Director of Dental Education (DDE)
Closing date: 01 April 2026
We are seeking an experienced senior clinical leader/Consultant to take on the role of Director of Dental Education (DDE) at the Eastman Dental Hospital, UCLH. The post provides senior leadership for Dental Education, supporting NHSE WTE-funded trainees as well as NIHR-funded and University learners. The DDE will lead the Dental Education Strategy, ensuring alignment with the wider UCLH education vision, and oversee the quality, delivery and continuous improvement of all dental training programmes.
You will work closely with programme directors, educational supervisors and the Associate Director of Dental Education to ensure training meets regulatory standards, supports high‑quality patient care and is fully integrated with clinical service needs. The role includes supporting Dental Care Professional education, collaborating with EDH senior leaders and ensuring governance standards are met. You will chair key educational groups, monitor education quality, respond to NHSE quality processes and provide assurance to the Medical Director.
This role requires strong leadership, excellent communication skills and significant experience in dental education. You will help shape the future of the dental workforce and contribute to maintaining UCLH as a centre of excellence for dental training.
Main duties of the job
The Director of Dental Education provides senior clinical leadership for Dental Education, ensuring it aligns with UCLH's vision for excellent patient care and high‑quality training. The role ensures Dental Education is fully integrated within the Trust and Divisional education strategies, providing regular assurance to the Medical Director and close liaison with the Divisional Clinical Director. Responsibilities include leading the Dental Education Strategy and Local Faculty Groups, representing UCLH at NHSE WTE and Trust‑wide education forums, and overseeing recruitment, governance and quality assurance. The post holder line‑manages key educational leads and supports Educational Supervisors, trainees and trainers through guidance, pastoral care and effective resolution of issues, including exceptional circumstances and serious incidents. They will oversee commissioned training places, ratify trainee and supervisor data, review exception reports, and ensure all programmes meet quality standards. Working with staff development teams, they will also help shape leadership training for Dental Healthcare Professionals in Training.
About us
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is one of the most complex NHS trusts in the UK, serving a large and diverse population. We provide academically led acute and specialist services, to people from the local area, from throughout the United Kingdom and overseas. Our vision is to deliver top‑quality patient care, excellent education, and world‑class research.
We provide first‑class acute and specialist services across eight sites:
* University College Hospital (incorporating the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Wing)
* National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
* Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals
* University College Hospital Grafton Way Building
* Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine
* University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre
* The Hospital for Tropical Diseases
* University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street
We are committed to sustainability and have pledged to become a carbon net zero health service, embedding sustainable practice throughout UCLH. We have set an ambitious target of net zero for our direct emissions by 2031 and indirect emissions by 2040.
Job responsibilities
For the full Person Specification and more information regarding the main responsibilities of this role, please refer to the attached Job Description.
The Director of Dental Education (DDE) is responsible for leading, maintaining and advancing high‑quality Dental Education at the Eastman Dental Hospital (EDH) and UCLH for all NHSE WTE‑funded trainees, as well as supporting NIHR‑funded and University trainees. The post holder ensures Dental Education is fully represented at Board level through the Medical Director, reflecting the complexity and specialist nature of dental training.
The DDE develops and delivers the local Dental Education Strategy, ensuring alignment with UCLH's wider Education Strategy and the Medical Directors strategic vision. They oversee the quality, provision and continual improvement of all Dental Education programmes so that trainees become competent, capable practitioners who meet patient needs and service requirements. A central function is ensuring that education is fully integrated with clinical service delivery, both operationally and strategically. The DDE works closely with programme directors and educational supervisors to manage training pathways, ensuring equality, safety, quality and a strong patient‑centred approach. They also ensure compliance with all reporting and quality requirements associated with the NHS Education Funding Agreement.
The role includes oversight and educational leadership for Dental Care Professionals, including hygiene and therapy teams, and requires close partnership with senior clinical and managerial colleagues across EDH to ensure the delivery of high‑quality specialty training. The DDE collaborates with EDI trainers and governance leads to ensure adherence to clinical governance standards and protocols. They lead key educational groups, including the Local Faculty Groups (LFGs) and the Education Strategy Group (ESG), and ensure that all trainers meet professional development expectations, including participation in formal educational appraisal.
The DDE works closely with the Associate Director of Dental Education, the Divisional Clinical Director and the Divisional Manager to ensure regulatory compliance, strategic alignment and operational delivery of Dental Education across the organisation. The role involves extensive partnership working across UCLH, the University, and NHSE, maintaining productive relationships and contributing to wider improvement in dental training.
Key working relationships include the Medical Director for Education, Chief Executive, Directors of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical Education, the EDH Clinical Director and Divisional Manager, UCL dental education leads, educational supervisors, trainee representatives, the hygiene and therapy leadership team, finance, workforce, quality and safety teams, the Guardian of Safe Working Hours and the UCLP PGDME Board. These relationships support successful delivery, governance, and development of Dental Education across the Trust.
Key result areas include leadership of the Dental Education agenda across EDH and UCLH, ensuring compliance with GDC standards and alignment with the strategic goals of EDH, UCL and NHSE WTE. The DDE assures the quality and delivery of all dental training programmes and embeds education within the organisations core business. They ensure the Trust fulfils its obligations under the NHS Education Funding Agreement and lead all NHSE‑related quality visits, action plans, and surveys. They work with the Junior Staff Committee to ensure trainee representation, support financial oversight of PGDE funding, and ensure the training and accreditation of educational supervisors and dental educators. The DDE provides leadership for the Overseas Registration Examinations (ORE) and promotes innovation in educational delivery, supporting new models of education and cross‑boundary multidisciplinary collaboration.
Main duties include providing clinical leadership that supports the Trusts vision for excellent patient care and education; ensuring Dental Education is reflected in corporate strategy; providing assurance to the Medical Director; and ensuring alignment between Dental Education and the Divisions core business. The DDE line‑manages senior educational leads and attends regular meetings with NHSE WTE and UCLH committees. They chair ESG and LFG meetings, support ORE delivery and provide regular updates to the Education Governance Committee.
They ratify NHSE‑required trainee and supervisor data, support supervisors and education leads, contribute to induction, and maintain regular engagement with trainee representatives. Responsibilities include recruitment into educational posts, pastoral care for trainees and trainers, handling exceptional circumstances and extensions, supporting trainees involved in serious incidents or complaints, and coordinating support for trainees in difficulty. The DDE oversees commissioned training places, reviews exception reports relating to missed educational opportunities, ensures Quality Dashboard updates, and works with the Staff Development Team to deliver leadership training for Dental Healthcare Professionals in Training.
Come and be a part of the best NHS trust in England to work for.
Person Specification
Knowledge and Qualifications
* Practising at UCLH at a senior level within dentistry (including honorary UCLH contract): this will include dental consultants and dental care professionals in senior leadership roles
* Educational research and publication in peer‑reviewed journals
* Working knowledge and understanding of use of simulation and technology‑enhanced learning in Dental Education
* Formal training in coaching skills
Skills and Abilities
* Evidence of theoretical and practical skills in Dental Education
* Demonstrates commitment to multi‑disciplinary working with collaborative leadership and appropriate delegation
* Able to work across organisational and professional boundaries.
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.
Address
Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals, UCLH
Remuneration
£109,725 to £145,478 a year plus London weighting, pro‑rata
Contract
Fixed term
Duration
36 months
Working pattern
Part‑time
Reference number
309-UCLH-7612
Job locations
Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals, UCLH
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