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Job overview
The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is a member of the Trust Board and Executive Team and plays a pivotal role in the collective leadership of Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust.
Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, the CMO provides strategic clinical leadership to ensure the delivery of safe, kind and outstanding care for every child, young person and family. The postholder will champion the Trust's purpose of creating a healthier future for children and young people and lead the medical contribution to the delivery of the Caring Together 2030 Strategy.
As the Trust's senior medical leader, the CMO will provide visible leadership across the Trust, aligned with our values of compassion, accountability, respect and excellence. Working in close partnership with the Chief Nurse and Executive colleagues, the postholder will lead the Trust's quality, safety and clinical governance agenda while ensuring clinical excellence remains at the heart of all strategic and operational decisions.
Main duties of the job
In line with the Caring Together 2030 Strategy, the CMO will be instrumental in delivering the Trust's ambitions to reimagine services, tackle health inequalities, expand digitally enabled models of care, strengthen research and innovation, and develop Sheffield Children's as a national and international leader in children's health.
The postholder will act as the Trust's Responsible Officer for medical revalidation and as Caldicott Guardian, ensuring the highest standards of professional practice, information governance and clinical accountability.
The CMO will provide professional leadership for the medical workforce, psychologists and healthcare scientists creating an inclusive and empowering environment where colleagues can thrive, develop and contribute fully to improving outcomes for children and young people.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
In order to apply, please submit a comprehensive CV along with a covering letter which sets out your interest in the role and encapsulates the aspects of your experience relevant to the required criteria. Please include current salary details and the names and addresses of three referees.
Referees will not be approached until the final stages and not without prior permission from candidates.
If you are unable to apply online, please email: [email protected]
Person specification
Experience
Essential
- Substantial experience as a Consultant clinician with a strong record of clinical excellence
- Experience within children's healthcare, specialist services or integrated provider organisations
- Significant executive or senior clinical leadership experience operating at Board level or equivalent within a complex healthcare organisation
- Experience of leading quality improvement, patient safety and clinical governance programmes
- Experience of leading large-scale service transformation and organisational change
- Experience of working across organisational boundaries and developing effective partnerships
- Experience of leading through influence and engaging clinicians in improvement and change
- Experience of workforce leadership, talent development and succession planning
- Experience of managing complex professional, operational and organisational challenge
- Experience of delivering improvement within financially constrained environments
Desirable
- Experience of working within research-intensive organisations
- Experience of leading digital transformation programmes
- Experience of working with universities, academic institutions and industry partners
- Experience of regional or national leadership roles
Leadership
Essential
- Inspirational and compassionate leader with a strong commitment to the Trust's purpose and values
- Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into delivery
- Highly developed influencing and relationship-building skills
- Ability to lead through complexity, ambiguity and change
- Demonstrates political awareness and sound judgement
- Commitment to inclusive leadership and creating a culture of belonging
- Visible, authentic and approachable leadership style
- Ability to inspire confidence across a wide range of stakeholders
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Medical Practitioner with current GMC registration and licence to practise
- Inclusion on the GMC Specialist Register
- Higher professional qualification relevant to specialty practice
- Evidence of significant continuing professional development
- Formal leadership and management development at senior level
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Demonstrates the Trust's CARE values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Excellence
- Personal integrity and credibility
- Resilience, adaptability and emotional intelligence
- Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
- Commitment to collaboration and partnership working
- Passion for improving outcomes for children and young people
- Commitment to innovation, learning and continuous improvement
- Strong advocate for digital transformation and the future of children's healthcare
Knowledge and Understanding
Essential
- Deep understanding of NHS governance, regulation, quality and performance frameworks
- Comprehensive understanding of children's health services, population health and health inequalities
- Strong understanding of medical workforce issues, professional regulation and revalidation
- Understanding of research, innovation and technology adoption within healthcare
- Knowledge of digital health, genomics, artificial intelligence and emerging healthcare technologies
- Understanding of NHS financial and operational challenges and opportunities
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Chief Medical Officer with Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust in Sheffield, North East and Yorkshire, England. It is listed as a Administrative and IT role. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 17 Jul 2026.
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