Job summary
The Perinatal and Gynaecology CSU is delighted to offer an opportunity to join the Leadership Team on secondment as our Neonatal Unit Matron.

Main duties of the job
This role provides strategic, operational, and professional leadership across a portfolio of services, ensuring the delivery of safe, high-quality, patient-centred care. The postholder is responsible for clinical governance, patient safety, workforce planning, service improvement, and financial management, using data, quality metrics, and direct engagement with patients and staff to drive continuous improvement. They act as a visible and inclusive leader, promoting staff wellbeing, professional development, and equality, while overseeing operational performance, managing resources and budgets, leading service transformation, and working collaboratively with patients, families, and multidisciplinary teams to improve outcomes and experience across the CSU.

About us
The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (NCA) provides hospital and integrated health and social care services to over one million people living across Greater Manchester. Our 20,000 colleagues care for people in hospital and in the community, working across Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and Salford, to save and improve lives.

As a large NHS trust we are committed to enhancing the health of our local population by delivering consistently high standards of care and working closely with local authorities and key partners. We believe in our power and potential to make a difference and we are always looking for people who demonstrate our three core values - care, appreciate and inspire - to join our team.

In return, we can offer you a job role with purpose and flexibility. The size and scale of the NCA means we can provide more challenge and opportunities so your career can always be moving in the right direction. By joining us you can also access a competitive benefits package, including a fantastic annual leave allowance, flexible working opportunities and protected hours for health and wellbeing activities, helping you to achieve more personal downtime and a better work-life balance.

Learn more about us in our Candidate Information Pack.

Details
Date posted: 15 October 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8a
Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year pro rata
Contract: Secondment
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 236-FAC-NM822-26-I
Closing date: 22 October 2026

Person Specification
Qualifications

• Essential: Degree level education or equivalent professional qualification in Nursing/Midwifery/AHP
• Essential: Evidence of continuous professional development
• Desirable: Teaching/mentorship qualification

Professional registration

• Essential: Registered Nurse/Midwife/AHP with current NMC or HCPC registration

Knowledge, Training and Experience

• Demonstrates operational leadership experience within a fast-paced healthcare setting, managing multiple wards or services to ensure safe, effective, and patient-centred care.
• Leads nursing, midwifery, and AHP teams across designated services, fostering collaborative working and maintaining high standards of clinical care.
• Supports and enables service improvement and transformation across multi-disciplinary teams, contributing to the delivery of Trust priorities through inclusive and compassionate leadership.
• Applies sound knowledge of clinical governance, regulatory compliance, and quality assurance to ensure services meet national and local standards.
• Implements operational changes in line with CSU and Trust priorities, ensuring alignment with service goals and improvement plans.
• Leads measurable improvements in care quality and service delivery through audit, direct observation, and triangulation of data with patient and staff feedback.

Skills and Abilities

• Promotes a culture of professional accountability and clinical engagement, encouraging staff to take ownership of care quality and patient experience.
• Manages team and service performance, using data and feedback to improve outcomes for patients, carers, and staff.
• Utilises performance data and management tools to monitor service delivery, identify areas for improvement, and support decision-making.
• Applies analytical skills to interpret clinical and operational data, supporting evidence-based improvements in care and service design.
• Communicates effectively across teams and services, using influence and trust-building to support cohesion and improvement.
• Applies effective planning and organisational skills to manage competing priorities and maintain operational resilience across services.
• Demonstrates resilience and composure in high-pressure situations, supporting teams through complex challenges.
• Applies co-production principles to service development, building relationships and engaging stakeholders to shape care delivery.
• Builds credibility and trust with a wide range of stakeholders, representing the CSU professionally and promoting high standards of care.
• Engages directly with front-line teams, patients, and carers to support innovation in practice and enhance workforce and patient experience.
• Maintains awareness of national workforce challenges and supports the implementation of Trust-wide strategies for nursing, midwifery, and AHP development.
• Translates CSU objectives into clear operational plans, ensuring teams understand and deliver against service expectations.
• Builds effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including senior leaders, regulators, and professional bodies.
• Manages conflict constructively, facilitating resolution to maintain team cohesion and service continuity.

Contact
Head of Midwifery: Claire Darling, claire.darling@nca.nhs.uk, 01616278000

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires a Disclosure and Barring Service check. Applicants requiring Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome to apply and will be considered alongside all other applications. Applicants must have current UK professional registration.