SHSCT _ Head of Medical HR

Job details

• Branch: Craigavon Area Hospital (SHSCT)
• Location: Craigavon Area Hosp-The Brackens
• Directorate: HR & Organisational Development
• Salary: Band 8a (£55,690 - £62,682 )
• Contract Type: Permanent
• Opening Date: 15/05/26
• Closes: Fri, 29 May 2026 @ 4:00 PM
• Interview Dates: TBC

Notes

Important Information If you are submitting a manual application, please post it to: Recruitment Shared Services, Rosewood Villa, Longstone Hospital Site, 73 Loughgall Road, Armagh, BT61 7PR. Applications received after the advertised closing date/time cannot be considered, so please allow enough time for postage. “A waiting list may be created for similar posts that may arise while the waiting list is live, this may include temporary or part-time posts. This will be managed in line with the updated HSC waiting list principles effective from 1 April 2026”. Where a part-time waiting list is required, one part-time waiting list will be created- regardless of any specific hours advertised, this waiting list will cover all future vacancies where part-time posts arise. A part-time post is defined as any post that has less than 37.5 hours per week.” Please remember to save or print a copy of the job description before submitting your application, as it will not be accessible afterwards. Flexible Working We welcome flexible working requests from day one. All HSC organisations offer a range of flexible working options. The options available for this post will depend on the requirements of the role. Find out more about flexible working options on our website.

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB TITLE: Head of Service – Medical Workforce

Optimisation Lead

BAND: 8a (£55,690 to £62,682 over 3 years)

DIRECTORATE: Human Resources and Organisational Development

INITIAL LOCATION: Medical HR Team, The Brackens, Craigavon Area Hospital, with remote working.

REPORTS TO: Assistant Director of HR, Medical Workforce and People Resourcing

ACCOUNTABLE TO: Director of HROD

HOURS: Full Time

JOB SUMMARY

The Head of Service – Medical HR provides strategic and operational leadership for all aspects of Medical Workforce people services across the Trust. The postholder is responsible for ensuring the delivery of safe, effective and high-quality medical workforce systems that support patient care, service delivery and medical education.

The role leads the Medical HR function, ensuring the provision of professional, customer-focused services across resourcing, workforce planning, employee relations, job planning, medical terms and conditions, governance and compliance.

The postholder will operate as a senior strategic partner to the Medical Director, Divisional Medical Directors and senior operational leaders, influencing workforce design, service transformation and organisational performance. The role is critical in supporting the Trust to achieve a sustainable, high-performing medical workforce, reducing reliance on locum staffing, ensuring value for money and maintaining compliance with all regulatory and contractual frameworks.

The postholder has overall leadership responsibility for the Medical HR service and works in close operational partnership with associated workforce leads to deliver an integrated medical workforce function across resourcing, temporary staffing, workforce optimisation and system change.

The Head of Service is a key member of the HR&OD senior team contributing to corporate leadership, organisational development and the delivery of the Trust’s People Strategy.

The postholder will play a key leadership role in the delivery of the Trust’s digital transformation agenda, particularly the implementation of the new regional HR, Finance and Payroll system (Equip), due for implementation in late 2026. This includes ensuring that medical workforce processes, data, governance and reporting are aligned to system requirements and that the Medical HR function is fully prepared for this significant change.

The role will work in close partnership with the Head of Flexible Workforce, Head of Resourcing, Equip Resourcing Change Impact Lead and Medical Workforce Optimisation Lead to ensure a coordinated, consistent and strategic approach to workforce delivery, service improvement and transformation across the Trust.

The postholder is accountable for ensuring robust governance, assurance and audit arrangements are in place to provide confidence to senior management and the Trust Board that medical workforce practices are safe, compliant and consistently applied.

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Internal

Medical Director, Deputy Medical Directors, Divisional Medical Directors, Clinical Directors, Service Directors, Director of Medical Education and Medical Education Teams, Finance, Procurement, Payroll, Head of Flexible Workforce, Head of Trustwide Resourcing, Equip Resourcing Change Impact Lead, Medical Workforce Optimisation Lead and wider HROD Teams

External

Department of Health, Regional HSC organisations and networks, BMA and Local Negotiating Committee (LNC), General Medical Council (GMC), Royal Colleges, Northern Ireland Medical and Dental Training Agency (NIMDTA), Suppliers, agency partners and workforce providers.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership and Workforce Transformation

Provide visible, credible and expert leadership on all aspects of the medical workforce agenda, aligning workforce strategy with service priorities and Trust objectives

Work with the Deputy Director to lead the development and implementation of medical workforce strategies to support workforce sustainability, including attraction, retention, skill mix optimisation and reduction in locum dependency

Lead the analysis of current and future medical workforce demand, supply and risk, translating national and regional policy into local workforce plans and implementation priorities

Undertake horizon scanning and interpret national, regional and regulatory developments, ensuring the Trust is proactively positioned to respond

Represent the Trust at regional and national forums, contributing to collaborative workforce solutions and influencing policy development

Contribute to corporate leadership across HR&OD, supporting delivery of the Trust’s People Strategy with a specific focus on the medical workforce

Work collaboratively with senior workforce leads, including the Head of Flexible Workforce, Head of Trustwide Resourcing and Medical Workforce Optimisation Lead, to ensure alignment of workforce strategies and maximise opportunities for service improvement

Provide leadership input to the Equip programme, working closely with the Equip Resourcing Change Impact Lead to ensure that medical workforce requirements are fully understood, represented and embedded within system design, testing and implementation

Medical Workforce Planning and Resourcing

Provide strategic oversight of medical recruitment across all grades, ensuring safe, timely and cost-effective workforce supply

Lead the development of innovative recruitment approaches, including international recruitment, rotational workforce models and alternative staffing solutions

Ensure effective onboarding and induction processes, including for international medical graduates, supporting safe integration into the Trust.

Provide leadership and oversight for the allocation of resident doctor rotations, ensuring thorough communication, forward planning and recruitment efforts to minimise gaps.

Ensure robust and auditable arrangements are in place for pre-employment and ongoing employment compliance, including professional registration, right to work, occupational health and other statutory checks

Analyse workforce data, trends and risks to inform workforce planning decisions and support service delivery requirements

Work in partnership with regional training bodies and stakeholders to align service and training workforce pipelines

Medical Locum and Flexible Workforce Management

Work alongside the Head of Flexible workforce to provide leadership and governance over the Trust’s medical locum workforce, including bank and agency usage

Ensure robust systems are in place to manage locum utilisation, cost control and compliance with procurement frameworks and regulatory requirements

Work in partnership with Finance, Procurement and regional colleagues to ensure value for money and consistent approaches to workforce supply

Retention, Engagement and Workforce Experience

Lead initiatives to improve attraction, retention and engagement of medical staff across all grades

Oversee the development of workforce programmes to support career progression, including locally employed doctor pathways and development opportunities

Utilise staff feedback, survey data and workforce intelligence to identify improvement priorities and implement targeted interventions

Promote a positive organisational culture, supporting inclusive leadership and effective team working across clinical services

Job Planning, Rota Management and Workforce Productivity

Provide strategic oversight of medical job planning systems, ensuring alignment between workforce capacity, service demand and contractual requirements

Support clinical leaders to optimise job plans, improve productivity and ensure consistency and fairness across directorates

Lead on the development of rota models that balance patient safety, staff wellbeing, regulatory compliance and financial sustainability

Ensure compliance with Working Time Regulations, contractual requirements and national guidance

Oversee junior doctor rota monitoring and banding processes, ensuring accuracy, compliance and effective governance

Medical Terms and Conditions and Policy

Act as the Trust’s lead expert on medical and dental terms and conditions of service

Ensure all employment practices, policies and procedures are compliant with legislation, national agreements and best practice

Lead the development, review and implementation of medical workforce policies, ensuring consistency, clarity and compliance across the Trust

Provide expert advice to senior clinical leaders on contractual matters, supporting informed decision-making

Maintain strong and constructive relationships with representative bodies, including the BMA and LNC

Employee Relations

Provide senior leadership and expert advice on complex and high-risk employee relations matters involving medical staff

Support the management of cases in line with MHPS and relevant policies, including disciplinary, capability and conduct issues

Ensure all cases are managed in line with MHPS and that governance, documentation and decision-making processes are robust, auditable and defensible

Ensure early resolution and proactive management of issues to minimise organisational risk

Lead engagement with collective employee relations structures, supporting effective consultation and partnership working

Oversee systems for tracking and managing medical employee relations activity and associated risks

Medical Workforce Information, Governance and Assurance

Lead and be accountable for governance, compliance and assurance across all aspects of medical workforce management, ensuring policies, procedures and practices are legally compliant, aligned to regional and national standards, and consistently applied across the Trust

Ensure all medical workforce policies are regularly reviewed, updated and implemented in line with best practice, employment legislation, MHPS and relevant national guidance

Establish and maintain robust audit and assurance frameworks across medical workforce processes, including recruitment, job planning, rota management, employee relations and temporary staffing

Provide assurance to senior leadership and relevant committees through high-quality reporting, highlighting risks, compliance levels and required actions

Identify, assess and escalate risks relating to medical workforce practices, ensuring appropriate mitigation plans are in place

Ensure consistency and standardisation of medical HR practices across all directorates, reducing variation and associated risk

Lead responses to internal and external audit, inspection or regulatory review relating to medical workforce matters

Develop, monitor and report on key performance indicators, service standards and improvement metrics for the Medical HR function

Lead on the development of workforce metrics, dashboards and reporting for senior management, committees and Board

Oversee internal audit requirements and ensure compliance with financial, regulatory and Trust controls

Lead reviews of additional payments and allowances, ensuring appropriate governance and value for money

Lead the transition of medical workforce data, processes and reporting into the Equip system, ensuring data quality, system integrity and effective use of workforce intelligence

Ensure the Medical HR function is fully prepared for system implementation, including process redesign, staff readiness, training and post-implementation optimization

Leadership, Management and Financial Accountability

Provide strong, visible leadership to the Medical HR team, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and high performance

Ensure effective team structures, clear processes and delivery against agreed objectives and service standards

Lead workforce planning and development within the team, ensuring the capability required to deliver current and future priorities

Manage the Medical HR budget and contribute to financial planning, ensuring effective use of resources

Develop business cases and investment proposals to support service improvement and workforce transformation

Contribute to cross-functional leadership across wider HR, particularly Resourcing and Workforce programmes, ensuring alignment between Medical HR, Flexible Workforce, Trustwide Resourcing and transformation initiatives

Support delivery of major organisational change programmes, particularly digital transformation through Equip, ensuring workforce impacts are effectively managed and benefits realized

Build management capability across clinical and service leaders through training, coaching and practical guidance on medical workforce matters

Act as the Trust’s senior point of accountability for medical workforce governance, ensuring effective oversight, control and continuous improvement of all associated systems and processes

Behavioural Expectations

Challenge constructively and influence decisions using evidence

Operate with autonomy, pace and accountability

Continually seek opportunities to improve how the organisation operates

Human Resource Management Responsibilities

The Trust supports and promotes a culture of collective leadership where those who have responsibility for managing other staff:

Establish and promote a supportive, fair and open culture that encourages and enables all parts of the team to have clearly aligned goals and objectives, to meet the required performance standards and to achieve continuous improvement in the services they deliver.

Ensure access to skills and personal development through appropriate training and support.

Promote a culture of openness and honesty to enable shared learning.

Encourage and empower others in their team to achieve their goals and reach their full potential through regular supportive conversation and shared decision making.

Adhere to and promote Trust policy and procedure in all staffing matters, participating as appropriate in a way which underpins Trust values.

Raising Concerns – Responsibilities

The post holder will promote and support effective team working, fostering a culture of openness and transparency.

The post holder will ensure that they take all concerns raised with them seriously and act in accordance with the Trust’s ‘Your Right to Raise a Concern (Whistleblowing)’ policy and their professional code of conduct, where applicable.

The post holder will, in the event of a concern being raised with them, ensure that it is managed correctly under the Trust’s ‘Your Right to Raise a Concern (Whistleblowing)’ policy and ensure feedback/learning is communicated at individual, team and organisational level.

Emergency Planning & Business Continuity Responsibilities

To work proactively with the Trust’s Emergency planner and other internal and external stakeholders to develop appropriate emergency response and business continuity plans to ensure the service can maintain a state of emergency preparedness to respond safely and effectively to a range of threats, hazards and disruption.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

The post holder will be required to

Ensure the Trust’s policy on equality of opportunity is promoted through their own actions and those of any staff for whom they have responsibility.

Co-operate fully with the implementation of the Trust's Health and Safety arrangements, reporting any accidents/incidents/equipment defects to their manager, and maintaining a clean, uncluttered and safe environment for patients/clients, members of the public and staff.

