Deputy Director of Midwifery
Closing date: 27 May 2026.
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us. Please see below for the detailed job description of the role.
Main duties of the job
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced, compassionate and credible senior midwifery leader to join University Hospital Southampton as Deputy Director of Midwifery.
In this key senior role, you will deputise for the Director of Midwifery and provide professional and operational leadership across our maternity services, supporting the delivery of safe, high‑quality, personalised care and leading our contribution to national maternity priorities.
You will:
* Deputise for the Director of Midwifery, providing senior leadership and assurance across quality, safety, governance and performance;
* Lead with a strong operational presence, ensuring safe, effective and evidence‑based maternity care across midwifery‑led and obstetric‑led pathways;
* Take a senior role within workforce planning, recruitment and retention, ensuring services meet national safe staffing expectations;
* Provide leadership and oversight of women and birthing peoples’ experience, complaints handling and learning, ensuring feedback drives improvement;
* Represent the Trust across the regional maternity footprint, supporting delivery of the national maternity transformation agenda in partnership with maternity care providers;
* Work collaboratively with senior clinical, operational and corporate colleagues to progress service developments aligned to professional, clinical and organisational priorities;
* Provide effective budgetary oversight, including control of temporary staffing and supporting value‑based use of resources.
You will be a registered midwife with significant experience working at senior level within maternity services and a strong understanding of the national maternity agenda.
You will bring:
* Substantial leadership experience within a complex maternity service, including working with senior clinical and managerial teams;
* Credible professional leadership with the ability to influence, motivate and support others through change;
* Excellent communication skills, with the confidence to provide senior advice, judgement and assurance;
* Strong skills in negotiation, facilitation, coaching and relationship building across organisational and system boundaries;
* The ability to balance operational delivery with strategic thinking in a dynamic and high‑profile clinical environment.
Person Specification
Qualifications / training required
* Registered Midwife on the relevant part of the NMC Register
* Educated to master’s degree or post‑registration qualification or equivalent professional qualification/experience
Physical requirements of the post
* Ability to get to place of work, including travel to all four UHS sites and external organisations
Previous or relevant experience necessary
* Evidence of continuous personal and career development
* Experience in developing service culture that promotes clinical engagement in decision making and leading continuous change, and improvement in maternity services, encouraging the use of new technologies
* Evidence of some experience of service innovation and development
* Evidence of change experience/managing difficult and complex change
* A track record of achievement in:
o Effective performance management
o Introducing robust systems and processes
o Facilitation of groups
* Evidence of some understanding of health service issues, strategy and national policy agenda as it affects provider services
* Experience of financial/budgetary management
* Experience of working with external partners to design and implement strategic change
* Experience of organisational development and culture change programmes
Special requirements of the post
* Ability to travel for national and regional commitments as well as between PAH, UHS, NFBC and community settings
* Ability to work flexible hours and fulfil commitments of on‑call / site management role
Values and behaviours
* Patients First
* Always Improving
* Working Together
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.
University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust
£79,504 to £91,609 a year per annum or pro rata.
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