Job summary
- Main area
- Chaplaincy
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8b
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job share
- Job ref
- 190-0585-DIR
- Employer
- Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- RHH/NGH
- Town
- Sheffield
- Salary
- £62,215 - £72,293 pa/pro rata for part time staff
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 20/07/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 01/08/2025
Employer heading

Head of Chaplaincy
NHS AfC: Band 8b
We are committed to helping our staff balance their work and home lives and ensure they feel supported, valued and appreciated so whilst you care for our patients and clients, we’ll take care of you. We offer many different ways of helping staff including career development opportunities, flexible working, good annual leave and pension schemes , health and wellbeing packages and financial support systems. Joining the Trust also allows you access to a number of saving options via our salary sacrifice schemes and a wide range of discount opportunities with retailers and service providers.
Job overview
This is a role for an exceptional healthcare chaplain who combines practical wisdom gained from extensive healthcare chaplaincy experience, leadership that is compassionate and inclusive, and a vision for how healthcare chaplaincy can develop in response to the evolving nature of the NHS and those it serves.
Main duties of the job
- Professional leadership of chaplains and the representation of chaplaincy within the Trust
- Professional and clinical governance to ensure the safe practice of chaplains aligned with national standards and Trust values
- Strategic planning including an annual plan to meet the needs of service users and the requirements of the Trust
- Operational management to ensure the day-to-day provision of chaplaincy care
- Chaplaincy practice that contributes to the duty and on-call rotas
- Education and training of chaplains and other healthcare professionals
- Management of resources including a departmental budget
- Audit, service evaluation and research collaborations
Please note this advertisement can be appointed as either a full time or part time opportunity.
Working for our organisation
You will be working for an organisation which values and respects all of its staff and the community it serves. The Trust is a leader in the NHS and research sectors and provides excellent benefits for its employees. This includes commitments to professional development but also many policies to support employees in balancing their personal and professional lives.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please view the attached Job Description and Person Specification document for full details regarding this post.
When completing your application please ensure that you clearly demonstrate how you meet all the role criteria.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Master’s level degree with demonstrable outcomes of learning relevant to healthcare chaplaincy that includes systematic study in any of the following fields: theology, religious studies, pastoral care, psychology, counselling or psychotherapy.
- Validated training in spiritual care or equivalent pastoral practice to the level of bachelor’s degree with honours that is consistent with sponsoring faith community or belief group.
- Endorsement to practice as a healthcare chaplain by a recognised sponsoring faith community or belief group.
Desirable criteria
- Registered with the UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy - an Accredited Register of the Professional Standards Authority.
- Post-graduate qualification in clinical supervision or professional coaching
- Clinical Pastoral Education Units through an accredited CPE program
- Post-graduate qualification in leadership or management
Experience
Essential criteria
- Extensive track record of working at a senior chaplain level in an acute healthcare setting with a wide range of patient groups.
- Minimum of five years whole-time experience (or part-time equivalent) of professionally supervised clinical practice as a healthcare chaplain that must include working with adults, palliative and end of life care, and on-call duties.
- Proven responsibility for professional leadership and operational management of a diverse group of healthcare chaplains.
- Working knowledge of planning for, and responding to, major incidents and emergencies that require Chaplaincy support.
- Working knowledge of major faith communities and belief groups in relation to the acute hospital context.
- Involvement in audit and/or service evaluation.
- Teaching and training of health professionals.
- Understanding of the research process.
- Managing a devolved budget.
- Managing staff and volunteers.
- Experience of participating in on-call.
Desirable criteria
- Extensive track record of working at a senior chaplain level responding to trauma and medical and surgical emergencies.
- Planning and delivering successful organisational change and/or service improvement.
- Oral presentations at professional conferences.
- Publications in peer reviewed journals or books
- Involvement in teaching programmes and research projects.
Further Training
Essential criteria
- Evidence of annual continued professional development relevant to healthcare chaplaincy to UKBHC standards.
- Postgraduate training or development in an area of chaplaincy practice.
- Postgraduate training or development in management and leadership skills.
- Cultural competence and religious literacy in diverse religious, spiritual and pastoral traditions
Desirable criteria
- Completion of a recognised Leadership Training Programme
- Training in Service or Quality Improvement Methods
- Training through a recognised programme in teaching, tutoring and supporting the learning of others at post-graduate level
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Professor Mark Cobb
- Job title
- Clinical Director
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0114 271 3327
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