Clinical Nurse Manager for Safer Staffing

NHS Scotland

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

NHS Ayrshire and Arran are one of 14 territorial NHS Boards within NHS Scotland. In support of our core purpose of Working together to achieve the healthiest life possible for everyone in Ayrshire and Arran, we are committed to a culture that is Caring, Safe, and Respectful.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a new Clinical Nurse Manager for Safer Staffing role within NHS Ayrshire & Arran’s Acute Services. This newly created post reflects our commitment to strengthening safer staffing leadership and embedding a sustainable, digitally enabled model of workforce planning across the organisation. The post is offered on a fixed‑term basis for 18 months.

36 hours per week.

• Provide strategic leadership for safer staffing and workforce planning across Acute Services.
• Lead the rollout, optimisation, and embedding of Safe Care as a real‑time clinical safety system.
• Ensure compliance with national standards, legislation, and governance frameworks.
• Deliver clinical oversight of eRostering to align staffing with patient need, skill mix, and staff wellbeing.
• Support recruitment and retention strategies to maintain safe and sustainable staffing levels.
• Provide expert advice and leadership to senior nurses, multidisciplinary teams, and the Board.

• Enable real‑time identification and mitigation of staffing risk.
• Improve continuity of care and patient outcomes.
• Strengthen professional accountability and decision‑making.
• Support workforce wellbeing, retention, and resilience.
• Deliver financial sustainability through reduced reliance on agency staffing.

• Current NMC registration.
• Significant senior leadership experience in nursing workforce planning and safer staffing.
• Experience in Safe Care, eRostering, or digital workforce systems.
• A strong understanding of national policy and workforce legislation.
• Proven ability to lead change, improvement, and transformation.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and influencing skills.

• A newly established senior leadership role with Board‑wide impact.
• The opportunity to shape and embed innovative safer staffing systems.
• A supportive and collaborative leadership environment.
• Commitment to professional development and continuous learning.
• The chance to make a real difference to patient care and staff experience.

It is essential that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the United Kingdom or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored before submitting your application form.

NHS Ayrshire & Arran may offer visa sponsorship for certain roles, provided the post meets the minimum salary threshold and any other required criteria. Sponsorship is not guaranteed and is assessed on a case‑by‑case basis following interview and at the commencement of pre‑employment checks.