Associate Director of Nursing

Salary £79,504 - £91,609 gross per annum (pro rata). Closing 11/06/2026 23:59.

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust provides child and adult mental health services, learning disability, wellbeing, older people s and eating disorder services across Norfolk and Suffolk.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and want to reflect the diversity of our local communities within our teams. We welcome applications from all talented individuals with the relevant qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience.

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 provide visible, strategic and professional leadership across clinical networks, ensuring outstanding outcomes for service users and communities. You will work with the Director of Nursing and wider multi-professional leadership teams to develop and deliver service improvement, performance and workforce strategies in line with Trust and system priorities.

You will drive excellence across 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.

• 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

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.

• 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,…