Director of Midwifery and Perinatal CareNHS

Job summary

We are seeking an exceptional and influential midwifery leader to join Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group as Director of Midwifery and Perinatal Care. This is a significant opportunity to shape the future of maternity and perinatal services across the Group, providing strategic and professional leadership to improve quality, safety, outcomes and experiences for women, babies and families.

Reporting managerially and professionally to the Group Chief Nurse, you will lead the maternity transformation agenda across three trusts, working closely with hospital leadership teams, Group Board, the Integrated Care System, regional networks, regulators and education partners. You will provide expert advice and assurance, translate national policy into local delivery and ensure maternity and perinatal services are safe, sustainable, personalised and equitable.

Main duties of the job

You will be a registered midwife with current NMC registration, educated to master's level or able to demonstrate equivalent academic achievement. You will bring Director or Head of Midwifery experience, substantial senior clinical leadership expertise and a strong record of leading maternity governance, quality, safety and complex cross-organisational change.

You will be politically astute and an outstanding communicator and relationship-builder. You will be able to influence and negotiate in complex or sensitive environments, exercise sound judgement and provide visible leadership through ambiguity and change.

This role offers the opportunity to influence maternity and perinatal care at scale, working with senior clinical and system leaders to deliver meaningful and lasting improvement. You will help create a shared vision for services across Norfolk and Waveney and ensure that quality, safety and the experiences of women and families remain central to every decision.

If you are an ambitious and values-led midwifery leader who can inspire confidence, build partnerships and turn strategy into measurable improvement, we would welcome your application.

Job description

• Provide strategic and professional leadership for maternity and perinatal care across the Group.
• Lead transformation, service improvement and the delivery of national maternity priorities.
• Provide assurance on quality, safety, governance, risk and regulatory compliance.
• Champion co-production and ensure the voices of women, babies, families and marginalised communities shape service development.
• Develop capable, compassionate and inclusive midwifery leadership, workforce and succession pipelines.
• Build strong partnerships across organisational boundaries and represent the Group at regional, public and political forums.
• Promote innovation, research, education, value for money and the consistent spread of best practice.

About us

The newly formed Norfolk & Waveney University Hospitals Group (NWUHG) is placing people and culture at the heart of its transformation.

By working as one system, the Group is strengthening workforce development, improving staff experience, and creating consistent, supportive leadership across all three hospitals. This unified approach enables better training, enhanced well-being support, and a stronger culture rooted in compassion, flexibility, and continuous learning.

Focusing on people also supports national priorities--ensuring the workforce is skilled, adaptable, and ready for future models of care--and strengthens NWUHG's overall performance by improving quality, resilience, and sustainability.

Together, this creates a Groupwide commitment to making NWUHG a great place to work, with clear benefits for staff including:

Flexible working hours

Fast Track Staff Physiotherapy Service

Multi Faith prayer room at NNUH Colney Lane site

Discounted gym memberships

Generous pension scheme and annual leave entitlement

Wagestream - access up to 40% of your pay as you earn it

Free Park & Ride service direct to NNUH Colney Lane site

Free 24-hours confidential counselling support

On-site Nursery at NNUH Colney Lane

On-site cafes offering staff discounts at NNUH Colney Lane

Support in career development

Flexible staff bank

Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars, Cycle to Work scheme and home electronics