Job Advert
INTERNAL SECONDMENT OPPORTUNITY – INTERIM MENTAL HEALTH AND LEARNING DISABILITY SERVICE MANAGER (CENTRAL ABERDEENSHIRE)
We are seeking expressions of interest from colleagues working within the Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership for a secondment opportunity to the post of Interim Mental Health and Learning Disability Service Manager for Central Aberdeenshire.
The secondment opportunity is for period of up to 6 months.
The post holder will provide strategic and operational leadership for community Mental Health and Learning Disability teams and services in Central Aberdeenshire. This includes Adult and Older Adult Community Mental Health Teams and Community Learning Disability Teams, Day Services and Psychological Therapies.
The post holder will lead health and social care delivery across services and teams and work closely with the Mental Health and Learning Disability Service Managers for North and South Aberdeenshire. A key responsibility is to ensure that services align with the Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care’s Strategic priorities, and that services comply with national policy, strategy, and legislation, as well as clinical and care governance standards for health and social care services, including those registered with the Care Inspectorate, whilst delivering safe, high-quality, trauma-informed and person-centred care within budget.
Direct reports of this post are either employed by NHS Grampian or Aberdeenshire Council and the most holder must be required to work in accordance with the workforce policies and governance standards for both organisations.
The post holder may have lead responsibilities for areas of strategy, as well as savings projects overseen by the Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Sustainability Board. There will also be an opportunity to participate in key projects on a wider Grampian basis under the Mental Health and Learning Disability Cross-System Strategic Delivery Team.
The post holder will be required to work as part of a multi-disciplinary senior leadership team and build strong and collaborative relationships within Aberdeenshire and across Grampian through partnership working to support the delivery of sustainable and integrated services.
The post holder will report to the Partnership Manager for North Aberdeenshire.
Candidates must:
- Have the experience and skills required and be able to demonstrate that they meet all the essential criteria in the person specification.
- Be able to operate at the required level immediately.
- Have line manager agreement for applying for this secondment.
Expressions of interest should be submitted to Alex Pirrie (Partnership Manager – North) by email to alex.pirrie2@aberdeenshire.gov.uk by close of business on Friday, 23rd October 2026 detailing how you will meet the requirements outline above, together with confirmation of line manager support for applying for this secondment. Notes of interest submitted without prior agreement from a candidate’s line manager will not be considered.
Interviews will take place on Thursday, 5th November 2026 at Woodhill House in Aberdeen. The interview panel will be Alex Pirrie, Janine Howie (Partnership Manager for South Aberdeenshire and Deputy Chief Social Work Officer) and Jackie Berry (AHP Lead and Occupational Therapy Lead for Mental Health and Learning Disability Services in Grampian).
Link for applying for post:
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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. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES
AI-generated content for the completion of Supporting Statements may lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description. Personalisation is essential to convey individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively.
As a disability confident employer we are committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are inclusive and accessible to all. If you need us to make any adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know by contacting our recruitment team at the earliest opportunity. Email us at gram.recruitment@nhs.scot.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend the interview in person. Alternative arrangements or adjustments will be considered in the event there are circumstances that may prevent candidates attending in person to ensure it is inclusive and accessible to all.
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NHS Grampian forms one of the fourteen regional health boards of NHS Scotland and is responsible for providing health and social care services to a population of over 500,000 people living in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray.
As a board we strive to ensure the environment is conducive to nurturing a positive culture, supported and delivered through our NHS and Social Care values.
