Job summary
- Main area
- Anaesthetics
- Grade
- Head of School (HoS)
- Contract
- Secondment: 13 months (until 31 March 2027)
- Hours
- Part time - 1.5 sessions per week (6 hours per week)
- Job ref
- 990-EOE-19721-E
- Employer
- NHS England
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Victoria House
- Town
- Cambridge
- Salary
- In line with HoS sessional payments
- Closing
- 26/01/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Deputy Head of School for Anaesthetics
Head of School (HoS)
Our Organisation
The NHS is building a culture that is positive, compassionate and inclusive – and we all have our part to play.
As employers we are committed to protecting and promoting the physical and mental health and wellbeing of all our colleagues. This underpins our values as set out in the NHS Constitution and supports us to be an Employer of Choice, while helping our colleagues to deliver high quality services for our patients and communities.
As a flexible employer, we want to support you to work in a way that is best for the NHS, our patients and you. Talk to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time, hybrid working or another flexible pattern. In addition, although the role advertised may have a ‘home’ office base indicated, we remain committed to supporting flexibility around workplace locations. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.
We are an accredited Living Wage Employer which means that every colleague working for our organisation and third-party contractors will earn a real Living Wage. We are one of over 15,000 organisations, who voluntarily chose to pay the real Living Wage.
Job overview
The role of Deputy Head of School for Anaesthetics is to work with and support the Head of School in leading the delivery of a wide range of functions, aligned to the Health Education England mandate.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person.
Main duties of the job
The Deputy Head of School is professionally and managerially accountable to the Head of School. The Deputy Head of School will focus upon improvement of learner supervision, assessment and experience, engagement of faculty and ensuring effective educational outcomes, both now and in the future. The role is evolving and will also focus on whole workforce transformation and developing multi-professional links. This additional role will support the Head of School due the expansion of the School’s role in the oversight of the expansion of training numbers in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine the region.
Working for our organisation
Our work supports the NHS to deliver high quality services for patients and best value for taxpayers.
Our staff bring expertise across hundreds of specialisms — including clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial — enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.
We lead the NHS in England by:
- Enabling local systems and providers to improve the health of their people and patients and reduce health inequalities
- Making the NHS a great place to work, where our people can make a difference and achieve their potential
- Working collaboratively to ensure our healthcare workforce has the right knowledge, skills, values and behaviours to deliver accessible, compassionate care
- Optimising the use of digital technology, research, and innovation
- Delivering value for money
Earlier this year, the Government announced that NHS England will gradually merge with the Department of Health and Social Care, leading to full integration. The aim is to create a smaller, more strategic centre that reduces duplication and eliminates waste.
If successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the recruitment process.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Education and Training Quality Improvement and Performance
- To emphasise the importance and promote the development of a quality learning environment for all learners.
- To support Postgraduate Deans in meeting all NHSE statutory requirements.
- To promote equality and diversity across all learning environments and for all learners and educators
Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality Improvement
- Assist in the development of quality processes which are complementary across the healthcare workforce.
- To support the use of clinical skills training, technology enhanced learning (TEL) and simulation (where appropriate/applicable), stressing the importance of teamwork and human factors.
School Programme Management
- To oversee School programme management and advise Postgraduate Deans on the following matters:
- Specialty-specific matters and trainee/trainer concerns;
- Recruitment to training posts and programmes;
- Postgraduate programme management, including assessments, progression, rotations, support and remediation, OOP management, trainee management, careers support, less than full-time training, interdeanery transfer, academic training and other related work-streams.
- To oversee the School structure and relevant School meetings within the structure.
Educational and Workforce Development
To advise and support the Postgraduate Dean in educational and workforce development elements, including:
- Professional Development of the educational faculty
- To support compliance with requirements particularly with regard to the supervision and support for trainees and learners.
- To identify learning needs and support provision of educational appraisal, educator development and resource for faculty, trainees and learners.
- To create and promote shared learning opportunities to increase effective inter-professional working across the School.
Intelligence Support/ provision
- To ensure local intelligence processes inform quality management processes.
- To engage with information systems (trainee database, post establishments).
You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.
Secondments
Applicants from within the NHS will be offered on a secondment basis only, agreement should be obtained from their employer prior to submitting the application.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Membership/Fellowship of a College, Faculty, professional association and/or regulatory body
- Attendance at courses aimed to support educational development
- Primary clinical healthcare qualification
Desirable criteria
- Educational qualification such as postgraduate certificate diploma or masters in medical education
Experience
Essential criteria
- Considerable experience of working with learners or doctors in training in an educational context
- Experience of clinical and educational leadership and innovation, including managing a multi-professional team
- Understanding of developments involving the relevant Colleges/Faculties, professional bodies related NHS organisations and regulatory bodies
Desirable criteria
- Previous or current appointment as a leader in healthcare education
- Awareness of funding streams for healthcare education
- Understanding of current health, social care and education policy
Skills
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable leadership skills and an ability to influence and motivate others
- Ability to quickly establish personal and professional credibility with colleagues and other key Stakeholders
- Committed to own personal development and an ability to support others to develop and progress
Desirable criteria
- Ability to rapidly establish academic credibility
Behaviours and Values
Essential criteria
- To contribute to the vision of the local NHS and to enhance patient care by providing leadership and direction with respect to the quality of education and training
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Emily Simpson
- Job title
- Interim Head of School for Anaesthetics
- Email address
- [email protected]
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