Head of Infection Prevention

About the Organisation:

NHS Orkney is committed to delivering excellent care to our 22,000 residents. Whether you’re new to the NHS or bringing experience from elsewhere, your skills will make a real difference.

Our modern healthcare facility, The Balfour, brings together inpatient care, emergency services, outpatient clinics, diagnostics, GP practices and the Scottish Ambulance Service. We’re also investing in services across our outer isles, ensuring high-quality care reaches every corner of Orkney.

We are guided by our core values that shape everything we do – Open and honest, Respect and Kindness – from how we care for our patients to how we support each other as colleagues.

About Orkney:

With over 70 islands – 20 of them inhabited – Orkney offers a unique blend of natural beauty, close-knit community and an opportunity for adventure. From dramatic coastlines and rare wildlife to rich cultural traditions and active lifestyles, it’s a place where compassion thrives and every day brings something new. Regularly named one of the UK’s best places to live, Orkney offers a lifestyle that’s both fulfilling and inspiring.

The Position:

NHS Orkney is seeking an exceptional leader to deliver a robust Infection Prevention & Control service that safeguards patients, staff, and visitors across our healthcare system. As the Board’s designated Infection Control Manager, you will hold overarching responsibility for infection prevention, medical device decontamination, and organisational cleaning standards.

This senior role provides strategic leadership on Healthcare Associated Infection, ensuring best practice is embedded throughout the organisation and aligned with national policy and regulatory requirements. You will lead the development and delivery of the Board’s IPC workplan, oversee outbreak management, and act as the principal clinical advisor on all matters relating to infection prevention and control.

Working closely with the Consultant Microbiologist, Estates and Facilities teams, and external partners, you will ensure NHS Orkney maintains high standards of safety, compliance, and performance. You will also manage the Infection Prevention Service and contribute to Board‑level reporting and assurance processes.

The Candidate:

The successful candidate will be a first‑level Registered Nurse with current NMC registration, educated to master’s level, and ideally holding a post‑registration qualification in infection prevention and control. They will bring significant recent NHS experience, including experience in a senior nursing role, alongside proven project management capability, experience in policy and service development, quality improvement methodologies, and strong financial awareness.

They will demonstrate strategic thinking, a thorough working knowledge of infection prevention, and a track record of publications or professional presentations. Essential skills include effective management and leadership, the ability to deliver sustainable change, excellent communication and interpersonal skills, strong negotiation abilities, and competence in team‑based and partnership working, supported by sound digital literacy.

Personally, the post holder will show a strong commitment to public health and infection prevention, the ability to prioritise in a rapidly changing environment, pragmatic leadership, independence with collaborative capability, and dedication to ongoing professional development.

Location, Working Pattern and Contract Duration:

This post will be based at The Balfour

The successful candidate will work: Full Time 36 hours per week

This post is Permanent

It is a condition of this employment that you must live and remain a resident within the UK for the post in which you will be employed with NHS Orkney.

Benefits and Salary:

Did you know NHS Scotland salaries are higher than those in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland?

The salary for this post is Band 8b and if residing on Orkney, you’ll also receive a Distant Islands Allowance of £1,719 pro rata per annum, adding extra value to your rewarding career with us.

Further Information:

If you share our vision and are ready to be part of Team Orkney, we’d love to hear from you. Your rewarding career starts here!

We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process, and you will be asked whether you require any during your application. If there are additional requirements you would like to request, please contact ork.recruitment@nhs.scot

To find out more about this opportunity please contact Samantha Thomas, Executive Director of Nursing, Midwifery, Allied Health Professions & Chief Officer Acute Services on samantha.thomas2@nhs.scot or Sarah Walker, Head of Infection Prevention by email on sarah.walker@nhs.scot

This post is subject to a Disclosure Scotland check.

NHS Orkney is an equal opportunities employer committed to advancing equality and particularly welcomes applications from groups of people currently underrepresented within the workforce. We are a committed participant in the Disability Confident Leader Scheme and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for our vacancies.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) - Candidates should provide original and authentic responses to all questions within the application form. The use of artificial intelligence (AI), automated tools, or other third-party assistance to generate, draft, or significantly modify responses is strongly discouraged. By submitting your application, you confirm that all answers are your own work, reflect your personal knowledge, skills and experience, and have not been solely produced or altered by AI or similar technologies.

Failure to comply with this requirement may result in your application being withdrawn from the application process.

Please note this advert may close early if sufficient applications are received.

This post is eligible for relocation assistance of up to £8,000 dependant on candidate eligibility

Interviews will be held in person at The Balfour Thursday 25th of June 2026