Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust

Lead for Practice Education and Research
The closing date is 29 November 2026

Job summary
Acorns Children's Hospice are looking for a Lead for Practice Education and Research to use their specialist knowledge and skills to lead the design, delivery, quality assurance and evaluation of a hospice-wide practice education, clinical skills, simulation and research portfolio. You'll contribute to the strategic development of Acorns practice education and research offer, working collaboratively with the Directors of Care, operational leaders and external partners.

Main duties of the job
Acorns Children's Hospice are looking for a Lead for Practice Education and Research to use their specialist knowledge and skills to lead the design, delivery, quality assurance and evaluation of a hospice-wide practice education, clinical skills, simulation and research portfolio. You'll contribute to the strategic development of Acorns practice education and research offer, working collaboratively with the Directors of Care, operational leaders and external partners.

About us
Acorns is recognised as a great place to work because of our people. Our priority is that our people feel valued, whatever their background and experience, and wherever they work.

Details
Date posted: 13 November 2026
Pay scheme: Other
Salary: £54,060 to £67,740 a year
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 330724
Job locations: Acorns in Birmingham Hospice, 103 Oak Tree Lane, Birmingham, West Midlands, B29 6HZ, United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities
Acorns Children's Hospice are looking for a Lead for Practice Education and Research to use their specialist knowledge and skills to lead the design, delivery, quality assurance and evaluation of a hospice-wide practice education, clinical skills, simulation and research portfolio. You'll contribute to the strategic development of Acorns practice education and research offer, working collaboratively with the Directors of Care, operational leaders and external partners.

About the Role
At Acorns Children’s Hospice, we provide specialist palliative care for children, and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions, and we support their families through every step of their journey, and through transition. Our work is defined by compassion, expertise, and an unwavering belief that every child deserves comfort, dignity, and the chance to experience joy.

As Lead for Practice Education and Research, you will:

• Provide leadership to the practice education and research function
• Lead the strategic direction, annual work programme and operational delivery of practice education, clinical skills, simulation and research activity across the organisation
• Work with the Acorns Academy and other leads within the organisation to identify organisational learning needs through training needs analysis, incident themes, audit findings, service developments and regulatory requirements, translating these into prioritised education plans
• Design, commission, deliver and evaluate evidence-based education programmes and competency frameworks
• Lead the delivery of the hospice’s research and evidence-based practice agenda, developing a clear research strategy and infrastructure
• Develop and maintain productive partnerships with universities, NHS organisations, hospices, clinical academic networks and other external stakeholders to support collaborative projects, student opportunities, benchmarking and shared learning

About You

• Registered healthcare professional
• Relevant qualification or experience in teaching, assessing or practice education
• Experience in practice education, clinical skills or workforce development
• Management experience

What We Offer

• £54,060 to £67,740 per annum
• 37.5 hours per week
• Travel across all Acorns hospice (Birmingham, Walsall and Worcester)
• Employee discounts from leading retailers – including the Blue Light Card
• Discounts on refurbished tech
• Health cash plan
• Gym membership and equipment discount scheme
• Bike2Work scheme - save up to 42% on bikes and equipment
• Wellbeing, legal and financial support
• Career development through our Acorns Academy offering leadership, coaching, fundraising, clinical training and more
• Generous contribution to group personal pension plan (7.5%) or continuation of current NHS pension scheme
• NHS pension scheme life assurance or Acorns group life assurance scheme
• Annual leave entitlement increases with length of service
• Buy & sell annual leave scheme

Interviews are scheduled to be held on 9 December.

You need to be eligible to work in the UK to be considered for this role. We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and therefore any successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced DBS check for children and will be asked to provide two satisfactory references. In addition, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of immunisation against specific diseases or confirm their willingness to receive the necessary vaccinations.

As a UNICEF Gold Rights Respecting organisation, we are committed to ensuring that the United Nations Convention for the Rights of the Child is embedded into both culture and practice within the organisation. As an employee you will be a Duty Bearer for Children’s Rights and support all children to be Rights Holders.

If you have any questions, please contact us at recruitment@acorns.org.uk
Find out about our culture, career development, benefits and more here: Why Work for Acorns?

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential: Registered healthcare professional, Evidence of CPD
Desirable: Teaching, leadership or management qualification

Experience
Essential: Substantial experience in practice education, clinical skills or workforce development
Desirable: Experience of paediatric palliative care

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name: Acorns Children’s Hospice Trust
Address: Acorns in Birmingham Hospice, 103 Oak Tree Lane, Birmingham, West Midlands, B29 6HZ, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.acorns.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Talent Acquisition Partner Tanya Paul, recruitment@acorns.org.uk

Supporting documents
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