Job Description
Regional Head of Nursing – Organ Donation
This is a hybrid role; you can be based in England. Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Hours for the role are full time – this will be 37.5 hours for England and 36 hours for Scotland.
Your salary will be under ‘Agenda for change’ and will be dependent on your whether you are based in England or Scotland.
Job Summary
As the Operational Leader for Organ Donation Services, you’ll be at the heart of a mission that saves lives every single day. This is your opportunity to shape the future of organ donation across the Scotland and London Organ Donation Services Teams—and influence national strategy as part of the Organ Donation Senior Management Team. In this pivotal role, you will:
Drive Strategy – Lead the implementation of the UK’s organ donation vision in your region and contribute to shaping business plans that set the standard nationwide.
Inspire Teams – Provide operational leadership to passionate professionals delivering a 24/7 service that transforms lives.
Be the Expert – Offer highly specialist advice and guidance to ensure excellence in every aspect of organ donation.
Make a Difference – Every decision you make will help save lives and give hope to families across the UK.
This isn’t just a job—it’s a chance to lead innovation, influence policy, and be part of something truly extraordinary. If you’re a dynamic leader with a passion for healthcare and a drive to make a real impact.
Main duties of the job
In this role you will work as a member of the Organ Donation Senior Management Team contributing to the development of Organ Donation business plans and strategy and operational leading the implementation of the strategy across the Organ Donation UK wide clinical service.
- You will be accountable for the direct delivery and performance of the clinical organ donation service within 2 geographical subdivisions of the national Organ Donation Service. This includes service operational management responsibilities for:
- organ donation outcomes and performance
- business plan development for the regions and hospitals within each region
- ensuring effective communication and relationship management with external stakeholders contributing to organ donation in each region, including Clinical Leads for Organ Donation (Consultant Medical Staff) and Chairs of Organ Donation Committees from NHS Trusts/Health Boards and devolved government colleagues.
- budget performance
- staff recruitment, retention, development and performance management
- Develop and manage an effective Organ Donation Collaborative/Networks
- You will develop your clinical knowledge through our development programme to enable you to provide highly specialised advice concerning the care and treatment of donors to Lead Nurses, Specialist Nurses and Clinicians within the Clinical Service of Organ Donation and through acting as an advisory specialist expert to UK national advisory groups. You will develop to become both an expert in the organ donation process and possess a developed understanding of changes in transplantation which impact on Organ Donation.
You will be required to travel and spend time away from base, which will involve working irregular hours and overnight stays when required, with prior notice. You will also be required to cover a 24/7 x 365 on-call rota.
About You
Experience and Knowledge
- Ability to develop clear strategies based on best practice.
- Ability to contribute strategically as a corporate member of the Organ Donation Senior Management Team.
- Evidence of proven leadership and management experience in a relevant clinical setting.
- Awareness of current professional issues and developments within organ donation, nursing and the NHS.
- Proven ability to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of own clinical practice and that of others within a clinical governance framework.
- Evidence of experience of implementing effective change within teams /across an organisation.
- An understanding of NHS structures applicable to England and Scotland including accountability arrangements.
Qualifications and Training
- Registered Nurse with current Nursing and Midwifery Council registration (which must be maintained) as Registered Nurse – Adult or Paediatric Nurse
- Relevant degree or equivalent qualification in a health or related field/job related experience equivalent to degree level knowledge. Educated to Master’s level in a related discipline or equivalent qualification or demonstrable experience.
- Masters level degree qualification in a related discipline. Or a post graduate diploma with additional post qualification experience equivalent to master’s level knowledge in a health discipline.
- Demonstrable Master’s Degree level experience in leadership and management.
- Teaching qualification e.g. ENB 998 or equivalent or significant equivalent experience of delivery of presentations to various audience groups
- Demonstrates commitment to own continued professional development (CPD).
About Us
It takes all types of people to deliver the kind of service that saves and improves lives. At NHS Blood and Transplant, you’ll join a team of more than 6,000 people who are making a genuine difference to communities, families, friends, relatives and more across the UK. We play a unique and special role in the NHS by helping people do something extraordinary- donate blood, blood products, organs, tissues, or stem cells to save someone in need.
Our three core values are what set us apart. They guide and inspire everything we do.
By being caring, expertly meeting the needs of our patients and our people, and accepting nothing less than the best quality, we can do extraordinary work – and help our people to do something extraordinary in their career, too. Three small words, one big difference - Caring, Expert and Quality. Together we'll save and improve more lives than ever.
You will join us on our journey to create an inclusive workplace and aim to reflect the diverse communities we work with, and we positively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.
What we offer:
- Hybrid working arrangements – because NHSBT works nationally, we’re able to offer hybrid working options that give you more flexibility to balance work with life.
- Flexible working options – we promote flexible working where the role allows. We’re happy to discuss what flexibility might look like for you.
- Generous annual leave - 27 days annual leave (pro rata for part-time) plus Bank Holidays, increasing to 29 days after 5 years’ service and to 33 days after 10 years.
- Inclusive pension scheme - the NHS Pension Scheme is a defined benefit scheme (not dependent on investment returns). Further details and outline of benefits can be found at: http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/information-about-nhs-pensions
- Supportive learning culture - we’ve fostered a culture of continuous learning where colleagues are well-led, engaged, and encouraged to grow. We support you in reaching your full potential, both in your current role and future career. Our Thrive program embodies our commitment to learning and development, offering a wide range of activities to support your personal and professional growth. It’s open to everyone at NHSBT, ensuring you have the resources to succeed and shine in your role.
- Health and wellbeing support – we offer confidential services including occupational health, employee assistance programme, and wellbeing resources. Our support is available to all colleagues and we endeavour to provide tailored workplace adjustments where possible.
As a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applications from disabled candidates. We will talk with you to explore any adjustments that may help you during the recruitment process.
You can find more information about accessibility, our culture, and how we support applicants on the NHSBT Careers website:
To learn more, please see the job description and person specification. These can be accessed via the link below, or by clicking ‘Apply’ if you are viewing this advert on another site.
Next steps
This vacancy will close at 23:59 on Wednesday 3rd June.
The assessment process for this role will include: a single interview. Interviews are anticipated to be held on Thursday 11th June – subject to confirmation.
For informal enquiries please contact –
Name: Charlotte Walker
Job Title: Recruiter
Contact Details: Charlotte.Walker@nhsbt.nhs.uk
