Maternity Ward Manager

Cddft; Tees Valley, Tudhoe; Remote; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced Maternity Ward Manager. The role leads the postnatal ward, driving safe, high-quality care, workforce planning and governance across a multidisciplinary team.

You will provide clinical leadership, manage performance, support development, and ensure adherence to national maternity standards while prioritising patient experience and staff wellbeing.

Qualifications

• Registered Midwife with current NMC registration.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Recognised management/leadership qualification masters degree or working towards.

Responsibilities

• Lead on patient safety, risk management and quality improvement.
• Support multidisciplinary teams and drive service improvements.
• Oversee staffing, workforce planning and resource allocation.
• Maintain governance, incident investigations and complaints resolution.

Skills

Leadership

Communication skills

Staff development

Problem solving

Time management

Negotiation

Education

Registered Midwife with NMC registration

Masters degree in leadership or working towards

Job description

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Maternity Ward Manager

The closing date is 18 November 2026

Anexciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced, dynamic, and compassionatemidwifery leader to join our maternity team as a Ward Manager. This pivotalleadership role is responsible for the operational management and professionalleadership of the maternity ward, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective, andhigh-quality care for women, babies, and families.

AsWard Manager, you will lead and support a multidisciplinary team, promoting apositive culture that places patient safety, quality improvement, and staffwellbeing at its centre. You will be accountable for workforce management,resource utilisation, governance, risk management, and the achievement of keyclinical and operational objectives. Working closely with the Matron and widermaternity leadership team, you will drive improvements in patient experience,professional standards and service delivery while ensuring compliance withlocal and national maternity standards.

Weare seeking an enthusiastic and motivated registered midwife with strongleadership skills, significant clinical experience, and a passion forsupporting teams to deliver outstanding care. This is an excellent opportunityto influence and shape maternity services while developing your leadershipcareer within a progressive and supportive organisation.

Main duties of the job

TheWard Manager is responsible for the operational leadership and day-to-daymanagement of the postnatal ward, ensuring the safe, effective, andcompassionate delivery of maternity care. The post holder will coordinateclinical activity, manage staffing, skill mix, and resource allocation, andmaintain oversight of patient flow, bed capacity, and service demands. Theywill provide visible clinical leadership, supporting staff to deliverhigh-quality, evidence-based care while responding to changing priorities and periodsof increased clinical activity.

Therole includes responsibility for staff management, recruitment, appraisal,professional development, attendance management, and workforce planning. TheWard Manager will support and motivate the multidisciplinary team, foster apositive and inclusive culture and address performance, behavioural andprofessional issues appropriately.

About us

You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.

We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.

Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.

Over reliance onAI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances ofsuccess.

For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.

Please note that we may close any vacancy early once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

Job responsibilities

The post holder will lead on patient safety, risk management, incident investigation, complaint resolution, and quality improvement initiatives, ensuring compliance with Trust policies, national standards, and best practice guidance. They will work collaboratively with the Matron, Head of Midwifery, medical staff and wider multidisciplinary teams to develop services, improve patient experience and maintain high standards of care.

Maintaining clinical competence, teaching, and supporting midwives, students and other healthcare professionals is a key aspect of the role, alongside contributing to service development, governance, safeguarding and the effective use of resources across maternity services.

TheWard Manager is responsible for the overall operational, clinical, andprofessional leadership of the maternity ward, ensuring the delivery of safe,effective, woman-centred, and high-quality care to women, babies, and families.The post holder will provide visible and compassionate leadership, maintainprofessional standards, and create a positive culture that promotes safety,learning, staff wellbeing, and continuous improvement.

Therole encompasses responsibility for the day-to-day management of the ward,including workforce planning, staff deployment, patient flow, resourcemanagement, and the coordination of clinical activity. The Ward Manager willensure appropriate staffing levels and skill mix are maintained to meet theneeds of the service, responding proactively to fluctuations in activity andclinical acuity. Working collaboratively with the Matron and widermultidisciplinary team, the post holder will contribute to the effective andefficient delivery of maternity services and support the achievement oforganisational objectives.

Akey aspect of the role is leading, supporting, and developing the ward team.The Ward Manager will be responsible for recruitment, induction, appraisal,supervision, performance management, and professional development of staff,fostering a culture in which individuals are empowered to achieve their fullpotential. The post holder will promote excellence in clinical practice througheducation, mentorship, and role modelling, ensuring staff remain competent andcompliant with mandatory and role-specific training requirements.

TheWard Manager will provide strong clinical leadership, ensuring thatevidence-based care, professional standards, and national maternity guidanceare consistently implemented. This includes maintaining oversight of patientsafety, safeguarding, infection prevention and control, medicines managementand clinical risk management. The post holder will lead investigations intoincidents, complaints, and concerns, ensuring lessons learned are embedded intopractice and shared across the team to improve care quality and patientoutcomes.

Therole requires close collaboration with medical colleagues, specialist teams,practice development staff, and senior leaders to support service development,quality improvement, and innovation. The Ward Manager will monitor clinicalquality indicators, analyse performance data, and lead initiatives designed to improve patient experience, clinical outcomes, and operational effectiveness.They will contribute to audits, inspections, and governance processes, ensuringthe ward meets Trust, regulatory and national standards.

Maintaininga visible clinical presence within the ward environment is an importantcomponent of the role. The post holder will provide expert advice and supportto staff, patients and families, facilitating effective communication andsupporting complex decision-making where required. They will act as an advocatefor women, babies, and families, ensuring care is delivered with dignity,respect, and compassion.

TheWard Manager is also responsible for the effective management of financial andphysical resources within the ward, ensuring best value is achieved whilemaintaining high standards of care. Through strong leadership, professionalcredibility and a commitment to continuous improvement, the post holder willplay a pivotal role in ensuring the maternity ward delivers safe, responsive,and outstanding care for the local population.

Person Specification

Statutory Registration

• Registered Midwife

Qualifications

• Registered Midwife with current NMC registration.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Recognised management/leadership qualification masters degree or working towards

Special Requirements

• Ability to travel between sites independently
• Full UK Driving licence and access to a car.

Experience

• Experience of managing and leading a team
• Current issues on healthcare
• Experience of leading, motivation and supporting a team
• Experience of providing training
• Excellent presentation skills
• Experience of delegating workload and monitoring progress
• Evidence of managerial development
• Clinical audit and standard setting
• Experience of managing resources
• Experience of training staff

Special Skills & Knowledge

• Knowledge of the standards of professional practice
• Knowledge and understanding of relevant National Services Frameworks
• Knowledge of Trust guidelines and policies
• Knowledge of care pathways for women with complex health needs
• Awareness of current issues in midwifery
• Capable of lateral thinking
• Influencing and negotiation
• Skills in identifying and securing provision of training needs for the team
• Highly developed communication skills, written and verbal
• Delegation abilities and excellent time management skills
• Well-developed problem solving and decision-making skills
• Flexibility/adaptability to meet the needs of the service
• Possess individual credibility
• Approachable
• Has strategic vision and demonstrates innovation in practice
• Ability to work under pressure, thinking and acting coherently and with respect for others
• Manage and identify stress in self and others
• Excellent written and verbal skills
• Ability to organise and prioritise own and other workloads
• Understanding of skills and knowledge required to lead and develop team members
• Resource management
• Ability to take the lead in the promotion of evidence-based practice
• Excellent IT skills, including Word, Excel, Power-point, and Outlook

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.

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust