledge and understanding of governance arrangements and standards in the NHS and the wider health and social economy
• Significant clinical experience across maternity settings
• Involvement in strategic development and implementation
• Participation in audit and promotion of evidence-based practice

Communication and Relationships

• A high level of communication skills, to include but not exclusively, mediation, negotiation, consultation, facilitation, presentation, training, and coaching skills using well developed interpersonal skills to influence, inform, reconcile differences, and resolve conflicts.
• Able to solve difficult problems, using a solution focused approach demonstrating competent persuasive and influencing skills
• Able to use research information and audit skills to apply findings to influence practice and develop business cases/plans.
• Ability to analyse data and information, including preparing responses to issues, weighing risks, and forming judgements often within tight timescales.
• Competently implement business cases and projects plans in order to deliver the Nursing and Midwifery Strategy for the directorate.
• Ability to network across directorates and divisions
• Able to demonstrate a broad knowledge of health policy in relation to nursing and midwifery practice

Our vision is to provide One Culture of Care for one another in order that we can provide compassionate care for the people who use our services. We are passionate about creating a workplace where we work together to get results, encouraging colleagues to have their say, in order to co create the change we want to see. We take pride in the diversity of our workforce that’s why we encourage applications from all. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants.

We understand that more applicants are using AI technology to help with their applications. While these tools can be useful, they cannot fully capture your skills, knowledge, and experience. It’s important that you personalise your application. Relying solely on AI is not recommended, as it may reduce your chances of success. Our screening process is thorough, so if you have used AI, please make sure to disclose this on your application form.

Candidates who require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the United Kingdom can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for this position by assessing their circumstances against the criteria specified on theCheck if you need a UK visa - GOV.UK website. We encourage all applicants to review these criteria carefully to understand their eligibility for sponsorship.

If you are appointed to a post, information will also be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records system. The Inter-Authority Transfer (IAT) process is a critical and beneficial component of ESR and following interview your previous NHS employment data, if applicable will be transferred from your current /most recent employer.

You may be required to undertake a DBS. The Trust will administer the DBS check on your behalf and will recover the cost (Enhanced £54.40, Standard £26.40 or Basic £26.40) from your salary when you commence in post (including Internal staff). You will also be required to participate in the DBS Update Service and pay the £16 cost per year. This is a condition of your employment.

CHFT is part of the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT), a collaborative of the NHS hospital trusts from across West Yorkshire and Harrogate working together to provide the best possible care for our patients.

If you have any questions please contact [e-mail] for assistance.

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.

Name Gemma Puckett Job title Director of Midwifery Email address [e-mail] Additional information

Gill harries Deputy Director of Operation, [e-mail]

At Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, we are excited to offer a range of volunteering roles, providing rewarding personal and professional opportunities for people from all backgrounds across a wide age range from our local communities, ensuring our volunteers are representative of our service users.