In June 2025, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care introduced two key frameworks: the Population Health Framework and the Service Renewal Framework (SRF). The SRF sets out an ambitious vision to drive innovation and enable more integrated delivery across Scotland’s health and care services. As part of this transformation, NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) and NHS Education for Scotland (NES) will come together to form a new organisation: Public Services Delivery Scotland in April 2026. The new organisation will play a pivotal role in supporting the renewal and long‑term sustainability of health and care services across Scotland.
To learn more about the new organisation, please read the public consultation paper, NHS Delivery – A New National Delivery Organisation, available on the Scottish Government website.
Hours: Part Time – 6 sessions per week (24 hours)
Duration: Permanent
Salary Scale: CRUMP or Consultant
Flexible Location: NES is a remote friendly employer supporting office, remote and hybrid working. We’re happy to talk about how you want to work.
Who We Are
NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is a national special Health Board with a vision of Quality Education for a Healthier Scotland, and a mission to provide education that enables excellence in healthcare for the people of Scotland through the themes of an excellent workforce, improved quality, new models of care, enhanced educational infrastructure and an improved organisation. The work of the organisation is underpinned by the NHS Scotland Quality strategy, and the 2020 Vision for health and social care.
NES has leads for each of the key professional groups in the NHS, organised within a Directorate structure. The Medical Director has particular responsibility for medical education and training in addition to wider corporate and multi‑professional responsibilities. The postholder has a key strategic role in supporting this work, through the provision of leadership at UK, Scottish, and regional levels, contributing to the strategic development of postgraduate medical education and the wider NHS workforce.
Key Responsibilities
* Contributing to the vision of NES and to enhance patient care by providing leadership and direction with respect to the quality of education and training
* To be an advocate and a positive role model on behalf of NES, by promoting leadership that inspires, motivates and empowers all staff, and demonstrating the values of the NHS.
* Working with Health Board Medical Directors, Directors of Medical Education and others to support and capture innovation locally and share best practice.
* Leading a team of Associate Postgraduate Deans (APGD) to execute the NES strategy across specialty groupings
* Managing APGDs in the development and delivery of specialty programmes and projects across the organisation that assist in the delivery of NES’ strategic priorities
* Working with APGDs and TPDs to implement NES strategy around how we meet population health needs
What You’ll Bring
Medically qualified with a background in primary or secondary care or public health and the relevant experience and understanding of postgraduate medical education, the postholder will require high levels of strategic thinking, influencing, negotiating and partnership working skills combined with a visible and dynamic leadership which is exercised in a local and national context. They must have the presence, credibility and stature to lead for NES and the Directorate in our most complex national environment and contribute to the leadership and development of a strategically highly significant Directorate which impacts directly on the delivery of clinical care and patient safety.
Key Attributes
* Good understanding of the context for undergraduate and postgraduate medical education in Scotland, the NHS and a strong grasp of all aspects of clinical career development
* In‑depth knowledge of education training and development systems and processes in health care systems
* Considerable leadership and management experience at a senior level in the NHS or related sector with a demonstrable track record of delivery.
* Sound knowledge of integrated multiprofessional approach to the practice of governance in healthcare.
* Proven track record of leading change within complex systems
* Successful initiation and facilitation of strategic partnership working and alliances through excellent relationship management skills
* Commitment to NES diversity and equality agenda
* Can demonstrate a sound knowledge of integrated multiprofessional approach to governance.
Informal enquiries may be directed to:
Prof Emma Watson, Executive Medical Director, NHS Education for Scotland.
E‑mail: nes.emdoffice@nhs.scot
For further information please refer to the Job Information Pack below.
Unless otherwise stated the deadline for applications is 23:59 hours on the closing date.
Closing date: 24th March 2026
Interview date: 9th April 2026
1. Please be advised that if you are successful in being offered the role following the recruitment process, you will be expected to attend the office prior to your start date to complete face‑to‑face pre‑employment checks. If you require any adjustments to support this, please let us know.
2. To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigration Service.
As part of the pre‑employment checks for a preferred candidate, NHS Scotland Boards will check your entitlement to work in the UK. It can be evidenced through a number of routes including specific types of visa as well as EU settled and pre‑settled status. To find out more about these routes of permission, please refer to the GOV.UK website here.
For specific types of post, if you do not have the necessary eligibility to work in the UK, it might be possible (though not guaranteed) to secure sponsorship via a UK Skilled Worker/Health & Care Worker Visa. However, this is only possible if the employer is a licensed Sponsor, and if the post does not fall below the current minimum salary threshold or ‘going rate’. Further information on these criteria can be found here.
It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form.
If you have any queries regarding the NHS Scotland National Recruitment Portal or the recruitment process, please don't hesitate to contact our recruitment partners, the East Region Recruitment Service, at EoS.ERRS@nhs.scot.
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