Job Advert
Flexible Location: Based throughout Scotland, NES is a remote friendly employer supporting office and hybrid working. We’re happy to talk about how you want to work.
Work Pattern: Fixed Term, Full Time (Part time considered) , 37 hours per week
Fixed-term or Secondment for 24 months
**For NHS applicants, an NHS secondment will be offered in the first instance. For non-NHS applicants, a fixed-term or secondment would be considered.
You must have eligibility and entitlement to work in the UK which is required to be maintained throughout your period of employment.
Who We Are
NHS Education for Scotland (NES) is the national health board with statutory responsibilities to effect sustainable change through workforce development, education and training across the health and social care system in Scotland, while working at UK level with partner organisations.
NES Optometry primarily supports the provision of General Ophthalmic Services in Scotland.
The Opportunity
The Education Lead - Optometry is part of a high calibre team, delivering world-leading education to primarily support general ophthalmic services within Scotland. This post requires ambitious, hard-working and very experienced optometrists who have the drive to support the NES Optometry programme across the country. The post requires flexible working, considerable travel and the requirement to attend evening and weekend events.
Do you want to deliver an optometric education programme based on national and local priority needs, ensuring liaison with other senior professionals within the healthcare team and relevant stakeholders?
Do you want to contribute specialist expertise to national and regional NES initiatives?
Do you want to liaise with other groups and individuals employed in NHS Boards engaged in supporting postgraduate education to develop local opportunities for inter-professional learning?
Do you want to provide professional leadership, advice, education and support to colleagues, devising key activities in specialist area. This may be at local, national or UK wide level?
Working within the delegated management of regional budgets, ensuring that NES Optometry meet annual and longer term agreed targets
Does this sound like you?
What We Love to See
Educations Leads offer a broad range of skills and experience, if you can offer some or all of these, we’d love you to apply:
A registered healthcare practitioner with a postgraduate qualification e.g. MSc, independent prescribing optometrist.
Extensive experience in a community or hospital setting
Experience of planning, delivering and management of training programmes including undergraduate.
Highly developed professional communication skills and experience of facilitation, consultation and negotiation with a wide range of stakeholders including at a high level of seniority
A positive and enthusiastic approach to the development of community optometry in Scotland
Demonstrate honesty, integrity, care and compassion when dealing with others, utilising tact and persuasion skills when necessary
Ability to work on own initiative, to organise and prioritise own workloads, to meet strict deadlines
Benefits Which Matter
As a valued employee of NHS Scotland, you can enjoy an extensive range of benefits including:
Life-work balance - with opportunities for flexible working and hybrid working
Generous NHS pension scheme
Annual incremental salary progression (up to the maximum of the salary band) plus annual NHS salary scale review
Annual Leave - 27 Days increasing in line with service plus 8 days public holiday
NHS discounts and more
Diversity and Inclusion
Developing a successful national service for Scotland is impossible without ensuring we consider the diverse needs, perspectives and backgrounds of everyone in Scotland in our work.
We are focused on hiring the very best talent available for NES, and actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and aim to ensure everyone is treated fairly, with respect and has a positive recruitment experience – regardless of the outcome.
It’s not essential to be in an Educational Lead role right now. You may be returning from a career break (e.g. maternity, paternity, caring for others) or returning after working in another field. Your experiences elsewhere can bring a fresh perspective to our work.
If you are considering applying and feel it would be helpful to discuss this initially, please contact Lesley Rousselet, Associate Director, Lesley.Rousselet@nhs.scot
Next Steps
**NHS candidates will be considered firstly on a secondment basis, and so are strongly encouraged to discuss this with their current NHS employer at the earliest opportunity, ideally prior to application.
Our recruitment process is currently 100% remote and if successful you would initially work remotely, working from our offices as operationally required.
All applicants who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e-mail.
Online interviews (including a presentation) will take place on Thursday 6th February 2025. The presentation topic will be sent to candidates selected for interview.
For further information please refer to the Job Information Pack below.
Unless otherwise stated the deadline for applications is 23:59 hours on the closing date. Please note, CVs will not be accepted.
If you have any queries regarding the NHS Scotland National Recruitment Portal or the recruitment process, please don't hesitate to contact our recruitment partners, the East Region Recruitment Service, at: EoS.ERRS@nhs.scot