Divisional Director of AHPs and Nursing

Job summary

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an exceptional and experienced Divisional Director of Allied Health Professionals and Nursing to join the Clinical Support Services (CSS) Division leadership team.

CSS is a complex and strategically critical division, bringing together services including Critical Care, Anaesthetics, Pre-operative Assessment, Pain, Outpatients, Radiology, Pathology, and Pharmacy. The role is also expected to be pivotal in leading all Allied Health Professionals across the Trust. This role will provide visible, values-based professional leadership across these services and professional groups, ensuring the highest standards of patient care, safety, and experience.

This role offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of Clinical Support Services at scale, influencing Trust-wide workforce and service models. The successful candidate will join the Division at a pivotal moment, with a clear mandate and strong executive support to realise a number of significant opportunities for improvement–both within CSS and across the wider Trust. This is an exceptional opportunity to drive meaningful change, lead transformation at pace, and make a lasting impact on patient care, workforce sustainability and organisational performance.

Main duties of the job

• Provide professional leadership for allied health professionals, nursing and associated workforce across the CSS Division
• Lead on quality, safety, and patient experience, ensuring robust governance and assurance arrangements are in place
• Drive improvement in clinical outcomes, operational performance, and productivity
• Act as a senior leader within the Division, contributing to Trust-wide leadership forums and decision-making
• Ensure delivery of regulatory standards (CQC, NHS England) and internal governance requirements
• Lead and embed continuous quality improvement, supporting innovation and best practice
• Work collaboratively with clinical, operational and corporate colleagues to deliver integrated service improvement
• Lead a comprehensive Trust-wide review of Allied Health Professional (AHP) services
• Assess current structures, workforce models, productivity and alignment to patient pathways
• Provide a clearstrategic framework and recommendations to optimise the AHP workforce across OUH
• Support implementation of agreed changes, ensuring clinical engagement, workforce sustainability, and improved patient outcomes

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• RN Level 1 or equivalent allied health care professional standard
• Masters Degree or equivalent
• Evidence of further academic/personal development
• Education/Mentorship qualification

Desirable

• Postgraduate management/ further study qualification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working within the NHS within an acute hospital environment, preferably a teaching hospital.
• Substantial nurse or AHP management experience in an acute setting
• Recent experience in managing clinical services.
• Knowledge and understanding of clinical governance gained from experience of working with such systems.
• Experience of managing services, including finance & Budget management, business and HR
• Evidence of service innovation
• Fully conversant with the national nursing agenda and the impact of national initiatives on the profession
• Fully conversant with governance, risk, quality and patient safety agenda
• Evidence of having developed and implemented new initiatives, including multi-professional working
• Evidence of strategic working
• Presentation skills
• The ability to work in a challenging and busy environment.

Desirable

• Experience of change management
• Experience of working within a devolved management structure
• Previous experience as a Divisional Head of Nursing or Deputy

Management Style

Essential

• See management as an open, involving and participative process.
• Have good insight and be able to handle constructive criticism.
• Proven ability to work in partnership with managers and other professionals
• Demonstrate tenacity in dealing with issues.
• Demonstrate the ability to hold colleagues to account.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Have the capacity to analyse problems in a logical and structured way, generating optional and innovative solutions and adapting approaches to problem-solving to achieve sustainable outcomes.
• Be able to anticipate problems, to understand the driving forces behind problems, or potential problems and being able to identify and use levers to achieve change.
• Be skilled in influencing and negotiating internally and externally and using these skills to gain the best deal for the Trust and the clinical services.
• Have the ability to understand and interpret clinical decisions for others and make informed judgements concerning clinical priorities.
• Be articulate and skilled in presenting ideas to others.
• Have the proven ability to operate and think laterally at operational and strategic levels, with good analytical skills.
• Be articulate with practised and developed communication and presentation skills.
• Be innovative and responsive to change.
• Be industrious and versatile.
• Be tactful, diplomatic and at ease with all kinds of people.
• Demonstrate an understanding of quality assurance activity

Closing Date: 5 August 2026