Medical HR Team Leader

University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust; Southampton; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust is seeking a Medical HR Team Leader to lead the Medical Recruitment team and deliver a high-quality, customer-focused recruitment service for doctors across the Trust.

You will oversee day-to-day operations, ensuring compliant and efficient processes in line with NHS standards, while working with stakeholders to improve recruitment and workforce strategies.

Qualifications

• Experience leading a recruitment/HR team within the NHS or similar healthcare setting.
• Knowledge of NHS recruitment processes, pre-employment checks and visa/work requirements.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with senior stakeholders.
• Experience of delivering recruitment objectives/KPIs and campaigns.
• Understanding of employment law and UK Visas & Immigration regulations.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Medical Recruitment team to deliver a professional, customer-focused service.
• Collaborate with the Recruitment Leadership Team to identify improvements and service development.
• Manage visa responsibilities, sponsorships and work for doctors employed by the Trust.
• Ensure processes comply with NHS Employment Checks and UKVI regulations.
• Monitor team performance against KPIs and provide guidance and development.

Skills

Recruitment leadership

NHS recruitment

Stakeholder engagement

Compliance knowledge

Sourcing strategies

Pre-employment checks

Education

Degree or equivalent

CIPD Level 5 or equivalent

Tools

ESR experience

Job description

University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust

Medical HR Team Leader

The closing date is 05 November 2026

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Contract type: Permanent

Under current Home Office rules, this role is not eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship.

Please be advised that this vacancy may close earlier than stated if we receive a large number of applications.

Main duties of the job

This is an exciting opportunity to join our Medical Recruitment team for an experienced recruitment or HR professional looking to take the next step in their leadership career. You will lead and support a dedicated Medical Recruitment team, overseeing the delivery of a high-quality, customer-focused recruitment service for doctors across the Trust.

As Recruitment Team Leader, you will lead the day-to-day operational management of the Medical Recruitment team, ensuring the delivery of a responsive, efficient and high-quality recruitment service for medical and dental staff across the Trust. You will work closely with recruiting managers, candidates and senior stakeholders to ensure recruitment processes are delivered effectively, compliantly and in line with national standards.

The role offers the opportunity to make a real difference to the recruitment and employment of doctors at one of the UK's leading teaching hospitals. You will play a key role in supporting the Trust's workforce objectives, improving recruitment processes and helping us attract and appoint high-quality medical professionals who deliver exceptional patient care.

The Medical Recruitment team is responsible for the recruitment and employment of medical and dental staff, including consultants, residents, fellows, and locum doctors. The team supports the effective deployment of the medical workforce, helping the Trust meet its strategic objectives while ensuring an outstanding experience for both candidates and hiring managers.

About us

As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to. UHS is rated 'Good' by the CQC and in the latest national NHS Staff Survey, we were in the top 10 acute trusts for staff engagement and for staff recommending the hospital as a place to work or receive care.

We support flexible working and will consider requests taking into account the needs of the service. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.

Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 30% lower than London and 17 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalising your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

Job responsibilities

In this role, your key responsibilities will include: Lead, support and develop the Medical Recruitment team, ensuring the delivery of a professional, customer-focused recruitment service. Work collaboratively with the wider Recruitment Leadership Team to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and service development. Management of the visa holders, certificate of sponsorships and related work for doctors employed by the trust. Ensure recruitment processes are delivered in line with NHS Employment Check Standards, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) legislation and Trust policies. Monitor team performance against key performance indicators (KPIs), ensuring high standards of service delivery and compliance are maintained. Provide day-to-day leadership, guidance and support to team members, including managing performance, wellbeing, appraisals, training and development. Develop effective working relationships with recruiting managers and senior stakeholders across the organisation. Provide specialist advice on recruitment processes, advertising, selection methods, contracts of employment and medical terms and conditions. Support the management of medical workforce recruitment activity, including recruitment campaigns, vacancy management and onboarding processes.

We're looking for someone who is enthusiastic, organised and committed to delivering an exceptional recruitment experience.You will have: Experience working within a recruitment, resourcing or HR environment. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build credibility and strong working relationships at all levels. Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities within a busy operational environment. A proactive and solution-focused approach to work. Knowledge and understanding of recruitment processes and best practice. Experience of monitoring and maintaining compliance with pre-employment checks and employment standards.

Person Specification

Qualifications, knowledge and experience

• Evidence of continuing personal and professional development.
• Educated to degree level, or equivalent relevant experience and knowledge.
• Experience of delivering a range of talent attraction, sourcing and recruitment solutions to meet specific hiring needs
• Proven background using effective sourcing methods to hire for niche and hard to fill roles
• Experience using a variety of recruitment attraction tools and methods, including for example LinkedIn and Facebook.
• Experience of delivering recruitment objectives/ KPIs
• Experience of designing recruitment campaigns to attract diverse talent, both active and passive, across multiple channels/ platforms
• Experience of undertaking pre-employment checks and monitoring performance and compliance
• Experience of leading and/or supervising an operational team
• Good understanding of employment law, and UK Visa & Immigration regulations.
• Experience of delivering training to groups of individuals
• Previous experience of medical staffing recruitment
• Electronic Staff Record (ESR) experience.
• Evidence of advising on NHS conditions of service and Trust policies & procedures
• CIPD Level 5 or equivalent

Trust Values

• Patients First
• Always Improving
• Working Together

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.

University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust