About this role
Job summary This is a senior leadership role within the Head and Neck Clinical Service Unit, based within Ophthalmology at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. As Head of Profession and Service for Orthoptics, you will lead the strategic direction, operational delivery and professional standards of a Leeds wide orthoptic service spanning acute and community pathways, while also maintaining an expert clinical role within a highly specialised service. The post is primarily based at St Jamess University Hospital and works across multiple sites and partner settings.
Main duties of the job We are looking for an experienced and credible orthoptic leader with the clinical authority, strategic judgement and management capability to lead service improvement, develop people, and work effectively with senior clinical and operational colleagues. This role will suit someone who combines expert practice with strong leadership, values high standards, and is motivated by the opportunity to shape services for patients, families and staff across a large teaching trust.
About us The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is committed to delivering the highest quality and safest treatment and care to every patient, every time.
Our vision is to provide the highest quality specialist and integrated care.
We will do this through delivery of our multi-year goals and strategic priorities, which you can read about on this page.
Central to it all is The Leeds Way our values and behaviours that are at the heart of everything we do.
Job description Job responsibilities For questions about this job, contact:
Name Jonathan Lockwood Position General Manager Email [email protected]
Job Summary This is a senior leadership role within the Head and Neck Clinical Service Unit, based within Ophthalmology at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. As Head of Profession and Service for Orthoptics, you will lead the strategic direction, operational delivery and professional standards of a Leeds wide orthoptic service spanning acute and community pathways, while also maintaining an expert clinical role within a highly specialised service. The post is primarily based at St James’s University Hospital and works across multiple sites and partner settings.
We are looking for an experienced and credible orthoptic leader with the clinical authority, strategic judgement and management capability to lead service improvement, develop people, and work effectively with senior clinical and operational colleagues. This role will suit someone who combines expert practice with strong leadership, values high standards, and is motivated by the opportunity to shape services for patients, families and staff across a large teaching trust.
Why you should join our Team Our Orthoptic service is part of a major Ophthalmology department within one of the largest teaching hospital trusts in the NHS. The team delivers highly specialised care across paediatric and adult pathways, supports tertiary work, contributes to teaching and clinical research, and plays an important part in wider service development across Ophthalmology. This is a team with a strong professional identity, a broad clinical scope, and a clear commitment to evidence based practice, education and continuous improvement.
You will work alongside experienced orthoptic, ophthalmology and operational colleagues, contribute to business planning and strategic decision making, and help shape how services develop for the future. It is an excellent opportunity for a senior orthoptist who wants both professional leadership and the ability to make a wider organisational impact
What you will bring to the role HCPC recognised qualification in Orthoptics and substantial post qualification clinical experience Expert knowledge in the assessment and management of complex ocular motility disorders Significant leadership and line management experience within an orthoptic or ophthalmic service The ability to lead service development, change and quality improvement Experience of clinical teaching, supervision and undergraduate assessment Strong understanding of clinical governance, audit and evidence based practice Experience of working with budgets, workforce planning and service performance Excellent communication, influencing and partnership working skills The ability to work autonomously while providing visible professional leadership to others Strong organisational, analytical and decision making skills in a complex clinical environment Please see the attached job description for further information about this vacancy.
About Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust Our values are part of what make us different from other trusts, so we see this as a strength, as well as a responsibility. They have been developed by our staff and set out what they see as important to how we work. Our five values are:
Patient-centred Collaborative Fair Accountable Empowered
All our actions and endeavours will be guided and evaluated through these values
We’re committed to recruiting exceptional people to deliver outstanding services across Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and helping every colleague reach their full potential. We’re looking for a compassionate, inclusive, and collaborative leader who shares our values and can build strong partnerships. We warmly invite applications from people from a variety of backgrounds and sectors, and are especially keen to hear from individuals from a minority ethnic background. We’re dedicated to creating a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued, supported, and has a true sense of belonging, as we work together to deliver the best in healthcare to the people of Leeds and beyond.
Sponsorship Eligibility To comply with UK Government regulations on Skilled Worker sponsorship, Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust is unable to provide sponsorship to applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria or the salary threshold concessions set out under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please take this into consideration before submitting your application. Full guidance on these concessions, including details of who may qualify, can be found here.
We reserve the right to close this advert early if we receive a high number of suitable applications.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
HCPC accepted qualification as an orthoptist Clinical teaching qualification
Experience Essential
Practices evidence based orthoptic management. Assessment / management of complex ocular motility problems.
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.
Employer details Employer name Leeds Teaching Hospitals
Address St James’s University Hospital
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS9 7TF
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)