Job summary
An opportunity has arisen for appointment to the role of Associate Postgraduate Dental Dean for Foundation Training within the North West.

The post holder provides senior educational leadership for Dental Foundation Training and associated foundation-level dental education programmes across the North West of England, including programme development, quality management, trainee support, faculty development and assurance of training standards.

The post holder will have experience of and commitment to Dental Foundation Training, with a primary focus on this programme and related foundation-level dental education within the regional portfolio. Working with the Postgraduate Dental Dean and key system partners, they will support strategic development, national reform, innovation and operational policy across the North West, ensuring Dental Foundation Training supports NHS priorities and reflects current and future dental contract reform.

Main duties of the job
Key responsibilities include:

• Lead the provision of Dental Foundation Training in the North West of England.
• Lead regional implementation and operational oversight of the Early Years Dental Training curriculum and associated portfolio requirements, ensuring consistency across one-year Foundation-only and two-year JDFCT pathways.
• Provide senior oversight of JDFCT/Early Years pathways across dental practice, community, hospital and DCT-equivalent settings, ensuring effective coordination between Educational Supervisors, Training Programme Directors, Lead Employer and NHS England teams.
• Participate in strategic planning for Dental Foundation Training at national level.
• Support the development of specialised skills and wider educational opportunities relevant to Dental Foundation Training.
• Develop and evaluate an effective Dental Foundation Training study programme mapped to the Early Years curriculum and aligned with the Dental Gold Guide.
• Lead the process for the appointment of Training Programme Directors and Educational Supervisors.
• Develop and maintain robust processes to ensure appointed training practices meet required standards for the learning environment, educational provision, supervision and quality.
• Support the development, review and ongoing support of Educational Supervisors and Training Programme Directors.

About us
NHS England has a wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers. These are focused on supporting the wider NHS to deliver high quality care, as well as doing those things that are best done once for the whole NHS.

Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms -- enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.

In March 2025, the Government announced that NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will increasingly merge functions, ultimately leading to NHS England being fully integrated into the department.

If you currently work within the NHS and if successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR).This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.

Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in our offices.

We cannot offer visa sponsorship for any vacancies.

Details
Date posted: 21 September 2026
Pay scheme: Hospital medical and dental staff
Grade: Doctor - other
Salary: £132,145 a year pro rata
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 4 months
Working pattern: Part-time, Job share, Flexible working
Reference number: 990-NW-EC4930-E
Job locations: 3 Piccadilly Place, London Road, Manchester, M1 3BN, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
The role is line managed by, and is professionally accountable to, the Postgraduate Dental Dean. The duties listed in the job description are not intended to be exhaustive. The post holder will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required by their line manager.

You can find further details about the job, organisational structure, recruitment profile, expected outcomes and benefits information in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.

Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential

• Educated to master's level or equivalent level of senior experience in a relevant specialist area.
• Dental qualification at degree level.
• Postgraduate qualification in education, clinical education, healthcare education or equivalent demonstrable educational leadership experience.
• Evidence of maintaining GDC registration and relevant continuing professional development aligned to educational, clinical and leadership responsibilities.
• Demonstrable outcomes in postgraduate dental education, including programme design, curriculum delivery, assessment, learner support, faculty development and quality improvement.

Experience and Knowledge
Essential

• Extensive knowledge of specialist areas, including dental education, public health and/or business management, acquired through postgraduate study, equivalent training or significant senior-level experience.
• Evidence of post-registration and continuing professional development.
• Understanding of the background to, and aims of, current healthcare policy and the implications for dental education and training.
• Appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health and Social Care, its Arm's Length Bodies and provider organisations.
• Extensive knowledge of how dental services and education/training are configured and regulated.
• A track record of commissioning, developing or implementing education programmes across complex settings, including negotiating changes to traditional modes of delivery.
• Experience of leading projects involving multiple partners and working across organisational boundaries.

Skills and Abilities
Essential

• Ability to provide strategic leadership across multiple foundation-level dental training programmes.
• Ability to communicate with all levels of staff (including clinical and academic) on highly complex matters and difficult situations
• Ability to analyse qualitative, quantitative, numerical, written, educational performance, quality assurance and workforce data from a range of sources to assess options, draw conclusions and inform decision-making.
• Vision, strategic thinking and planning with highly developed political skills
• Ability to demonstrate a high level of expertise in providing senior leadership
• Ability to work on own initiative and organise workload, delegating work as necessary, working to tight and often changing deadlines
• Ability to investigate concerns, identify root causes and implement improvement plans.
• Proficient in the use of digital learning systems, e-portfolios, data analysis tools and Microsoft 365 applications.
• Ability to lead and influence senior stakeholders across organisational boundaries.
• Skilled in managing difficult conversations and resolving conflict

Behaviours and Values
Essential

• Identifies the processes and systems that will promote health, safety and security in the organisation
• Promotes a safe environment for exchange of views and ideas and takes appropriate action when there are issues with health, safety and security
• Investigates any actual or potential health, safety or security incidents and takes the required action
• Uses clear, plain language and communicates in a way that supports openness, understanding and collaboration.
• Interprets equality, diversity and rights in accordance with legislation, policies, procedures and good practice and will act in support of this
• Constructively challenges and accepts constructive challenge from others
• Recognises that improved patient care is at the heart of all decision making
• Actively promotes change and improvement and sharing of knowledge and information
• Demonstrates integrity, confidentiality, fairness and objectivity when managing sensitive educational, performance and governance matters.
• Exhibits resilience and professionalism when dealing with complex, contentious or high-profile issues.

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: NHS England
Address: 3 Piccadilly Place, London Road, Manchester, M1 3BN, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/working-for/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Associate PG Dental Dean: Foundation Training, Arshid Hussain, arshid.hussain1@nhs.net

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