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: 1 x Permanent Post – Part Time 22.2 hours per week (22 hours and 22 minutes)
1 x Fixed Term / Secondment**, Part Time 22.2 hours per week (22 hours and 22 minutes)
Fixed-term or Secondment** until 31st March 2026
**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
This is an exciting opportunity to join our high calibre team within NES Optometry, delivering world-leading education to primarily support General Ophthalmic Services within Scotland.
This role will support the workstream relating to the Foundation Training Year (FTY), a new national clinical placement programme for optometry students as part of the new MOptom (IP) degrees in Scotland. You will support the design, development and delivery of the clinical placement programme for optometry students in Scotland. You will also support the development of training for supervisors and other key roles within the programme.
You will be highly motivated with a desire to support the further development of this exciting project. You will work closely with members of the workstream and the wider NES Optometry team, key stakeholders from across the profession, community and hospital optometrists, as well as colleagues from the Universities and Scottish Government.
Do you want to play a key role in shaping the future of optometry in Scotland?
Do you want to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders across Scotland to play a lead role in supporting the placement experience of optometry students during their initial education and training period?
Do you enjoy working at pace and being adaptive in an ever-changing environment?
Do you enjoy building relationships and a shared vision for the future to support change and innovation?
Working within the NES Optometry team, you will have the opportunity to bring your unique skills and experience to the table, collaborating across multiple workstreams to effect real change within the optometry workforce in Scotland
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 Optometrist with General Optical Council (GOC)
- 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 Louise Madden, Head of Programme, Louise.Madden@nhs.scot and Lorraine Cameron, Senior Specialist Tutor Lorraine.Cameron4@nhs.scot (to ensure that you receive a response due to staggered AL over the next few weeks
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 Tuesday 5th August 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