Job summary
- Main area
- Medical & Dental
- Grade
- Consultant
- Contract
- Secondment: 34 months (Until 30 September 2029)
- Hours
- Part time
- Job share
- Flexible working
- Job ref
- 990-SE-EC6619-E
- Employer
- NHS England
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Any South East NHSE Office
- Town
- South East
- Salary
- Salary paid in line with sessional payments
- Closing
- 15/11/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Associate Dean (South East)
Consultant
Our Organisation
We share the core values set out in the NHS Constitution, which all colleagues are expected to demonstrate.
We support you to work in a way that is best for the NHS, our patients and you and your colleagues. 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.
As part of our commitment to improving patient safety and maintaining safe and trusted services, all successful candidates will be subject to Baseline Personnel Security Screening (BPSS), which includes a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. By submitting your application, you are confirming your agreement to these checks being undertaken as part of the recruitment process.
Anyone who has received a voluntary or compulsory redundancy payment from NHS England since the start of the 2026/27 financial year is not eligible to apply.
Job overview
The role of the Associate Dean helps support the Postgraduate Dean in embracing corporate, statutory and non-statutory functions, aligning with the NHSE mandate. The role is focused firmly upon improving patient and learner safety and experience and ensuring effective educational outcomes.
Main duties of the job
The Associate dean is professionally accountable to the Postgraduate Dean and managerially by a deputy dean.
This is a South East role and the exact balance of this role, and how it co-ordinates with other Associate Deans in the South East will be considered through the recruitment process.
Leadership
- To work with the Postgraduate Dean
- To provide effective clinical educator leadership, contributing to the strategic development of the NHSE Workforce, Training and Education Directorate
- 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
Quality and safety
- To work closely with the Postgraduate Dean and their deputies to implement the NHSE Quality Framework
Programme Management
- Specialty-specific matters and trainee/trainer concerns
- Postgraduate programme management, including assessments, progression, rotations, support and remediation, OOP management, trainee management, careers support, less than full-time training, inter-deanery transfer, academic training, study leave and relocation, supported return to training, flexible portfolio training along with other workstreams
Working for our organisation
NHS England has a wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers. These are focused on supporting the wider NHS to deliver high quality care, as well as doing those things that are best done once for the whole NHS.
Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms — enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.
In March 2025, the Government announced that NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will increasingly merge functions, ultimately leading to NHS England being fully integrated into the department.
If you currently work within the NHS and 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 process.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in our offices.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
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 and Training
Essential criteria
- Primary Clinical healthcare qualification
- Evidence of commitment to Continuous Professional Development
- Holds or is working towards a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Education
- Holds a Licence to Practice
Desirable criteria
- Attendance at courses aimed to support educational development (example: educator courses, train the trainer, educational leadership courses etc)
Experience and Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Considerable experience of working with learners or doctors in training in an educational context
- Knowledge of the NHS, its structures and processes, including an understanding of healthcare/multi-professional workforce matters
- Experience in Training Programme Director/ HoS roles
Desirable criteria
- Experience of clinical and educational leadership and innovation, including managing a multi-professional team
- Demonstrable track record of delivery in service and education
- Understanding of developments involving the relevant Colleges/Faculties, professional bodies, related NHS organisations and regulatory bodies
- Understanding of the workforce transformation agenda
- Trained and experienced in recruitment, selection and Equality and Diversity in the last 3 years
- Active involvement in, and up to date with, appraisal processes
Skills and Abilities
Essential criteria
- Demonstrable leadership skills and an ability to influence and motivate others
Desirable criteria
- A strong sense of vision and ability to innovate
- Politically astute with an ability to sensitively manage complexity and uncertainty
- Ability to problem solve and maintain objectivity
- Strong interpersonal, communication, written and presentation skills
- Ability to quickly establish personal and professional credibility with colleagues and other key stakeholders
- Excellent organisational and time management skills
- Committed to own personal development and an ability to support others to develop and progress
Behaviours and Values
Desirable criteria
- A transformation leadership style
- Ability to make decisions autonomously when required on difficult issues
- Management of transformation and change
- Sensitivity, tolerance and acceptance of criticism
- Perform all duties in a manner that supports and promotes commitment to equal opportunities
- Conduct all duties in a manner that safeguards the health and safety of yourself and your colleagues, trainees and staff. Note the special responsibility as a manager for assessing and minimising risks to staff
- A continuing quest for personal and professional development
- An academic interest in training and education across primary and secondary care
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Dr Phil Rushton
- Job title
- Locality Dean
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07702151219
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