Midwifery Director: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (STH) is one of the largest and most respected NHS organisations in the country, employing over 20,000 colleagues and providing local, regional and specialist services to more than two million people across South Yorkshire and beyond. With a strong reputation for clinical excellence, teaching, research and innovation, we are committed to delivering outstanding care and improving outcomes for the communities we serve.

Our maternity, gynaecology and neonatal services are central to this ambition. As home to one of the UK’s largest maternity centres, supporting around 5,700 births each year, we provide a comprehensive range of services, including specialist regional tertiary care. Building on significant progress in recent years, we are now focused on sustaining improvements, strengthening our positive culture and taking the quality, safety and experience of our services to the next level.

We are seeking an exceptional Midwifery Director to provide visible, compassionate and influential professional leadership across our Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology Care Group. As the Trust’s senior professional leader for midwifery, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our services, championing clinical excellence, strengthening professional practice and ensuring that women, babies and families remain at the heart of everything we do.

Main duties of the job

Working in close partnership with clinical, operational and professional colleagues, you will drive improvements in quality, safety, workforce development and patient experience, while fostering a culture of openness, learning and continuous improvement. You will champion meaningful engagement with women, families and our diverse communities, ensuring their voices help shape the services we provide.

We are looking for an accomplished, values-led and collaborative midwifery leader with the professional credibility, strategic perspective and personal qualities to inspire confidence at every level. Approachable, authentic and highly visible, you will combine a genuine connection to frontline services with the ability to influence at Board level, navigate complexity and build effective partnerships across professional and organisational boundaries.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Midwife with significant experience
• Evidence of Continuous Professional Development
• Masters degree

Desirable

• Registered Nurse

Experience

Essential

• Extensive post registration experience working effectively in a relevant multi-professional acute environment.
• Significant experience at a senior level in a large acute setting including effectively managing staff budgets and high quality patient centred services.
• Previous experience of managing midwifery in a complex environment, including understanding and applying relevant national standards.
• An expert understanding of the statutory framework governing midwives.
• An expert awareness of the national and local context affecting midwifery and maternity services and the delivery of care.
• A detailed awareness and an understanding of the clinical governance agenda.
• Evidence of a commitment to Evidence Based Practice.

Desirable

• Experience at Midwifery Director Level.
• Recent evidence of participation on national or regional groups dealing with NHS strategic issues.
• Evidence of relevant management development and ability to manage change effectively
• Evidence of relevant professional development and experience of contributing to, and effectively implementing nursing / midwifery strategy.

Skills

Essential

• A strong focus on developing excellence in the planning and delivery of maternity care.
• Proven professional and personal leadership skills with an emphasis on engagement and delivery.
• Ability to communicate very complex sensitive and contentious information to a range of colleagues and in a variety of media.

Closing Date: 22 November 2026