Director of Learning and Workforce Development | Bristol NHS Foundation Trust


Company:	University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
Salary:	£112,782 - £129,783 pa
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Bristol, BS1 3NU
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	16 Sept 2026
Closing date:	16 Oct 2026

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Summary

Are you an experienced senior leader ready to shape the future workforce of Bristol NHS Foundation Trust? As Director of Learning and Workforce Development, you will lead a broad, high-profile portfolio at the heart of ourorganisation'stransformation. You will help create outstanding learning and career opportunities for our people, strengthen workforcecapabilityand support new ways of delivering care. This is an opportunity to influence strategy at executive and systemlevel,build strongpartnershipsand make a lasting difference to our workforce and the patients we serve.

Reporting to the Chief People and Culture Officer, you will develop and implement BFT's future workforce and skills strategy, ensuring we have the capacity and capability needed for the decade ahead. You will lead education, apprenticeships, learning and development, career pathways, workforcetransformationand education governance. Working with clinical, operational, system and education partners, you will shape roles, skills and learning pathways that respond to changing patient needs, technologicaladvancesand new models of care. You will be a credible and visible leader who can build trust, influence at executive and system level,leadlarge-scale change and champion inclusion.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations, operating from three main sites at Southmead, Bristol city centre and Weston.

With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. 

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of the role.

The Director of Learning and Workforce Development will:

• Develop and deliver BFT's future workforce and skills strategy.

• Leada modern, high-impact learning and workforce development function.

• Provide strategic leadership across education, apprenticeships, learning and development, career pathways, workforcetransformationand education governance.

• Work with clinical, operational, system and education partners to shape future roles,skillsand learning pathways.

• Support delivery of the NHS 10 Year Plan and BFT's Clinical Strategy by preparing the workforce for changing patient needs, technologicaladvancesand new models of care.

• Build trusted relationships, influence at executive and system level andleadlarge-scale change.

• Promote inclusion and create a culture in which people can learn,growand thrive.

We are looking for an experienced senior leader with a strong record of delivering strategic learning and workforce development in a large, complexorganisation. You will bring exceptional partnership and influencing skills, the credibility tooperateat executive and systemleveland a strong commitment to inclusion.

For an informal discussion, Jenny Lewis, Chief People and Culture Officer, would be delighted to hear from people who match the brief and would like to find out more.

This advert closes on Monday 5 Oct 2026

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