Deputy Director of Midwifery

Job summary We are seeking an inspiring, visible Deputy Director of Midwifery to help lead a dynamic, progressive maternity and gynaecology service. This senior role requires a confident clinical leader with deep knowledge of the national maternity and neonatal landscape, a commitment to evidence‑based practice, and the ability to drive improvement across complex services. Working alongside the Director of Midwifery, you will shape the future of care for women, birthing people and families, ensuring safe, high‑quality pathways across acute and community settings. You will lead innovation, champion inclusion, promote a culture of civility and professional excellence, and support our teams to deliver outstanding experiences. As part of one of England's largest hospital trusts, you will contribute to strategic planning, service redesign and improvement programmes, ensuring our maternity, neonatal and gynaecology services continue to move forward with compassion, ambition and integrity. Main duties of the job Reporting to the Director of Midwifery, you will hold operational responsibility for workforce, clinical quality, financial stewardship and delivery of Trust‑wide objectives. You will lead governance across maternity and gynaecology, oversee incident management, strengthen learning systems and ensure compliance with CQC and regulatory standards. The role includes driving continuous quality improvement, embedding evidence‑based practice, reducing variation and supporting safe staffing through robust workforce planning. You will provide visible leadership to midwives, gynaecology nurses and neonatal teams, manage senior staff and support performance, recruitment, retention and culture initiatives. You will contribute to strategic planning, lead service transformation, ensure effective reporting to divisional and Trust committees, and deputise at internal and external meetings. On‑call responsibilities will be required, and you will act as a key leader in building safe, compassionate, high‑performing services. About us We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference'. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It is about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day‑to‑day. We are looking for compassionate people to join our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day. Please note that if you require a Certificate of Sponsorship to work in the UK you must declare this on your application form, even if you currently have a certificate of sponsorship or a work permit for another role and are already working in the country. We are only able to sponsor candidates on a Skilled Worker Visa applying for roles Band 5 and above. Job responsibilities Please scroll down to access the full Job Description and Person Specification located in Documents to download. If you have further queries, please do not hesitate to contact the line manager using the contact details below. Person Specification Qualifications and Training Registered Midwife Educated to degree level in relevant subject area Recognised management qualification or equivalent experience Desirable Registered Nurse Master's degree in a relevant subject area with evidence of further development following completion of MSc level study Professional Midwifery Advisor Clinical skills and experience Extensive Senior NHS management experience, with evidence of strong, positive and inclusive leadership behaviours Experience of working and delivering trust‑wide professional objectives, budgetary management and workforce development Experience of risk management and Quality assurance Substantial evidence of leading and delivering successful change and initiating developments Complaints handling Extensive experience in managing multi‑professional groups Experience of managing complex services Management of budgets Change management and team growth and building Experience in skill mix and establishment reviews Governance Knowledge of quality, standard setting, and research‑based nursing and midwifery practice Knowledge of clinical governance and risk management processes, safeguarding and infection control Personal Qualities Self‑awareness Cultural awareness and intelligence Commitment to team working Creative, lateral thinker and motivated Ability to lead and develop a large team Skilled at communicating and working with a group of patients and users Organisation, management and strategic planning skills Negotiating skills Team building skills Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills. Able to communicate complex or sensitive information clearly and sensitively with a wide range of patients, in situations where there may be barriers to understanding (for example, families with language barriers, anxiety or under high distress). 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. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website. From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. #J-18808-Ljbffr