Job summary
Shape the future of mental health nursing across BNSSG

Are you an experienced and visionary nursing leader looking for an opportunity to influence quality, safety and innovation at scale? Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust (AWP) is seeking an outstanding Divisional Director of Nursing to join our BNSSG Divisional Leadership Team. This is a pivotal senior leadership role where you will provide professional nursing leadership across a diverse portfolio of mental health services, ensuring the highest standards of patient care, clinical quality, safety and workforce development.

Main duties of the job
About you

We are looking for an exceptional senior nurse leader who combines professional credibility with strategic insight and a passion for improving patient care.

• A Registered Nurse with substantial senior leadership experience within mental health services.
• An experienced leader of quality, governance and clinical safety agendas.
• Passionate about developing nursing excellence and supporting staff to thrive.
• Experienced in leading large scale service improvement and transformation programmes.
• A compassionate, visible and inspiring leader who can engage colleagues at every level.

About us
Ready to make a difference?

If you are a credible and compassionate senior nurse leader who wants to influence care, develop the nursing profession and help shape the future of mental health services across BNSSG, we would love to hear from you.

We are the lead provider of healthcare for people with serious mental illness, learning disabilities and autism across Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES), Swindon and Wiltshire, and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

We aim to provide High Quality, Compassionate Care everywhere, every day. This means our services will be safe, clinically effective and provide a positive all round experience for our patients, families and carers. And we believe passionately in treating everyone with kindness, respect and empathy.

Key to this is providing a supportive and safe environment for our 4,000 staff where we all feel welcome and able to do the best we can for those we support. Our staff and teams work incredibly hard delivering services across more than 90 locations, covering 2,200miles, to more than 1.8million people.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Details
Date posted
24 September 2026
Pay scheme
Agenda for change
Band
Band 8d
Salary
£94,356 to £108,814 a year
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full-time
Reference number
342-CS045-0926
Job locations
Callington Road Hospital
Marmalade Lane
Bristol
BS4 5BJ
United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities
About the role

As the most senior nurse within the Division, you will play a critical role in shaping the future of services, driving continuous improvement, and ensuring that the voice of nursing remains at the heart of decision making. Working closely with the Divisional Clinical Director, Divisional Director of Operations and Executive Director of Nursing and Quality, you will help deliver strategic priorities whilst fostering a culture of compassion, innovation, accountability and excellence.

You will:

• Provide visible and inspirational leadership to nurses and multidisciplinary teams across inpatient and community services.
• Lead quality, governance, patient safety and professional standards across the Division.
• Champion evidence based practice, quality improvement and innovation.
• Support delivery of outstanding patient experiences and improved clinical outcomes.
• Lead divisional nursing workforce development, succession planning, recruitment and retention initiatives.
• Ensure effective systems are in place to maintain safe staffing and high quality care.
• Contribute to service redesign programmes and major transformational change.
• Represent the Division and Trust within regional and national professional forums.

Please see Job Description for full details

Person Specification
Experience and Knowledge
Essential

• Extensive experience working in a senior operational nursing role
• Extensive experience within a mental health service
• Able to demonstrate/provide extensive evidence of senior leadership ability and experience
• Extensive experience developing and leading strategic and operational plans across large and complex services
• Extensive understanding and experience of national and international best practice in specialist areas and nursing
• Evidence of commitment to evidence based practice; innovation and creation of change
• Experience of CQC inspection

Desirable

• Able to demonstrate evidence of knowledge related to service change and QI methodology

Skills and Abilities
Essential

• Ability to articulate a clear vision for nursing
• Ability to understand the challenges that face the nursing profession and identify possible solutions
• Fully understands the regulatory environment within which the Division / AWP operates
• Ability to manage highly complex priorities
• Ability to understand the complexities of business planning
• Clinically and operationally credible leadership skills
• Ability to work comfortably on the front line with staff, within your scope of practice
• Ability to present at national conferences and represent the AWP Director of Nursing at local and national events
• Ability to write and present concise Board/Committee reports

Other Requirements
Essential

• Demonstrable passion for the profession of nursing and improving outcomes for patient care
• Ability to work within a team and independently
• Resilient to adversity
• Ability to adapt to changing needs of service

Education and Qualifications
Essential

• NMC Registered
• First Degree
• Management qualification of equivalent
• Masters or extensive equivalent experience including specialist training in health, leadership or management
• Relevant management qualification or equivalent senior management experience

Desirable

• Postgraduate masters/Doctorate in mental health core professional subject

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
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. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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
Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
Address
Callington Road Hospital
Marmalade Lane
Bristol
BS4 5BJ
United Kingdom
Employer's website
http://www.awp.nhs.uk/about-us/working-for-us/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
BNSSG Clinical Director
John Trevains
j.trevains1@nhs.net

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.