Job overview
This vacancy will close at 09:00, Monday 1st September 2025
Rated ‘Good’ by the CQC and Ofsted, North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust provides 24 hour, 365 days a year Urgent and Emergency Care to those in need of immediate medical treatment, and where necessary, transport to the most appropriate receiving hospital/centre. As the geographically largest Ambulance Service in the UK, our 8000 staff and volunteers in over 300 different roles serve a population of more than 7.5 million people across Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, and part of Derbyshire. Each year we receive approximately 1.4 million 999 calls, respond to just under 1 million emergency incidents, and make more than 1.4 million patient transport journeys for those who require non-emergency transport to and from healthcare appointments. We also deliver the NHS 111 service across the region for people who need medical help or advice, handling around 1.7 million calls every year.
This is an outstanding opportunity to join our Trust as the Executive Director of Quality, a critical member of our leadership team. Reporting directly to our Chief Executive, Salman Desai, you will be at the forefront of ensuring patient safety as the highest priority whilst shaping the future of our Trust. Your strategic leadership will drive excellence across quality, assurance, innovation, and improvement, ensuring that our services are not only safe and effective but also person-centred and equitable.
Main duties of the job
As a member of the Executive Team, you will define and deliver a compelling vision for quality governance, patient safety, and compliance, fostering a culture of continuous learning and transformation. You will be responsible for patient safety and effectiveness, regulatory compliance, and provide professional clinical leadership for the Nursing, Midwifery, and Mental Health workforce. You will lead the development of strategic plans to enhance care pathways, address safety risks, improve service delivery, and embed a robust culture of innovation and improvement.
As an inclusive, creative, and clinically qualified senior leader, you will bring extensive expertise in clinical governance, quality processes, and patient safety. With significant senior leadership experience at or near board level, you will excel at managing change in complex, dynamic, and unionised environments. A skilled communicator and collaborative team player, you will work closely with internal and external stakeholders across the health and care landscape.
The Trust is entering an exciting phase with a recent change in leadership, and the successful candidate will play a pivotal role in shaping a future that places patient safety and quality at the heart of everything we do.
Working for our organisation
Our highly skilled staff provide life-saving care to patients in the community and take people to hospital or a place of care if needed.
We also provide non-emergency patient transport services for those patients who require non-emergency transport to and from hospital and who are unable to travel unaided because of their medical condition or clinical need.
Alongside the other emergency services, we also work to ensure the safety of the public and treatment of patients in the event of a major incident.
We also deliver the NHS 111 service in the North West. NHS 111 replaced NHS Direct in 2013. This service was introduced to make it easier for people to access local NHS healthcare services in England. It provides non-emergency medical help fast, and is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. As a member of the Executive Team
Person specification
Qualifications and Education
Essential criteria
1. Educated to Masters degree level or equivalent knowledge through experience.
2. Strong evidence of continuing personal & professional development
3. Knowledge of specialist change management/quality improvement, developed through practical experience, post graduate training or short courses
4. Registered Nurse / Midwife or Allied Health Professional
Skills and Abilities
Essential criteria
5. Ability to translate strategic goals into effective and achievable operational plans
6. Effective negotiating and influencing skills – ability to effectively manage critical relationships
7. Highly developed communication skills with the ability to communicate on highly complex matters and in challenging situations to a range of audiences
8. High level analytical skills with the ability to develop and interpret quantitative and qualitative data to draw appropriate conclusions and drive action
9. High level critical thinking skills
10. Leadership, vision, strategic thinking and planning with highly developed political skills
11. Intellectual flexibility, including the ability to understand both operational detail and long term strategic vision
12. Innovative and creative – able to foster and nurture change whilst effectively managing risk
13. Ability to cope with ambiguity and perform through uncertainty
14. Planning and organisation to ensure appropriate structures and delivery of work to ensure progress, value for money and assurance.
Knowledge and Experience
Essential criteria
15. Up to date and specialist knowledge and experience across the full range of activities and areas undertaken by the post holder.
16. Experience of leading building effective multi-disciplinary teams and networks including across organisational boundaries
17. Experience of managing in a unionised environment
18. Significant experience of leading & implementing major transformation programmes
19. Has business planning, objective setting and performance management experience
20. Proven programme and project management experience
Behaviours
Essential criteria
21. Has a visible, inclusive & credible leadership style
22. Experience of successfully driving through change in a complex service delivery and stakeholder environment
23. Excellent relationship development and networking across internal and external stakeholders
24. Strong commitment to promoting equal opportunities and diversity
25. Personal resilience
26. Results orientated – takes personal accountability, is proactive and action orientated
27. Professional integrity – demonstrates and promotes Trust values
28. Meets fit and proper persons requirements, including Board level competencies