Director of Midwifery – NHS

Location: South East England

Salary: £112,782 – £129,783 per annum

Band: 9 – Agenda for Change

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week

The Opportunity

MLC Partners are supporting an NHS organisation in the South East with the appointment of an experienced Director of Midwifery to provide strategic and professional leadership across maternity and neonatal services.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for an established midwifery professional to drive improvements in patient safety, clinical quality, workforce development and service transformation.

Reporting into executive nursing leadership, the successful candidate will play a central role in shaping maternity strategy, strengthening clinical governance and ensuring the delivery of safe, high-quality and compassionate care for women, babies and families.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and professional leadership across maternity and neonatal services, influencing clinical standards, quality and service improvement.
• Lead the development and delivery of maternity improvement priorities, ensuring alignment with national standards and regulatory requirements.
• Strengthen clinical governance, patient safety, risk management and assurance processes across maternity services.
• Oversee midwifery workforce planning, safe staffing, recruitment, retention and professional development.
• Work collaboratively with senior clinical, operational and executive colleagues to deliver sustainable improvements in maternity outcomes.
• Provide expert professional advice and assurance to executive leadership and Board-level stakeholders.
• Champion a positive, inclusive and learning-focused culture that promotes staff engagement, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with national maternity safety initiatives, regulatory frameworks and recommendations arising from national reviews.

The Ideal Candidate

• Registered Midwife with current NMC registration.
• Significant senior leadership experience at Head of Midwifery, Deputy Director, Director of Midwifery or equivalent level within the NHS.
• Demonstrable track record of leading maternity service improvement, transformation and quality governance.
• Strong understanding of maternity safety, clinical governance and national improvement programmes, including Ockenden, Saving Babies' Lives, MBRRACE-UK and CQC requirements.
• Experience of leading workforce transformation, safe staffing reviews and professional development initiatives.
• Ability to influence and engage effectively with executive leaders, multidisciplinary clinical teams and external stakeholders.
• Strong strategic leadership skills, with the ability to balance quality, safety, operational performance and workforce priorities.
• A compassionate, visible and credible leader with a commitment to improving outcomes and experiences for women and families.

Why Apply?

This is an opportunity to take on a pivotal leadership position within an NHS organisation committed to strengthening maternity services and delivering meaningful, sustainable improvement.

The successful candidate will have significant scope to shape professional standards, influence strategic priorities and lead teams through an important period of development.

To Apply: Please submit your CV or contact MLC Partners for a confidential discussion about the opportunity.