Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join Aneurin Bevan University Health Board as Director of Midwifery, Neonatal & Children's Services.

This is a high-profile senior leadership role responsible for providing strategic, professional and operational leadership across Midwifery, Neonatal, Paediatric, Public Health Nursing, Children's Services, Gynaecology and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The post holder will play a pivotal role in shaping the future delivery of services, ensuring the highest standards of patient care, quality, safety and clinical excellence.

Working as part of the senior Divisional leadership team, you will lead service transformation, workforce planning, governance, quality improvement and strategic development, ensuring services are responsive, sustainable and aligned to Welsh Government and Health Board priorities.

Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will:

• Provide strategic leadership for Midwifery, Neonatal, Children's, Public Health Nursing, Gynaecology and CAMHS services.
• Lead the development and implementation of long-term service strategies and transformation programmes.
• Ensure the delivery of safe, effective and high-quality patient care across all services within the portfolio.
• Provide professional leadership and assurance for nursing and midwifery standards across the Division.
• Lead quality governance, risk management, safeguarding, complaints and incident management processes.
• Develop and deliver workforce, recruitment and retention strategies to support sustainable services.
• Manage substantial budgets and resources, ensuring value for money and financial stewardship.
• Build effective partnerships with Health Boards, Local Authorities, Welsh Government, educational institutions and external stakeholders.
• Promote a culture of innovation, continuous improvement, research and learning.
• Represent the Health Board regionally and nationally on matters relating to nursing, midwifery and children's services.

About us
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) is a multi-award-winning NHS organisation serving the communities of Gwent. With more than 14,000 staff and volunteers, we provide safe, high-quality, and compassionate care across hospitals, GP practices, community services, and mental health settings. As a University Health Board, research, education, and innovation are central to our work, supporting evidence-based practice and continuous improvement.

Our work is guided by the Gwent Strategy 2025-2035, which sets out our long-term ambition to create a fairer and healthier future for our population. We focus on prevention, reducing health inequalities, and working in partnership with local authorities, voluntary organisations, and communities to improve health and wellbeing.

We are committed to creating an inclusive, supportive workplace where people feel valued, respected, and able to develop. Our values of Kindness, Integrity, and Respect shape how we care for patients and how we treat one another.

We offer a wide range of learning and development opportunities, flexible working where possible, and a comprehensive NHS benefits package. Working for ABUHB means being part of an organisation that values its people and offers the chance to build a meaningful and rewarding career while making a real difference to the lives of others.

Details
Date posted: 19 October 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 9
Salary: £114,475 to £131,732 a year per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 040-AHP112-1026
Closing date: 02 November 2026

Job responsibilities
Provide strategic leadership and direction across Midwifery, Neonatal, Children's, Public Health Nursing, Gynaecology and CAMHS services. Ensure high standards of patient safety, quality, governance and professional practice. Lead service improvement, innovation and transformation programmes to enhance patient outcomes and experience. Develop and deliver workforce, recruitment and retention strategies to ensure sustainable services. Lead safeguarding, risk management, complaints, incident investigation and quality assurance processes. Manage budgets and resources effectively, ensuring financial governance and value for money. Monitor and improve performance against local and national targets and quality indicators. Provide professional leadership and assurance for nursing and midwifery standards across the Division. Build strong partnerships with Health Boards, Local Authorities, education providers, regulators and partner organisations. Represent the Health Board at local, regional and national forums, contributing to the development of future services and policy.

You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click Apply now to view in Trac.

Person Specification
Qualifications

• Essential: Educated to Masters' Degree Level or equivalent level of work experience
• Essential: Registered Midwife with current NMC Registration
• Essential: Highly specialised and in-depth professional knowledge and experience from a range of midwifery and nursing disciplines across the services of the Health Board
• Essential: Evidence of strong and recent Continuous Professional Development
• Essential: Highly relevant specialise clinical knowledge relating to sphere or responsibilities
• Essential: Clear understanding of the concept and working arrangements of diverse clinical areas
• Essential: Extensive in-depth knowledge and understanding of a range of issues across the NHS and NHS patient agenda
• Essential: High level knowledge of all current issues related to professional midwifery and nursing practice.
• Essential: Has a good understanding of research and can demonstrate how research has influenced their practice.
• Essential: Evidence of highly developed knowledge of professional nursing standards and the governance of nursing practice across children's, family, community or related services
• Desirable: Personal acknowledgements at a national level publication/representation
• Desirable: Leadership qualification
• Desirable: Formal project management experience

Experience

• Essential: Significant post registration experience at a very senior midwifery level
• Essential: Significant senior operational management experience across healthcare sectors
• Essential: Experience of developing and implementing governance frameworks to support service delivery and service charge
• Essential: Demonstratable experience delivering positive service improvement at a senior level
• Essential: Extensive experience of leading and successfully implementing service improvement/design programme in a multidisciplinary environment/across a range of services
• Essential: Developing and delivering governance systems including management and mitigation of risk
• Essential: Extensive experience of effective patient/public/customer involvement
• Essential: Proven ability to work across organisational boundaries, develop networks and alliances, project a vision and obtain ownership and commitment from stakeholders.
• Essential: Experience of managing conduct/professional issues
• Essential: Complaints management and experience of the litigation process
• Essential: Significant experience of providing senior professional leadership and assurance across services, or demonstrable experience of working at executive or divisional level with responsibility for professional nursing standards, workforce and quality governance.

Skills and Attributes

• Essential: Highly developed analytical and problem solving skills, capable of interpreting and evaluating complex, multi-faceted information, ability to summarise complex information, ability to make judgements and advise on the best course of action
• Essential: Ability to present highly complex/controversial information to a wide range of audiences, with differing levels of understanding, in a suitable format and with appropriate explanation
• Essential: Ability to influence, persuade and motivate others
• Essential: Ability to collaborate constructively with all key stakeholders (internal and external) and to create the conditions for successful partnership working
• Essential: Ability to provide a clear vision for change which is a source of inspiration and motivation for others. Skilled in all aspects of managing change, including supporting staff
• Essential: Ability to monitor and act to improve and deliver performance and establish high levels of quality and to hold others to account for delivery
• Essential: Highly skilled in identifying opportunities for partnership working, managing ongoing stakeholder relationships and providing support to others in this area
• Essential: Highly-developed leadership and influencing skills with the ability to enthuse, motivate and involve individuals and teams across the Health Board.
• Essential: Be able to articulate the evolving strategy and vision for the future of nursing and be able to demonstrate the opportunities this will provide
• Essential: Ability to analyse complex clinical issues/problems, identify necessary action and make recommendations and follow these through
• Essential: Ability to demonstrate emotional leadership skills and apply to appropriate situations
• Essential: High level of work organisation, self-motivation, drive for performance and improvement and flexibility in approach
• Essential: Highly developed communication skills to resolve complex, high-impact situations in highly complex environments
• Essential: Standard keyboard skills, with familiarity with the Microsoft Office Suite
• Desirable: Welsh language skills are desirable levels 1 to 5 in understanding, speaking, reading and writing in Welsh

Other

• Essential: Ability to travel throughout the Health Board locality and across Wales/UK as required
• Essential: Flexible to the needs of the service
• Essential: Able to participate in on-call rota

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.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see the NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: Aneurin Bevan University Health Board
Address: Royal Gwent Hospital, Cardiff Road, Newport, NP20 2UB
Employer's website: https://abuhb.nhs.wales/

For questions about the job, contact:
Divisional Director, Kavitha Pasunuru, kavitha.pasunuru@wales.nhs.uk, 01633238905