
Job requirements
Essential
35 listedRequirements the employer expects applicants to meet.
- Experience
Substantial experience in a leadership role including contributing to operational management of services.
- Experience
Experience in management of health services
- Experience
Experience of monitoring, analysing and assessing clinical operational performance across multiple services.
- Experience
Experience of managing performance across multiple services, including the drafting, implementation and monitoring of remedial action plans.
- Experience
Experience of managing budgets across multiple services and working in liaison with management
- Skills and knowledge
Knowledge of NHS Human Resource Policies and Procedures.
- Skills and knowledge
Knowledge of clinical and operational governance and its application to services.
- Skills and knowledge
Knowledge of multidisciplinary team working and an understanding of differing professional roles boundaries.
- Skills and knowledge
Advanced knowledge of clinical operational processes, including budget management, target setting, and action planning and performance management.
- Skills and knowledge
Knowledge NHS targets and regulatory requirements.
- Skills and knowledge
Ability to monitor and maintain standards of care across a range of clinical services.
- Skills and knowledge
Ability to identify, assess and manage Clinical and Operational Risks
- Skills and knowledge
Able to translate complex information make it meaningful to staff at all levels and across all professions both verbally and in writing.
- Skills and knowledge
Ability to occasionally manage distressing and emotional circumstances with staff, patients and their carer’s.
- Skills and knowledge
Ability to deal with competing demands, priorities and deadlines whilst managing operational imperatives and frequent interruptions.
- Skills and knowledge
Ability to engage stakeholders through discussion, presentation and direct liaison.
- Skills and knowledge
Well-developed presentation skills.
- Skills and knowledge
Word-processing and keyboard skills and ability to use Microsoft Office packages including Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
- Skills and knowledge
A natural curiosity backed by excellent critical analytical skills.
- Skills and knowledge
Able to effectively challenge poor conduct and behaviours.
- Skills and knowledge
Strong patient focus.
- Skills and knowledge
Excellent time management, prioritisation and organisational skills and ability to manage and deliver to agreed deadlines.
- Skills and knowledge
Skilled in writing clear and coherent operational business cases, reports, and service plans.
- Skills and knowledge
Demonstrate understanding of the unique qualities and needs of a team and ability to provide a caring, safe environment to enable everyone to do their jobs effectively
- Skills and knowledge
Use and interpret varied information to generate new ideas and make effective plans for improvement or change
- Skills and knowledge
Demonstrate understanding of how health and social care services fit together and how different people, teams or organisations interconnect and interact
- Skills and knowledge
Able to communicate a compelling and credible vision of the future in a way that makes it feel achievable and exciting
- Skills and knowledge
Ability to involve individuals and demonstrate that their contributions and ideas are valued and important for delivering outcomes and improvements
- Skills and knowledge
Able to agree clear performance goals and quality indicators for services, supporting individuals and teams to take responsibility for results and providing balanced feedback
- Skills and knowledge
Able to build capability within the workforce to enable people to meet future challenges. Using a range of experiences as a vehicle for individual and organisational learning
- Skills and knowledge
Able to use interpersonal and organisational understanding to persuade and build collaboration
- Skills and knowledge
Able to work as part of a team, using own and others skills and adopting a coaching style to drive individual and organisational performance
- Qualifications and/or professional registration
Registered Nurse or Allied Health Professional
- Qualifications and/or professional registration
Postgraduate qualification in Management or equivalent level of knowledge acquired through experience.
- Qualifications and/or professional registration
Evidence of continuous professional/leadership/management development.
Desirable
Not listed in the available specification.
Job overview
We have an exciting new role as Nursing Head of Service in which the postholder will demonstrate strong professional clinical leadership and provide specialist clinical advice across the services within their portfolio. Acting in support of the Divisional and Deputy Divisional Nurse/AHP Directors, the post holder will be a key member of the divisional leadership team and work as a triumvirate with the Medical/Dental Head of Service and Head of Service.
The post holder will support the Divisional and Deputy Divisional Nurse/AHP Directors to continually improve equitable patient care, experience, access and outcomes and assist with the implementation of national and Trust initiatives working closely with the Head of Service and Medical Head of Service.
The postholder will play a key role in developing the service to meet the population's needs at locality and regional level and will have a service development portfolio and clinical leadership role. They will ensure services provide safe, effective, personalised and evidence based clinical interventions and holistic care.
Main duties of the job
Main tasks a) Work with the divisional management team and Heads of Service to provide professional and clinical leadership to the Division, ensuring that a framework is in place to ensure all clinical staff are appropriately managed and are clinically and professionally developed so that they are, therefore, efficient, effective, engaged and highly motivated.
b) In partnership with the relevant clinical executive director and the clinical divisional leadership team and other clinical Heads of Services, lead and implement the Trust’s clinical priorities and strategies ensuring clinical staff are engaged and connected to the objectives and plans.
c) Maintain a highly visible leadership profile, undertaking quality rounds and being proactive about engaging with service areas where required to ensure that they continuously meet the health needs of patients.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The post holder will be a role model for leadership, training, coaching, and facilitating staff development at all levels. The post holder will be expected to provide a clinical perspective to divisional planning and decision-making, interpreting national guidance in relation to all aspects of clinical care delivered by the Trust and advise on the implementation within the modernisation and changing environment of all service areas.
The post holder will role model leadership behaviours for improvement, supporting the building of Quality Improvement capability and capacity in the division and leading improvement programmes.
The postholder will, with the relevant management team, be responsible for clinical governance including the identification, reporting, management and mitigation of risk and patient safety.
Please see job description and person specification for further information.
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
WhatsApp job alerts
Get instant WhatsApp alerts for Band 8 Nurse roles in Brighton
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 Nursing Head of Service with Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust in Brighton, England. It is listed as a Band 8 Nurse (adult and children) role. The advertised salary is £66,582 - £77,368 per annum / pro rata. The contract type is Secondment: 9 months. The application deadline is 25 Oct 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 (16 Oct 2026) to decide whether this role fits your current NHSjob 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.
