Job summary
Are you an inspiring senior nurse leader ready to shape the future of care across a complex and evolving healthcare system?

Do you thrive on leading transformational change that improves outcomes, experience and quality for service users and communities?

Can you bring strategic vision, operational grip and compassionate leadership together to drive meaningful impact?

This is a pivotal senior leadership opportunity for an experienced and ambitious nurse leader to shape the delivery of high-quality, safe and effective care across Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.

As Associate Director of Nursing, you will play a critical role in providing visible, strategic and professional leadership across clinical networks, ensuring outstanding outcomes for service users and communities. Working closely with the Director of Nursing and wider multi-professional leadership teams, you will lead on the development and delivery of service improvement, performance and workforce strategies in line with Trust and system priorities across community and specialist teams.

You will drive excellence across the core dimensions of safety, effectiveness and patient experience, while balancing operational performance, financial sustainability and workforce development. This role requires a collaborative and forward-thinking leader who can influence at system level, build strong partnerships, and lead transformational change across complex services.

Main duties of the job

• Provide senior clinical and professional leadership across clinical networks, acting as a visible and credible leader
• Lead delivery of high-quality services, ensuring safety, effectiveness and patient experience standards are met
• Take joint accountability for clinical, operational and financial performance against local and national targets
• Develop and implement strategic plans and service improvement programmes aligned to Trust priorities
• Drive robust governance, risk management and quality assurance frameworks across services
• Lead on workforce planning, development and succession, supporting high-performing and compassionate teams
• Build and maintain effective partnerships across the Trust, ICS, regulators and external organisations
• Influence and contribute to Trust-wide strategy, policy development and transformation programmes
• Provide expert advice and leadership on clinical practice, quality improvement and professional standards
• Champion equality, diversity and inclusion, ensuring services meet the needs of all communities

About us
Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.

Why work for us? We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.

Why Norfolk and Suffolk? The people here are warm and welcoming, you'll never be far from the beautiful coastline or Broads National Park. We're an hour and a half away from London and have an international airport in Norwich too. Our villages, towns and cities are packed full of history, independent cafes, shops and theatres. We have excellent shopping, eating out, top ranking schooling and affordable house prices too.

Details
Date posted: 21 September 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8c
Salary: £79,504 to £91,609 a year gross per annum (pro rata)
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 246-WSU8281911
Job locations: Wedgwood House, Hardwick Lane, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 2QZ, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
Please find attached our Job Description and Person Specification for more detail on your Key Accountabilities, then if you feel you have what it takes to make a difference in your local communities, click APPLY!

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• First level nurse with current NMC registration UK.
• Postgraduate training or experience of leadership/management.

Desirable

• Doctorate in a health-related subject.

Experience
Essential

• Experience of working in a post with strategic nursing responsibility and operational management in a complex setting and diverse situations.

Knowledge
Essential

• Knowledge of the national professional nursing agenda.

Skills
Essential

• Ability to produce reports and documents for Boards and Committees using relevant technology to present complex data and strategy with clarity.

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).

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 (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).
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).