Job summary
- Main area
- Administration
- Grade
- Band 8c
- Contract
- Fixed term: 23 months (N/A)
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job ref
- 188-THQHS010825
- Employer
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- University of Southampton Science Park
- Town
- Chilworth
- Salary
- £76,965 to £88,682 per annum,. pro rata
- Closing
- 21/09/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Associate Director - Wessex Health Partners
Band 8c
Job overview
Health Innovation Wessex is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.
Please see below for a detailed job description of the role
Main duties of the job
Come and join Wessex Health Partners as Associate Director and lead a dynamic strategic alliance driving collaborative health and care research across the region. We're seeking a visionary leader with exceptional stakeholder engagement and programme delivery skills.
Wessex Health Partners (WHP) is a unique regional alliance uniting NHS providers, Integrated Care Systems, leading academic institutions and Health Innovation Wessex, to accelerate improvements in health and care through research,
WHP supports a vast ecosystem of innovators and research-active clinicians, academics, and public contributors. The core team is small but high-impact, working with partners to deliver multi-million-pound programmes and nationally recognised initiatives such as NIHR infrastructures and the WHP Small Grant Scheme. WHP is known for its collaborative excellence, ambitious innovation, and trusted leadership, making it an exciting environment for strategic thinkers who thrive on shaping systemic change
Working for our organisation
University Hospital Southampton is one of England's largest acute teaching Trusts, offering a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support your career aspirations.
Located on the south coast with an international airport and direct rail links to London, Southampton offers an ideal setting to live and work, with the New Forest, South Downs and Jurassic Coast.
We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalizing your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.
At UHS we’re committed to providing a flexible working environment where possible. Whether you are balancing family, study, or your wellbeing with your career, we want to support you so you can help our patients.
At UHS, we proudly champion individuality, recognizing that outstanding care is only possible with a diverse, inclusive team. We’re committed to creating an anti-racist, anti-discriminatory environment where everyone feels valued, safe, and empowered to make a meaningful impact in our communities. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to join us in building a healthcare community where everyone can belong, thrive, and contribute.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Associate Director will have a pivotal role in the development of the ambitious WHP plans. They will liaise with partners to align the strategic priorities of each partner and navigate complex governance structures to facilitate the shaping, delivery and impact of the WHP ambitions.
Leading the day-to-day management of the WHP core team, the Associate Director will be key in promoting cross-organisation and academic discipline collaborative research across Wessex. Able to embrace new challenges, they will lead on the design and delivery of a number of WHP activities.
We are an ambitious, partnership organisation, looking for passionate and motivated people to join us with a proven track record of delivery. You will need a tenacity to succeed, great communication and management skills, an ability to build new relationships quickly, and the capability to work collaboratively to deliver the WHP plans.
You may not feel you meet all aspects of the role, but we welcome applications from people with a wide range of past experiences. An appreciation of the challenges involved with the delivery of collaborative, interdisciplinary health and care research and innovation is an advantage to succeed in this role.
For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Kathy Wallis - 07990 002 108
Person specification
Qualifications / training required
Essential criteria
- Master’s degree or equivalent Postgraduate qualification in a relevant discipline or equivalent level of knowledge and demonstrable experience
- Management/leadership experience
- Evidence of continued professional development
Desirable criteria
- Project Management training (e.g. PRINCE II)
Previous or relevant experience necessary
Essential criteria
- Significant senior management experience in a health or care setting, and / or health / care research setting
- Senior experience at national/regional level involving influencing and leadership role in health sector. Good knowledge and networks at senior levels in NHS across Wessex area and / or health / care research structures across Wessex area
- Extensive experience of large scale research, organisational change and / or strategic change management programmes, building effective working relationships across organisational boundaries
- Experience of interagency and partnership working with Primary and Secondary Care, Social care and voluntary sector
- Experience of motivating and managing multiple teams, including the ability to encourage self-initiative, good practice and the timely completion of projects
Desirable criteria
- Career experience in both a health and social care delivery and / or research setting
Aptitudes and skills required
Essential criteria
- Extensive programme/ project management experience
- Budget preparation and management experience, evidence of effective budgetary control skill
- Experience of developing strategic and operational partnerships between social care and health organisations or voluntary sector
Desirable criteria
- Proficient IT skills, with the ability to quickly adapt to new technologies, including demonstrating first class knowledge of MS Office Suite
Special requires of the post
Essential criteria
- Able to travel to sites across Wessex (preferably with driving licence and car)
Values and behaviours - Weesex
Essential criteria
- Collaborative excellence
- Ambitious innovation
- Integrity and trust
Values and behaviours - UHS
Essential criteria
- Patients First
- Always Improving
- Working Together
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Kathy Wallis - 07990 002 108
- Job title
- Associate Director Wessex Health Partner
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07990 002 108
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