Deputy Medical Director - North Thames Gms

World-class care requires world-class leadership. Founded in 1852 as the first hospital in the United Kingdom dedicated solely to the care of children, GOSH was built on a simple but radical principle: that children need healthcare designed around them. Today the Trust is home to around 400 beds and over 67 specialist and sub-specialist services, the widest range available on any single site in the UK, including 22 highly specialised nationally commissioned services. It hosts the UK’s only National Institute for Health and Care Research Biomedical Research Centre dedicated solely to child health, supports more than 800 active research studies, and works in close partnership with the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

GOSH is at a pivotal moment in its evolution. Building on significant progress over recent years, the Trust has developed an ambitious five-year direction, “Together We Power Care”, built around three pillars: shaping how care is delivered, advancing discovery, innovation and impact, and embracing more holistic, connected care for children, young people and families.

In conjunction with the Medical Director, Chief Operating Officer and Scientific Director, to work on the strategic development and delivery of all areas of the Genomic Laboratory Hub and GM services to deliver an efficient and high-quality integrated Genomics service for the population of the North Thames geography, and nationally for specified specialist tests.

There is flexibility in how this appointment can be made, but we would expect that the appointee hold a substantive appointment or honorary contract in one of the NHS Trusts in the North Thames geography for the duration of this appointment, combining the Deputy MD role with a clinical appointment. We would particularly welcome applications from those with experience/expertise in rare and inherited disease.

Main duties of the job include leading on clinical engagement with services users throughout the geography helping to establish embed genomics as a standard element of appropriate patient pathways across cancer and rare diseases.

We are committed to recruiting the best person for the job through a fair, open and consistent process that is free from bias and discrimination. We are working towards becoming an anti-racist organisation. This means creating a workplace where every colleague feels seen, heard and valued, and where racism in any form has no place. Our anti-racism commitment is backed by action through our Anti-Racism Statement and action plan, developed in collaboration with our REACH staff network.

We actively challenge discrimination, dismantle barriers and embed equity across all aspects of our workforce, including recruitment, progression and development. All applicants will receive equal consideration regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, health condition or employment history. We particularly welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, people with disabilities or long-term health conditions, and LGBTQ+ community members. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, a member of the Business Disability Forum, and a Stonewall Diversity Champion.

Our staff networks, including REACH, PRIDE, ENABLED and Women’s Networks, are active and executive supported. These employee-led networks play a vital role in shaping an inclusive culture at GOSH and are open to all colleagues. Together, we are building a culture where inclusion is not optional - it is essential.

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. For both documents please view the attachments.

We encourage applications from all sections of the community. We conduct full criminal record checks on all successful candidates.

Essential criteria

• Knowledge and understanding of diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
• Understanding of Diversity and Inclusion challenges in the workplace.
• Demonstrable contribution to advancing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace.

Academic/Professional Qualification/Training

• GMC Specialist Registration with License to practice.
• MBBS or equivalent.
• Higher academic qualification (MD or PhD) or equivalent research experience.
• Able to demonstrate commitment to continuous professional development.

Desirable criteria

• Senior medical consultant with leadership training.
• Senior medical consultant in genomics, either on its own or in conjunction with expertise in a different discipline with experience of clinically interpreting and advising on the clinical actionability of complex genomic data up to the level of whole genome sequencing.

Experience/Knowledge

• Understanding of the requirements of genomic testing in cancer and/or rare disease.
• Proven leadership of managing teams and leadership experience at medium-senior level.
• A recognised national and/or international expert in own field as evidenced by publication and grant income record, and in contributing to national and international initiatives in genomic science or medicine.

Skills/Abilities

• Demonstrate participative leadership.
• Ensure that all staff are appropriately trained and updated.
• Ensure that all staff managed by the postholder undertake individual performance appraisal, operate within the appropriate Human Resource policies, take up appropriate and required training plans, and contribute to workforce planning activities.
• Ensure that managers and staff are treated consistently and fairly, feeling valued and supported to enable them to achieve their fullest potential in a working environment that is safe and stimulating to work in.