Search for more NHS jobs in Leeds
Job summary
The Deputy Director for Nursing Research provides senior professional leadership to deliver a national strategy that strengthens nursing and midwifery research capacity and capability across health and social care. The role focuses on embedding research into everyday practice, increasing the visibility and impact of the professions, and demonstrating their contribution to transformational system change and evidence-based care.
Reporting to the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer (Professional and System Leadership), the post holder works as part of the senior nursing and midwifery leadership team, collaborating across national, regional and local organisations, and with key external partners including arm's-length bodies, professional organisations, and academic institutions.
The role is pivotal in advancing national nursing research priorities, supporting professional development, and ensuring research is integral to service delivery. It also provides strategic leadership for genomics within nursing, supporting the profession's central role in the emerging genomic population health service, in line with the ambitions set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.
Main duties of the job
Main duties of the job
Encourage nursing and midwifery staff to undertake relevant research which will inform and support the sustainability and transformation of services to improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and the population
Build on and further develop the nursing research portfolio as a resource to articulate the research agenda in nursing and midwifery, to strengthen the narrative so research becomes inherent in nursing
Support and champion the right settings and support for nurses to undertake research within the new pathways of healthcare delivery
Work with key partners and stakeholders in establishing research as a core skill in nursing that occurs in both pre and post graduate training to increase the confidence to pursue a research career thereafter
Increase the understanding of the importance of higher educational institutes for nursing research
Promote and support the impact of collaboration and the use of evidence as evaluation
Work with key stakeholders to encourage wider representation of research needs and application across the system
About us
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.
Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.
We cannot offer visa sponsorship for any vacancies.
Details
- Date posted: 02 July 2026
- Pay scheme: Agenda for change
- Band: Band 9
- Salary: £112,782 to £129,783 a year per annum
- Contract: Secondment
- Duration: 8 months
- Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working
- Reference number: 990-CNO-EC3279-E
- Job locations: Any NHSE site. You will be expected to attend the office for 40% of your time., Nationally (travel to Leeds or London preferable), SE1 8UG, United Kingdom
Job responsibilities
As Deputy Director - Nursing research the post holder will use their nursing registration, knowledge, and skills to develop and implement a national strategy and aligned programme of work to embed the importance of nursing research capacity and capability within health and social care, and demonstrate the professions key contribution to transformational change by increasing the visibility and impact of nursing and midwifery research.
To act as the principal research advisor to the CNO and senior team, serving as the designated CNO lead for nursing and midwifery research, and working closely with colleagues and partners across integrated regional operating models, wider systems and key stakeholders to ensure a clear, shared understanding of the value and impact of nursing and midwifery research and to strengthen collective leadership in this area. The post holder will also be expected to deputise at times for the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer (DCNO) Professional and System Leadership.
Ensure that robust analysis has a focus on issues such as safety, outcomes and sustainability; Identify and disseminate case study examples of nursing research where the evidence underpins what it is that the profession does, what works and the impact nursing has globally as well as the economic impact; To develop and implement a national strategy and aligned programme of work: To strengthen the involvement of nursing and midwifery staff in research and encourage clinical academic career pathways by raising the profile of clinical academia and promoting that contemporary research questions are always informed by clinical experience and the reality of care delivery. To actively champion and support nurses to undertake research, underpinned by education and practice, to gather clear outcome measures and help deliver the highest standard of care for patients, individuals and populations. To ensure that there is a wider understanding that that the knowledge, experience and collective ambition of nursing and midwifery is crucial to the successful delivery of nursing research at all stages from early development right through to final publication and dissemination. To influence the delivery and development of post-graduate and post registration courses for nurses to place an even greater focus on research and evidence, equipping the future workforce and nursing leaders with the necessary skills to drive evidence-based quality improvement; To highlight and help manage the need for real-world research where students and practitioners can work together ensuring that research becomes mainstream in health and care settings and is not seen as an additional extra; To support the advancement of clinical academic careers for nursing, and encourage the professions in applying for research funding and clinical fellowships; To work with professional bodies and other health and higher education bodies to strengthen the role of nursing research
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
- Registered Nurse active without sanction on NMC professional register
- Educated to masters' level in a health / social care related subject
- Educated to Doctoral level in a health / social care related subject
- Experience of project and programme management techniques and tools suchas Prince 2 or Managing Successful Projects
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- Demonstrated expertise in health and care environments with an understanding of whole system architecture;
- Significant knowledge and experience of the national nursing research system
- Proven senior level experience of leading and delivering complex change in a politically sensitive and complex environment
- Extensive experience of delivering presentations to large groups of stakeholders in often pressured and politically sensitive environments,
- Experience of successfully operating in and delivering priorities in a partnership environment;
- Significant understanding of the nursing research funding landscape.
Skills Capabilities & Attributes
Essential
- Strong external communications skills in a politically sensitive environment with knowledge of and experience in handling media relations
- Ability to prepare and produce concise yet insightful communications for dissemination to senior stakeholders and a broad range of stakeholders as required
WhatsApp job alerts
Get instant WhatsApp alerts for Band 9 Manager and Corporate roles in Leeds
Create your Job Clerk account first. We'll collect your alert preferences during onboarding and help you turn on WhatsApp notifications for matching healthcare roles.
Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Deputy Director of Nursing Research for System Transformation with NHS England in Leeds, North East and Yorkshire, England. It is listed as a Band 9 Manager and corporate role. The advertised salary is £112,782 to £129,783 a year. The contract type is Secondment. The application deadline is 16 Jul 2026.
Before you apply, compare the job description with the person specification and mirror the employer's essential criteria in your supporting information. Use the vacancy title, employer, location, salary, contract type, closing date and posted date (02 Jul 2026) to decide whether this role fits your current NHS job search. If the employer can close applications early, prepare the application before the stated deadline rather than waiting for the final day.
For more context, review related Job Clerk pages for the same profession, band or location where they exist, then use the application-support guides to tailor your statement and prepare for interview.