Adhere at all times to all Trust policies/codes of conduct, including for example

Smoke Free policy

IT Security Policy and Code of Conduct

standards of attendance, appearance and behaviour

Contribute to ensuring the highest standards of environmental cleanliness within your designated area of work.

Co-operate fully with regard to Trust policies and procedures relating to infection prevention and control.

All employees of the Trust are legally responsible for all records held, created or used as part of their business within the Trust including patients/clients, corporate and administrative records whether paper-based or electronic and also including emails. All such records are public records and are accessible to the general public, with limited exceptions, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Employees are required to be conversant with the Trust’s policy and procedures on records management and to seek advice if in doubt.

Take responsibility for their own ongoing learning and development, in order to maximise their potential and continue to meet the demands of the post.

Represent the Trust’s commitment to providing the highest possible standard of service to patients/clients and members of the public, by treating all those with whom they come into contact in the course of work, in a pleasant, courteous and respectful manner.

This Job Description will be subject to review in the light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.

It is a standard condition that all Trust staff may be required to serve at any location within the Trust's area, as needs of the service demand.

March 2026

SOUTHERN HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE TRUST

PERSONNEL SPECIFICATION

JOB TITLE AND BAND Head of Service - Medical Workforce

DEPARTMENT/DIRECTORATE HROD

Notes to applicants

You must clearly demonstrate on your application form under each question, how you meet the required criteria as failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. You should clearly demonstrate this for both the essential and desirable criteria.

Shortlisting will be carried out on the basis of the essential criteria set out in Section 1 below, using the information provided by you on your application form. Please note the Trust reserves the right to use any desirable criteria outlined in Section 3 at shortlisting. You must clearly demonstrate on your application form how you meet the desirable criteria.

Proof of qualifications and/or professional registration will be required if an offer of employment is made – if you are unable to provide this, the offer may be withdrawn.

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

SECTION 1: The following are ESSENTIAL criteria which will initially be measured at shortlisting stage although may also be further explored during the interview/selection stage. You should therefore make it clear on your application form whether or not you meet these criteria. Failure to do so may result in you not being shortlisted. The stage in the process when the criteria will be measured is stated below.

Factor

Criteria

Method of Assessment

Qualifications/ Registration

Hold a University Degree or recognised professional qualification (e.g. CIPD)

AND

have a minimum of 2 years' experience in a Human Resources role at band 6 or above

OR

Have at least 5 years’ experience of working in Human Resources position at band 6 or above.

Indicative salary would be within the range

£38,682 - £46,580 (equivalent to HSC Band 6) (PLEASE SPECIFY SALARY ON APPLICATION FORM)

Shortlisting by Application Form

Experience/ /Abilities

Demonstrate evidence of personal responsibility for

Leading and managing an operational HR or workforce service within a complex environment.

Taking a lead role in delivery change or service improvement initiatives with measurable outcomes

Managing complex employee relations casework and applying HR policy and governance frameworks

Working with senior stakeholders to influence decision making and deliver workforce solutions

Knowledge of HR policy, employment legislation and governance requirements.

Knowledge of Medical HR or a similarly complex workforce area, or the ability to rapidly acquire and apply this knowledge.

Shortlisting by Application Form

& Interview

Skills

Highly developed influencing and negotiation skills, with the ability to engage credibly with senior stakeholders, including clinicians

Ability to analyse complex information, identify risks and develop practical, defensible solutions

Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex, sensitive or high-risk information clearly and confidently

Strong leadership capability, with the ability to motivate, develop and performance manage teams

Ability to work autonomously and exercise sound professional judgement in complex or ambiguous situations. Solutions-focused, with a proactive and forward-thinking approach

High levels of resilience and emotional intelligence, particularly when managing sensitive or contentious issues

Interview

Other

Hold a current full driving licence which is valid for use in the UK and/or have access to a car on appointment. This criterion will be waived in the case of applicants whose disability prohibits driving but who have access to a form of transport approved by the Trust which will permit them to carry out the duties of the post.

Shortlisting by Application Form

As part of the Recruitment & Selection process it may be necessary for the Trust to carry out an Enhanced Disclosure Check through Access NI before any appointment to this post can be confirmed.

THE TRUST IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES EMPLOYER

Successful applicants may be required to attend for a Health Assessment