Specialty Head of School for Psychiatry

NHS ENGLAND; Folly Gate; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS England is seeking an outstanding Head of School in Psychiatry to work across the South West on a 1.5 session per week secondment basis, flexibly. The contract runs to 31 October 2027 and aligns with the Consultant Job Plan.

The post focuses on learner supervision, assessment and experience, faculty engagement, and delivering high-quality educational outcomes now and in the future. The ideal candidate will be an experienced clinician with leadership, education expertise, and the ability to

Qualifications

• Experience leading education and training across a region.
• Strong leadership and communication skills.
• Ability to work within a multi-professional team.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of education functions aligned to NHS England mandate.
• Improve learner supervision, assessment and experience.
• Engage faculty and ensure high-quality educational outcomes now and in the future.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Multi-professional teamwork

Educational governance

Education

Consultant-level clinician with education leadership

Job description

An outstanding individual is sought to fulfil the role of Head of School in Psychiatry working across the South West.

The post will be available on the basis of a secondment arrangement from their host institution to NHS England - 1.5 sessions per week (6 hours), worked flexibly. The contract is until the 31 October 2027 in the first instance.

All work undertaken should be incorporated into the Consultant Job Plan. The role of Head of School is to work with and support the Postgraduate Dean in leading the delivery of a wide range of functions, aligned to the NHS England mandate.

The Head of School is professionally and managerially accountable to the Postgraduate Dean. The Head of School will focus upon improvement of learner supervision, assessment and experience, engagement of faculty and ensuring effective educational outcomes, both now and in the future.

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 announced that 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.