Job summary
- Main area
- HealthCare Scientist
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8b
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 12 hours per week
- Job ref
- 218-HSS-B8B-8210137
- Employer
- University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire
- Town
- Coventry
- Salary
- £66,582 - £77,368 pro rata per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 20/08/2026 23:59
- Interview date
- 14/09/2026
Employer heading
Lead HealthCare Scientist
NHS AfC: Band 8b
Job overview
We are looking for a Lead Healthcare Scientist who will represent all Healthcare Scientists (HCS) reporting to, and acting as deputy to, the Associate Director of AHPs.
The successful candidate will provide visible and credible professional leadership to HCS and act as a role model capable of representing HCS both internally and externally.
The post holder must possess the professional knowledge and attributes to strategically and professionally lead the HCS teams, innovate current practice, manage change and address quality issues when required enabling continuous improvement and innovation. They will be responsible for ensuring safe and effective clinical practice, governance and professional development across their designated area embedding evidence-based person-centred care, promoting integration across services and organisations and strengthening clinical capability and workforce development.
The post holder will be required to work collaboratively to ensure we deliver excellent care with compassion across the HCS services. This is a key role for the trust to ensure the HCS agenda and strategy are progressed and delivered.
Successful applicants will be required to provide an immunisation and vaccination report, from either their current UK occupational health provider or their UK GP.
Main duties of the job
The main duties of this role will be:
- Implement and manage strategic and operational change within the HCS services
- Provide visible professional and strategic leadership representing the HCS workforce:
- Improve visibility of HCS services through reporting into the relevant executive committees
Working for our organisation
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, rated as good by the Care Quality Commission, is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the UK.
We are extremely proud of our employees across our hospital sites, with high quality patient care at the heart of everything we do.
Boasting some of the most modern facilities in Western Europe, the Trust is renowned for being at the forefront of research and innovation as part of its blossoming reputation as a worldwide leader in healthcare.
We are proud to be recognised as a Pathway to Excellence® designated organisation – please click the link for further details about this prestigious award. Pathway To Excellence ® - University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire (uhcw.nhs.uk)
By joining our exciting journey, you will form part of a passionate, talented team and will be able to access a wide range of learning and development opportunities. There has never been a better time to join our team.
The Trust is committed to building an organisation that makes full use of the talents, skills, experience, and different perspectives available in our diverse society. We want everyone to feel they are respected, valued, can achieve their potential and receive the most appropriate and relevant care. We will create an environment where the equality and human rights principles of fairness, respect, equality, dignity and autonomy are promoted and are part of the organisation's core values.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1. Implement and manage strategic and operational change within the HCS services:
- Provide expert support and guidance to all the HCS professions, teams and departments contributing to the development of HCS agendas and strategy both internally and external regional and national agendas.
- To be responsible for the development of any aims and objectives linked to strategic changes and that they are communicated to all stakeholders from all HCS professions across multiple teams.
- Review, assess and improve models and strategies of professional education and training for all HCS professions communicating with multiple higher education institutes (HEIs) as required. This will include reviewing undergraduate and postgraduate learning opportunities and negotiating with HEIs for improvements to meet the workforce needs aligning to service priorities.
- Develop and maintain excellent working relationships with all HCS teams, HR partners, finance, strategic, workforce teams, professional bodies and further/ higher education institutions to maximise the contribution to the workforce through regular forums and networks.
- Lead the engagement and delivery of all HCS professions across multiple teams in all areas of training and research, including development of career pathways, training and education programs across all professions and alignment with Centre of Care Excellence.
- Review recruitment and retention metrics across all HCS professions and lead on any workforce planning strategies to improve and develop.
- Lead on reductions in bank and agency financial spend across multiple HCS teams and departments, contributing to and driving financial waste reduction programs through analysis and interpretation of data and advising HCS on workforce planning matters and options for improvement. This role would also initiate any actions to improve productivity, reduce waste and lead service improvement initiatives to support efficient and effective use of resources and value based care.
- Co-ordinate and advise on professional HR and fitness to practice matters in conjunction with the Associate Director of AHPs.
- Lead on and model UHCWi learning and quality improvement methodologies for HCS professions as well as excellence strategies such as shared decision-making councils contributing towards the continuous improvement strategy, leading on workstreams and delegating as required.
- Establish, lead and maintain robust and highly complex reporting and communication mechanisms of all HCS professions detailing workforce, quality risks, safety incident themes, training compliance, patient experience, staff experience, student experience alongside service/profession specific measures and KPIs taking the lead on driving improvements both internally and externally with all stakeholders.
- Lead on the implementation of any initiatives identified as well as evaluation of success and impact across financial, operational and professional areas of work.
- Review development of professional roles aligned to NHS 10-year plan.
- Identify and secure appropriate financial resources through presentations, development of complex service level business cases and / or application to sources of external funding. To monitor and evaluate the impact of any financial resource in improving care and pathways.
For further details please see the attached job description.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- • Professional credibility as a senior Healthcare Scientist (full list of specialisms can be found in the annex) • Educated to master’s level • Registered with a statutory professional body with significant post qualification experience • Leadership qualification/certificate or equivalent experience
Desirable criteria
- • Post-graduate leadership programme • Coaching qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
- • Evidence of highly developed written and oral communication • Experience of successfully managing staff engagement and leading change. • Experience of working within a senior management team • Experience of leading service change
Desirable criteria
- • Experience of working with HEI’s
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- • Proven track record of successful management of large diverse teams. • Proven track record of integration of multiple projects across a large organisation. • Excellent project management skills. • Full understanding of what good governance constitutes and its application to practice. • Significant management experience at of an HCS team or service • Proven ability to manage resources effectively. • Skills in English in a variety of settings.
Desirable criteria
- • Multi-professional leadership experience • Knowledge and understanding of all the allied health professions
Skills
Essential criteria
- • Excellent communication skills. • Able to assimilate and analyses multiple levels of information. • Self-motivated and able to motivate others. • Able to obtain and evaluate information to aid decision making. • Able to promote team working and best practice. • Able to lead and manage other staff. • Commitment to CPD of self and others. • Ability to prioritise. • Excellent time management skills. • IT skills. • Excellent presentation and teaching skills. • Able to write a formal paper/report and present to a group. • Innovative and responsive to change. • Ability to think quickly, assess complex managerial/clinical situations and make decisions upon that information. • Must demonstrate knowledge of team / group dynamics and understand the roles within a team. • Understanding of legal responsibilities within the role. • Ability to maintain high levels of concentration and deal with interruptions. • Able to network and collaborate with a wide range of key stakeholders. • Ability to take part in on-call duties given appropriate notice. • Ability to comply with the Trust’s policies. • Ability to travel as required. • Demonstrate flexibility in approach to work patterns and role requirements
Commitment to Trust Values and Behaviours
Essential criteria
- • Must be able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with the Trust’s values. (As detailed in UHCW’s Values in Action document below) • Applicants applying for job roles with managerial responsibility will be required to demonstrate evidence of promoting equal opportunities through work experience
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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
- Rebecca Ford
- Job title
- Associate Director of AHPs
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 02476966242
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