Job summary
Director of Education and The Learning Academy-Great Ormond Street Hospital

An exceptional opportunity has arisen for an inspirational and strategic leader to join Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust as Director of Education for the Learning Academy.

This is a high-profile appointment with responsibility for leading the strategic and operational delivery of education, training and development across GOSH and beyond. At the heart of GOSH's Trust Strategy, Together We Power Care, is a commitment to advance care for children and young people with rare and complex conditions so they can fulfil their potential. Education is central to that ambition: through GOSH ConnectED, the Learning Academy develops the expertise of those who care for children today and helps shape the system for tomorrow.

The Academy embeds the lived experiences of children, young people and families into learning; advances robust educational governance; and harnesses digital tools and emerging technologies to prepare staff for the future delivery of paediatric care.

In addition to delivering high-quality learning for GOSH colleagues, the Learning Academy works in partnership with universities, NHS organisations and global collaborators to extend specialist expertise, support care closer to home, and improve outcomes for babies, children and young people locally, nationally and internationally

Main duties of the job
As Director of Education of the Learning Academy, you will provide visible, credible and strategic leadership for one of the Trust's most important enablers of clinical excellence, workforce capability and system impact.

Reporting to the Chief Nurse, you will lead the next phase of the Learning Academy's development, ensuring its offer is ambitious, financially sustainable, and fully aligned to the Trust's wider strategic priorities. You will shape and deliver a high-quality education, training and development portfolio that supports our people at GOSH, strengthens specialist paediatric capability across the wider NHS, and extends our influence through national and international partnerships.

This is a significant leadership role requiring you to operate confidently across strategy, operations, quality, people leadership and external engagement. You will work closely with clinical, academic and corporate colleagues to develop innovative and inclusive learning approaches, embed robust educational governance, strengthen evaluation and impact, and harness digital and technology-enhanced learning to meet the needs of a modern specialist workforce. You will also build and sustain strong relationships with universities, professional bodies, commercial and charitable partners, and healthcare organisations across local, national and global systems, ensuring the Learning Academy continues to grow its reputation, reach and contribution to better outcomes for children and young people.

About us
We are committed to recruiting the best person for the job through a fair, open and consistent process that is free from bias and discrimination.

We are working towards becoming an anti-racist organisation. This means creating a workplace where every colleague feels seen, heard and valued, and where racism in any form has no place. Our anti-racism commitment is backed by action through our Anti-Racism Statement and action plan, developed in collaboration with our REACH staff network.

We actively challenge discrimination, dismantle barriers and embed equity across all aspects of our workforce, including recruitment, progression and development. All applicants will receive equal consideration regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, health condition or employment history.

We particularly welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, people with disabilities or long-term health conditions, and LGBTQ+ community members. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, a member of the Business Disability Forum, and a Stonewall Diversity Champion.

Our staff networks, including REACH, PRIDE, ENABLED and Women's Networks, are active and executive supported. These employee-led networks play a vital role in shaping an inclusive culture at GOSH and are open to all colleagues.

Together, we are building a culture where inclusion is not optional - it is essential.

Job responsibilities
You will be an accomplished senior leader with a strong track record of shaping and delivering strategic education, workforce development or organisational learning agendas within a complex healthcare, academic or public service environment. You will bring credibility as a senior leader, with the ability to influence across professional boundaries, build trusted relationships internally and externally, and translate vision into delivery. You will be highly skilled in leading multi-disciplinary teams, developing high-performing cultures, and driving innovation, improvement and change at pace while maintaining a clear focus on quality, inclusion and impact.

Most importantly, you will share our ambition to improve outcomes for babies, children and young people with rare and complex conditions through education that is inclusive, evidence-informed and future-focused. You will bring strategic judgement, emotional intelligence and personal resilience, alongside a collaborative and values-driven leadership style. Whether your background is in the NHS, higher education, healthcare learning, or another relevant sector, you will be excited by the opportunity to lead at the intersection of education, workforce transformation, innovation and child health, and to help position GOSH as a leader in paediatric learning nationally and internationally

Person Specification
GOSH Culture and Values
Essential

• Our Always values
• Knowledge and understanding of diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
• Understanding of Diversity and Inclusion challenges in the workplace.
• Demonstrable contribution to advancing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

Academic/Professional qualification/Training
Essential

• Registered Healthcare Professional
• Relevant MSc degree
• Relevant education qualification
• Evidence of ongoing personal and professional development

Knowledge & Experience
Essential

• Extensive experience at a senior level in developing and implementing multi-professional education in healthcare
• Significant experience working at a senior level, with a strong professional reputation built on a track record of career development through delivery
• Significant experience of strategic leadership and management within a complex organisation
• Significant experience of handling sophisticated external engagement, identifying shared objectives and influencing across organisational boundaries
• Track record of securing formal partnerships/contracts with public/private sector organisations, such as innovative education projects
• Substantial experience of leading change and driving innovation in response to changing, sometimes conflicting, external, and internal requirements
• Significant experience of working with internal and external stakeholders, identifying shared objectives and influencing across organisational boundaries
• Extensive knowledge and understanding of the Higher Education, NHS, NHS E (WTE) and their regulatory and assurance frameworks
• Experience of financial management with knowledge of the NHS Education agenda and NHSE (WTE) funding streams.

Skills and Abilities
Essential

• Highly developed communication skills combined with personal authority, confidence, and integrity, with proven ability to make a positive impact at all levels
• Effective and strategic influencing skills at all levels in the organisation including Trust Board
• A capacity to react and respond quickly and coherently as opportunities for action and change are and being able to identify and use the levers to inspire and achieve change
• The political intelligence to be able to navigate a complex social and political eco-system and remain focussed on the shared vision for the future
• Proven ability to analyse complex organisational or educational problems and to develop and successfully implement practical and workable solutions to address them
• Ability to build and develop teams and maintain constructive working relationships across different teams
• Able to contribute to the development of and implementation of the Trust strategic vision and the vision for Education
• Business acumen and financial management skills

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. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.