We are offering an exciting 6‑month secondment for a Head of Midwifery (HoM) or an experienced Deputy HoM who is a compassionate, visionary leader ready to make a real impact.
This is a pivotal opportunity to join the Women’s & Children’s Clinical Management Group (CMG) at University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) during a period of significant transformation.
UHL is on a dynamic improvement journey, underpinned by an established Perinatal Safety Improvement Programme, a strong commitment to addressing health inequalities, and the complexity of delivering care across multiple sites. This secondment will play a critical role in accelerating progress and embedding sustainable change.
This is a unique opportunity to influence the future of maternity and neonatal care at UHL, working alongside the Director of Midwifery and Deputy Chief Nurse to provide visible clinical and professional leadership for nursing, midwifery, and care support teams.
What We’re Looking For
* A Registered Midwife with proven success in a senior leadership role.
* A leader who embodies authentic, value‑based, and compassionate leadership, with the ability to inspire and support teams through change.
* Someone who thrives in a complex, multi‑site environment and is passionate about equity, safety, and quality improvement.
You’ll be working alongside the Head of Nursing and CMG Senior Leadership Team to:
* Provide strategic and professional leadership for maternity and neonatal services, ensuring delivery of safe, high‑quality, and personalised care.
* Lead the implementation of national and regional priorities, embedding continuous improvement and quality assurance across all pathways.
* Strengthen clinical governance frameworks, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and promoting a culture of learning and accountability.
* Champion workforce planning and development, supporting recruitment, retention, and resilience to meet service demands.
* Drive cultural transformation, fostering an inclusive, compassionate environment for staff and families.
* Oversee operational performance, including demand and capacity planning, escalation processes, and safety huddles to maintain safe staffing and flow.
* Collaborate across multi‑site services, ensuring consistency, equity, and alignment with UHL’s improvement journey and regional strategies.
Our new strategy, developed with the support and feedback of colleagues, patients, and partners, is our compass for the next seven years (2023‑2030).
We have four primary goals:
* High‑quality care for all.
* Being a great place to work.
* Partnerships for impact.
* Research and education excellence.
And we will embed health equality in all we do – taking active steps to reduce the avoidable differences in healthcare that some people face, working in partnership with communities.
Our strategy is underpinned by new values and we will work to ensure they are an everyday reality for all:
* We are compassionate.
* We are proud.
* We are inclusive.
* We are one team.
This is an exciting moment as we look to the future with clarity on what we already do well and where we need to focus our energies to make an even bigger difference for the people we serve.
About the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
https://www.uhleicester.nhs.uk
The Head of Midwifery will work with the Head of Nursing and Midwifery to take responsibility for line management of the deputy Heads of Midwifery, Consultant Midwives / Nurses, Clinical Nurse Specialists, and Matrons. This will involve developing professional practice and enacting key human resources policies.
The Heads of Midwifery and Nursing collectively are responsible for the oversight of over 500 midwives, nurses and support staff. The post holder will support the management team and CMG leads to plan, develop, monitor and review the recruitment, deployment and management of nursing and midwifery staff in the CMG, and ensure there is robust oversight in supporting senior nurses and midwives in the implementation of methods, processes and systems for recruiting, deploying and managing people which support the organisation’s vision, values, strategies and objectives.
Please see job description / person specification for full details on the role.
Due to current operational demands and vacancies in key roles, an immediate or swift start would be ideal; however, this is not essential for the right candidate. Applicants are encouraged to discuss potential release arrangements with their line manager at the earliest opportunity.
At the conclusion of the secondment, there may be an opportunity to apply for a permanent Head of Midwifery role, subject to organisational requirements and through a competitive recruitment process. This provides a potential longer‑term career opportunity for candidates considering a secondment from another organisation.
This advert closes on Thursday 22 Jan 2026.
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