Job summary
- Main area
- Nursing & Midwifery, Group Director of Safeguarding
- Grade
- Band 8d
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Monday to Friday)
- Job ref
- 387-TS0727-ALF
- Employer
- University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Trust Headquarters
- Town
- Bristol
- Salary
- £88,168 - £101,677 pa pro rata (subject to banding - dependant on experience)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 23/05/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Group Director of Safeguarding (Adults & Children)
Band 8d
As an organisation we recognise the value of a healthy work-life balance. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate flexible working, so your work life fits around your home life.
We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within the Trust.
Click on this link to find out about our values https://www.uhbw.nhs.uk/p/about-us/our-trust-values
Job overview
Are you a visionary leader with a passion for safeguarding and a drive to make a meaningful impact? If so, this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for! We are seeking a Group Director of Safeguarding (Adults & Children) to take on a high-profile leadership role across two of the UK’s most dynamic NHS Trusts.
This pivotal position offers the chance to shape and lead safeguarding strategies across two remarkable hospital trusts - North Bristol Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston (UHBW) - ensuring the highest standards of safety and care for patients of all ages.
Working at the heart of forward-thinking, multi-award-winning organisations, you will have the autonomy to drive transformational change, influence national safeguarding policy, and foster strong multi-agency partnerships to protect those at risk.
Join us and be part of a Bristol Hospital Group that is leading the way in digital healthcare, sustainability, and safeguarding excellence. If you have the expertise, vision, and leadership to make a difference, we want to hear from you!
Main duties of the job
As a key member of the Group Chief Nursing senior leadership team, you will be supporting the Group Chief Nurse Portfolio which includes professional inclusive & compassionate leadership, accountability and responsibility for the identification, monitoring, implementation and ongoing review of the all-age safeguarding agenda across acute hospital healthcare services at North Bristol Trust & University Hospitals Bristol and Weston. Working in partnership with senior safeguarding colleagues across the ICS towards facilitation of improved integrated safeguarding partnership arrangements.
The post carries considerable autonomy in implementing national strategies and carries with it delegated responsibility to make decisions on behalf of the Bristol Hospital Group (NBT & UHBW). This is a significant leadership role, working internally and externally with key partners, in the development and implementation of national and local policies relating to safeguarding practice, acting as Bristol Hospital Group representative at national forums as required.
The post holder will interpret, implement and monitor portfolio-related national policies and statute, anticipating & reacting to emergent policies that impact the safety of patients and the reputation and working of the Group. They will facilitate transformation and ensure strategic alignment across the system and drive the uptake of initiatives that support excellence in safeguarding children, young people, & adults, who are at risk.
Working for our organisation
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England. UHBW has been rated by the CQC as ‘Good’ overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston and beyond. As a forward-thinking multi-award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world-leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For a more detailed job description and main responsibilities, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.
Person specification
Knowledge and Experience
Essential criteria
- Substantial experience of delivering strategic level advice and guidance to senior managers and Directors
- Significant experience in working in adult and children and family services, including experience of working as a Safeguarding senior manager
- Significant experience in a safeguarding lead role with comprehensive knowledge of safeguarding legislation and policy, working across multiagency footprint and leading on the safeguarding agenda
- In depth knowledge and understanding of the legislation, law and current NHS Policy relating to safeguarding and legal processes
- Experience in developing and implementing governance/safety frameworks to support service and quality delivery, improvement and sustainability
- Significant senior management experience within a multidisciplinary environment across healthcare sectors including local service / community and health and social care partners who are associated with the speciality
- Clear understanding and knowledge of national direction/initiatives, e.g. NHS England, CQC, National Service standards associated with Safeguarding
Skills and Abilities
Essential criteria
- Ability to communicate and build good working relationships with multi-disciplinary and multi-agency arenas.
- Expert ability to analyse and resolve complex issues, including conflict resolution
- Exercise a high degree of autonomy to make critical decisions and judgements
- Proven Leadership ability
- Experience of managing service changes
- Ability to write reports in short, changing timescales whilst subject to frequent interruptions
- Demonstrate capabilities to manage own workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information, working to tight and often changing timescales
Qualifications and Experience
Essential criteria
- Professional Qualification (current registration) in either Health, Social Care or Education
- Master’s Degree in relevant subject or equivalent experience
- Teaching qualification or equivalent experience
- Experience of facilitating Executive Safeguarding Level Training.
Aptitudes
Essential criteria
- Possesses resilience and determination flexible and adaptable in a high-pressure environment.
- Focuses on achieving results of high quality in a safe and effective way
- Possesses excellent time-management skills and ability to work on own initiative and where required as part of a senior team
- Be result-driven and innovative with high level of personal integrity
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
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
- Mark Goninon
- Job title
- Deputy Chief Nurse
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0117 342 3601
- Additional information
Alternative contact:
Kath Mansfield, Executive Assistant to Chief Nurse and Midwife [email protected]
We welcome enquiries from Candidates who wish to discuss the role further.
List jobs with University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust in Directors or all sectors