Lead Dean Director

NHS Education for Scotland; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A national health organization in Scotland seeks a Local Dean Director to provide strategic leadership in postgraduate medical education. The role involves working closely with NHS boards to enhance education and training for 7000 resident doctors. Ideal candidates will possess a medical qualification and extensive senior leadership experience in medical education. Benefits include flexible working, an NHS pension scheme, and generous annual leave. This position impacts directly on clinical care and patient safety.

Benefits

Flexible working opportunities

Generous NHS pension scheme

41 days of annual leave including public holidays

NHS discounts

Qualifications

• Experience in a senior leadership role with a focus on medical education.
• Good understanding of postgraduate medical education in Scotland.
• In-depth knowledge of training systems in health care.

Responsibilities

• Support Medical Director's role in medical education and training.
• Collaborate with Executive Directors across NHS Scotland boards.
• Ensure delivery of the Quality Improvement Framework for medical education.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Influencing

Negotiating

Partnership working

Education

Medical qualification

Full/GMC registration

Job description

Work Pattern

Permanent, Monday to Friday Time, 40 hours per week

You must have eligibility and entitlement to work in the UK which is required to be maintained throughout your period of employment.

Who We Are

NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is the national health board with statutory responsibilities to effect sustainable change through workforce development, education and training across the health and social care system in Scotland, while working at UK level with partner organisations.

The Opportunity

Key tasks will include but are not restricted to

• Playing a key strategic role in supporting the work of the Medical Director in their role to provide medical education and training in addition to wider corporate and multi-professional responsibilities., through the provision of leadership at UK, Scottish, and regional levels, contributing to the strategic development of postgraduate medical education and the wider NHS workforce.
• Working collaboratively with Executive Directors across NES and Medical Directors and Directors of Medical Education in NHS Scotland Health Boards, contributing to service redesign, education, training and development of the wider multi-professional NHS Scotland workforce.
• Ensuring the effective delivery of the Quality Improvement Framework for medical education and training as laid down by the General Medical Council (GMC), through a system of Quality Management able to demonstrate that Local Education Providers are meeting the GMC standards
• Supporting the education of undergraduate medical students through the distribution and performance management of the Medical Additional Costs of Teaching (ACT funding) in close collaboration with the University Medical schools and NHS territorial Boards through the Regional Medical ACT groups.
• Providing corporate executive leadership for educational governance

Do you have a medical qualification with a background in primary or secondary care or public health and the relevant experience and understanding of postgraduate medical education?

Do you have high levels of strategic thinking, influencing, negotiating and partnership working skills?

Do you have experience of being a visible and dynamic leader?

Do you have the desire to contribute to the leadership and development of a strategically highly significant Directorate which impacts directly on the delivery of clinical care and patient safety?

Working within the Medical Directorate as Local Dean Director you will work closely with the senior team to provide educational governance, leadership, support and direction to a cohort of 7000 resident doctors across Scotland. You will lead a team of Associate Postgraduate Deans and will also have accountability for a number of other workstreams across the Medical Directorate.

Does this sound like you?

What We Love to See

• Medically Qualified with a background in Primary or Secondary Care or Public Health
• Full registration or GP registration with the General Medical Council
• Demonstrable experience in a senior leadership role that has a remit including medical education
• Considerable leadership and management experience at a senior level in the NHS or related sector with a demonstrable track record of delivery
• Good understanding of the context for postgraduate medical education in Scotland, the NHS and a strong grasp of all aspects of medical career development
• In-depth knowledge of education training and development systems and processes in health care systems
• Successful initiation and facilitation of strategic partnership working and alliances through excellent relationship management skills
• Ability to work on own initiative, to organise and prioritise own workloads, to meet strict deadlines

Benefits Which Matter

• Life-work balance - with opportunities for flexible working and hybrid working
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• Annual Leave - 41 days inclusive of public holidays : 33 days annual leave and 8 public holidays per annum.
• NHS discounts and more

Diversity and Inclusion

Developing a successful national service for Scotland is impossible without ensuring we consider the diverse needs, perspectives and backgrounds of everyone in Scotland in our work.

It’s not essential to be in a Lead Dean Director role right now. You may be returning from a career break (e.g. maternity, paternity, caring for others) or returning after working in another field. Your experiences elsewhere can bring a fresh perspective to our work.

Next Steps

All applicants who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail.

In person OR online interviews to be confirmed) will take place on 29th January 2026

For further information please refer to the Job Information Pack below.

Unless otherwise stated the deadline for applications is 23 : 59 hours on the closing date. Please note, CVs will not be accepted.

2. To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service.

As part of the pre-employment checks for a preferred candidate, NHS Scotland Boards willcheck your entitlement to work in the UK. It can be evidenced through a number of routes including specific types of visa as well as EU settled and pre-settled status. To find out more about these routes of permission, please refer to the GOV.UK websitehere.

For specific types of post, if you do not have the necessary eligibility to work in the UK, it might be possible (though not guaranteed) to secure sponsorship via a UK Skilled Worker / Health & Care Worker Visa. However, this is only possible if the employer is a licenced Sponsor, and if the post does not fall below the current minimum salary threshold or ‘going rate’. Further information on these criteria can be foundhere.

It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsoredBEFOREsubmitting your application form.