Job summary
- Main area
- Foundation
- Grade
- NHS Medical & Dental: Consultant
- Contract
- 15 months (until 31 October 2026. Secondment only for current NHS employees)
- Hours
- Part time - 1.5 sessions per week (6 hours per week)
- Job ref
- 990-EOE-12742-E
- Employer
- NHS England
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Victoria House
- Town
- Fulbourn
- Salary
- In line with HoS sessional payments
- Closing
- 23/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Deputy Foundation School Director
NHS Medical & Dental: Consultant
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 the Deputy Foundation School Director (FSD), is to work with and support the Foundation School Director and Postgraduate Dean in leading the delivery of a wide range of functions, aligned to the NHS England mandate.
Main duties of the job
The role is professionally and managerially accountable to the Foundation School Director. The Deputy FSDs 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.
Foundation training in NHSE across the east of England is in transition and undergoing significant expansion as a consequence of students progressing through training in the new medical schools.
The Deputy FSDs will be responsible for Foundation Programme training in East Anglia Foundation School. Working as a team with the other the deputy FSDs and also in conjunction with the FSD, and Deputy Dean for Foundation training, this role will also contribute to the leadership and implementation of the strategic direction, programme management, quality management, faculty development and external relations of foundation training across NSHE EoE.
Working for our organisation
The NHS England board have set out the top-level purpose for the new organisation to lead the NHS in England to deliver high-quality services for all, which will inform the detailed design work and we will achieve this purpose 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.
If you would like to know more or require further information, please visit https://www.england.nhs.uk/.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in-person.
If you are successful at interview, we will run an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) in the Electronic Staff Record system (ESR). This transfer gathers valuable information from a previous or current NHS employer to support the onboarding process, including; statutory and mandatory competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You will have the opportunity throughout the recruitment process to inform us if you do not consent.
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.
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 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).
Strategic Workforce Development and Commissioning
- To contribute to workforce planning, ensuring clinical engagement with local and national workforce planning processes.
- To develop educational programmes where needed to support achievement of curriculum competencies, engaging with commissioning processes as required.
- To identify and support the implementation of alternative workforce solutions within the School.
- To advise the Postgraduate Dean on commissioning and decommissioning activities.
Finance
- To engage with business planning processes and associated School budgets as needed.
- To ensure compliance with procurement requirements
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
Behavious 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
- Dr Helen Barker
- Job title
- Foundation School Director
- Email address
- [email protected]
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