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NHS England; Plymouth; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Part time

Job summary

NHS England is seeking a Specialty Training Programme Director for General Surgery to lead the delivery of the regional training programme, in partnership with the Head of School for Surgery. This senior educator role is offered on a 40% secondment basis from an NHS Trust in the South West.

The successful candidate will drive learner supervision, assessment and experience, foster faculty engagement, and secure high-quality educational outcomes across the South West region, working within NHS

Qualifications

• Senior clinician with understanding of education and training across the region.
• Strong leadership and communication skills.
• Experience working in NHS or multi-professional teams.

Responsibilities

• Improve learner supervision, assessment and experience.
• Engage faculty and ensure educational outcomes.
• Collaborate with Head of School for Surgery and other TPDs.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Education & training

Stakeholder management

Job description

Specialty Training Programme Director for General Surgery | NHS England

The role of Specialty Training Programme Director for General Surgery within the South West School of Surgery will work with and support the Head of School for Surgery in leading the delivery of a wide range of functions, aligned to the NHS England mandate and long-term workforce plan.

There are two general surgery TPDs for the South West and the successful applicant will work closely with the other incumbent to manage the whole of the general surgery training programme across the whole of the south west. We would welcome applications from candidates across the South West region.

The rolewill focus upon improvement of learner supervision, assessment and experience, engagement of faculty and ensuring effective educational outcomes, both now and in the future.

The appointment will be made on the basis of a part-time secondment to NHS England, alongside existing employment with an NHS Trust in the South West geographical footprint.

This is a senior educator position appointed on a secondment basis until 31 March 2027.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced clinician with a thorough understanding of education and training across the region. They will also have strong leadership and communication skills and be able to work effectively as a member of a multi-professional team.

NHS England has a wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers. These are focused on supporting the wider NHS to deliver high quality care, as well as doing those things that are best done once for the whole NHS.

Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms — enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.

In March 2025,the Government announcedthat NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will increasingly merge functions, ultimately leading to NHS England being fully integrated into the department.

If you currently work within the NHS and if successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.

Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in our offices.

We cannot offer visa sponsorship for any vacancies.

You can find further details about the job, organisational structure, recruitment profile, expected outcomes and benefits information in the Job Description and other supporting documents.

Secondments

This advert closes on Sunday 18 Oct 2026