Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced senior Allied Health Professional to join Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust as Chief Allied Health Professional and Deputy Director of Therapies. This senior role will provide Trust-wide professional leadership, strategic direction and governance for Allied Health Professionals, spiritual care and social work, and will deputise for the Director of Therapies across the wider therapies portfolio.

Working closely with the Chief Therapies Officer, Executive colleagues, clinical divisions, corporate services and system partners, the post holder will help shape and deliver safe, effective and person-centred services. They will provide visible, compassionate and inclusive leadership, ensuring therapies professionals are central to service design, transformation, quality improvement and workforce development.

The successful candidate will lead the Trust-wide therapies strategy, strengthen professional governance and assurance, champion innovation and contribute to system-wide transformation across mental health, learning disability and autism services.

We are seeking an inspirational, experienced leader with strong clinical credibility, senior leadership experience and a commitment to improving outcomes and delivering high-quality care. The post holder will build effective relationships across the Trust and wider system, while promoting the Trust's values and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Main duties of the job

• Provide senior clinical leadership across therapies, including AHPs, psychological therapies and spiritual care.
• Ensure effective clinical and professional governance for therapies professionals across the Trust.
• Lead strategic development, innovation and transformation of the AHP and psychological therapies workforce.
• Provide expert strategic advice and assurance to the Director of Therapies and Trust Board.
• Represent AHPs, psychological professionals and social workers within senior Trust decision-making.
• Build and maintain strong partnerships across local, regional and national networks, including ICB and Place-based systems.
• Lead service transformation aligned to neighbourhood teams and community-first approaches.
• Work with commissioners and system partners to design services that reduce inpatient admissions and health inequalities.
• Oversee budgets and line management responsibilities within the therapies portfolio.
• Keep the Trust informed of national AHP and psychological therapies policy and initiatives.
• Provide strategic and operational leadership for delegated portfolio areas, including service experience, patient involvement, spiritual care and peer support.
• Participate in the Trust Director/Manager on-call rota.
• Ensure all duties are undertaken in line with the NHS Constitution.

About us
Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist mental health, learning disability and autism services across the Black Country. We are committed to delivering high quality, compassionate and inclusive care, working in partnership with people who use our services, carers, families, communities and system partners.

As a Trust, we recognise the vital contribution of our Allied Health Professionals and wider therapies workforce in improving access, experience and outcomes along with reducing health inequalities and supporting people to live well in their communities. We are ambitious about strengthening professional leadership, developing innovative models of care and creating an environment where staff are supported to achieve their potential.

We value compassionate leadership, collaboration, inclusion and continuous improvement. The successful candidate will join an organisation committed to partnership working, staff development, equality, diversity and inclusion, and to ensuring that the voice of service users, carers and staff informs the way services are designed and delivered.

Details
Date posted: 26 August 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: 285-0603-CORP
Job locations: Civic Centre, St. Peter's Square, Wolverhampton, WV1 1SH, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
The post holder will provide senior clinical and professional leadership for Allied Health Professionals, psychological therapists, spiritual care, social work and wider therapeutic professions across the Trust. They will be responsible for supporting the development and delivery of a Trust-wide therapies strategy, ensuring professional governance, quality assurance and service improvement are embedded across all relevant services.

Working closely with the Chief Therapies Officer, Executive colleagues, clinical divisions and system partners, the post holder will provide strategic leadership to support transformation, new models of care, workforce development and improved outcomes for people using services. They will ensure the contribution of therapies professionals is visible, influential and aligned to the Trusts clinical, quality and organisational priorities.

Key responsibilities will include providing professional advice and assurance to senior leaders, contributing to Board and sub-Board reporting, leading on professional governance and risk management, supporting workforce planning and development, promoting research and evidence-based practice, and ensuring national policy and professional standards are reflected in practice. The post holder will also work with commissioners and partners across the Integrated Care System to support service redesign, pathway development and reduction of health inequalities.

The role will involve line management responsibilities, budget oversight for designated therapies areas, participation in the Trust senior leadership arrangements and deputising for the Chief Therapies Officer as required. This may include representing the therapies portfolio at internal and external meetings, supporting quality, safety, finance, digital and governance forums, and participating in the Trust on-call rota at a level appropriate to the role.

The successful candidate will be expected to provide visible, compassionate and inclusive leadership, develop effective relationships across professional groups and partner organisations, and promote a culture of continuous improvement, professional development, service user involvement and high quality, person-centred care.

Person Specification
Essential

• Registered Allied Health Professional with a relevant degree or equivalent pre-registration qualification and current registration with the Health and Care Professions Council.
• Master's degree or equivalent senior leadership experience, with evidence of post-graduate leadership or management development
• Extensive senior-level experience within mental health, learning disability and/or autism services, including clinical and operational leadership across a wide range of professional groups.
• Significant experience of strategic planning, workforce development, service transformation and quality improvement at Trust-wide or system level.
• Highly developed leadership, communication, influencing and analytical skills, with the ability to manage complex clinical, professional, governance and organisational priorities
• Comprehensive knowledge of clinical and professional governance, regulatory requirements and assurance processes, with the ability to provide high-quality reports and assurance to senior committees or Board.
• Ability to work collaboratively across organisational and system boundaries, engaging effectively with clinical leaders, frontline staff, patients, communities and partner organisations to support service redesign and improved outcomes.

Desirable

• Supervisory qualification or evidence of formal development in supervision, coaching or professional education.
• Experience of deputising for an Executive Director or senior executive leader within a complex healthcare organisation.
• Experience of leading complex multidisciplinary system transformation programmes across professional, organisational or system boundaries
• Extensive experience across therapies, including psychological therapies, with the ability to support or deputise for professional leadership across the wider therapies workforce.
• Experience of delivering Trust-wide improvements in clinical governance, transformation and service quality

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.

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.

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

Employer details
Employer name: Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Civic Centre, St. Peter's Square, Wolverhampton, WV1 1SH, United Kingdom
Employer's website: Apply through our website

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Chief Therapies Officer
Susan van Genderen
susan.vangenderen@nhs.net
07817570484

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.