Head of Nutrition & Dietetic Services Merthyr Tydfil

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity for a compassionate and visionary leader to shape the future of Nutrition and Dietetics and make a meaningful difference to population health.

The Head of Nutrition and Dietetics provides senior strategic, professional and operational leadership for Nutrition and Dietetic Services across the Health Board.

As the single professional lead for the service and a key member of the AHP leadership team, you will be responsible for ensuring the delivery of high‑quality, safe and effective dietetic care across acute, community and specialist pathways.

You will set a clear strategic direction, drive service transformation and lead the development of modern, integrated and prevention‑focused models of care that respond to the needs of patients and communities.

This role offers the opportunity to influence system‑wide change, develop a skilled and motivated workforce and ensure that Nutrition and Dietetics plays a central role in improving outcomes, reducing health inequalities and supporting sustainable services.

Welsh Skills Desirable

This post is advertised as Welsh Desirable at Level 3 Speaking/Listening (or ‘B1’ Level if you have learned Welsh as an adult).

This does not mean you have to be fluent or able to write long reports in Welsh; it just means being able to hold simple conversations with patients.

Have a look at the ‘Croeso Candidate!’ guide attached below for more information.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide overall leadership and accountability for Nutrition and Dietetic Services across the Health Board, acting as the single professional lead and providing expert advice to senior leaders and system partners.

The role involves leading the strategic development and transformation of services, ensuring alignment with national policy, professional standards and organisational priorities, while maintaining a strong focus on patient outcomes, quality and safety.

As part of the AHP leadership team, the post holder will lead workforce planning, performance and financial management, creating a supportive and inclusive culture where staff feel valued, empowered and motivated to deliver high‑quality care.

The role requires close collaboration with partners across health, social care, primary care, local authorities and the third sector to strengthen integrated pathways and support prevention and self‑management.

The post holder is accountable for robust clinical and corporate governance, risk management and regulatory compliance, and will actively promote research, audit and quality improvement to ensure evidence‑based practice.

The post holder will provide expert clinical advice and specialist input where appropriate, supporting the continued development and profile of Nutrition and Dietetics locally, regionally and nationally.

About us

Cwm Taf Morgannwg (CTM) University Health Board, part of NHS Wales, serves a large population across a diverse and beautiful region, steeped in history and heritage.

With nearly 13,500 staff, our health board is one of Wales's largest employers.

Together, we are Team CTM; a workforce dedicated to offering excellent patient care and support to the 450,000 people across our three regions, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, and Rhondda Cynon Taf.

We operate three District General hospitals, several community hospitals, primary and community care facilities.

CTM's location offers the best of South Wales, just 20 minutes from Cardiff's vibrant city life, the natural beauty of the Brecon Beacons, and the serene coastline at Ogmore.

Whether you enjoy lively urban amenities, peaceful countryside, or seaside escapes, our location makes an ideal setting for both work and personal life.

Our CTM 2030 Strategy – Our Health, Our Future – focuses on uniting our region around shared health and wellbeing goals. Our values guide us daily:

• We listen, learn, and improve
• We treat everyone with respect
• We work together as one team

CTM employees enjoy benefits including a leading pension, generous leave, flexible work, career growth, and access to ongoing learning and development.

Job responsibilities

You will be able to find a full Job Description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click Apply now to view in Trac.

Person Specification

Qualifications and/or Knowledge – Essential

• Degree/Postgraduate qualification or relevant Nutrition & Dietetics qualification.
• Master's degree or equivalent qualification. Evidence of post registration qualifications.
• Evidence of continued professional development.
• Relevant management or leadership qualification/ significant management experience at a senior level.
• Knowledge of and an understanding of the broader agenda facing the NHS and social care.
• In‑depth knowledge of policies and procedures relating to Nutrition & Dietetics.
• In‑depth knowledge of principles of clinical governance, audit and risk management.
• Excellent understanding of the roles of other professionals and the principles of partnership working with key stakeholders in the service area.
• Comprehensive knowledge & understanding of professional ethics / standards and codes of conduct and their application in practice.
• Has an understanding of the impact of local cultural and demographic factors, which influence service delivery.

Qualifications and/or Knowledge – Desirable

• Membership of a relevant professional body.
• Service improvement or change management qualification.

Experience – Essential

• A demonstrable track record of achievement in a senior clinical management position within the NHS.
• Experience of developing a strategic direction for a complex service.
• Evidence of significant experience in line management of staff.
• Experience of financial management, budget setting, monitoring and determining corrective action.
• Proven success of managing complex organisational change whilst also developing and maintaining high quality standards of care.
• Experience in developing and implementing a Clinical Governance Strategy for a service or services.
• Has evidence of multi‑agency working on key service developments.
• Significant experience in dealing with a wide range of Human Resource issues such as recruitment and retention, appraisal, performance management, absence management, etc.
• Experience of dealing with highly complex issues in a large organisation. Experience of being involved in research.
• Experience in workforce planning, development and skill mix reviews to promote succession planning.
• Experience of designing, planning and delivering student clinical practice education placements and liaison with higher education / training establishments.

Experience – Desirable

• Welsh language speaking/listening skills at Level 3 or above.
• Aptitude and Abilities – Essential
• Evidence of report writing skills, service planning and presentation skills.
• Ability to demonstrate leadership skills in a highly complex, politically sensitive and changing environment.
• Skills in analysing complex and highly specialised information from various sources.
• Skills of formal negotiations using problem solving skills and the ability to overcome any barriers to understanding.
• Ability to establish partnership working with stakeholders – internal and external to CTMUHB.
• Excellent and well‑developed communication skills gained through experience of managing complex issues.
• Demonstrates good analytical and reflective skills & uses reflective practice and critical appraisal in examining the performance of self and others.
• Excellent presentation and influencing skills to engage clinicians and colleagues.
• Has the ability to motivate and facilitate behaviour change in others.
• Has the ability to lead in inter‑professional / inter‑agency contexts or environments to the benefit of client groups relevant to the team/service/profession.
• Full range of IT skills.
• Aptitude and Abilities – Desirable
• Welsh language speaking/listening skills at Level 3 or above.
• Values – Essential
• High level of personal integrity, self‑motivated, innovative, proactive.
• Able to prioritise workload and effectively manage highly complex and competing demands.
• Demonstrate tact, diplomacy and political awareness. Ability to relate to staff of all disciplines and seniority.
• Confident in setting priorities and meeting deadlines. Ability to manage an effective work‑life balance.
• Enjoys having a high level of responsibility within the workplace and is able to organise highly complex information.
• Is prepared to be adaptable and has a flexible approach to work where and when this is required and is able to respond to constant unpredictable work patterns and frequent interruptions on a daily basis.
• Is able to deal with intense pressure and concentration requirements on a daily basis.
• Other – Essential

Able to travel between multiple locations over a wide geographical area on a daily basis.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.

For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years.

Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement.

Guidance can be found here: Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

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