Professional Lead Mental Health Programmes - RCN02724
Nursing | RCN UK HQ with hybrid working | £72,003 - pro rata (including inner London weighting of £5094)
Internal candidates only
Contract type: Permanent
Professional Lead Mental Health Programmes
London HQ (with UK travel as required), 17.5 per week (0.5 WTE), permanent
Salary per annum: £66,909– £75492 pro rata* Plus London Weighting (£5,094 per annum pro rata)
As the Professional Lead for Mental Health Programmes, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of psychosocial nursing practice across the UK. This high-impact leadership position sits at the heart of our Practice Academy and offers the opportunity to influence national mental health initiatives and policy development.
Your key responsibilities will include:
Leading key projects within our Mental Health Programmes portfolio, including the design, implementation, and dissemination of psychosocial interventions to address evolving challenges in mental health nursing.
Driving strategic collaboration, working across the organisation and with a broad network of stakeholders, from commissioners and statutory bodies to third-sector organisations and people with lived experience, to enhance the RCN’s reach and impact.
Providing expert practice and policy guidance, contributing to the development of standards, clinical guidelines, and policy tools that support excellence and innovation in mental health care delivery.
Promoting the visibility and reputation of the RCN, representing the organisation at professional events, in the media, and across national forums to shape nursing practice and public policy.
This is a rare opportunity to influence the UK’s mental health nursing landscape while working with a passionate and expert team at the RCN’s London HQ. If you’re looking to make a tangible difference in psychosocial nursing while growing professionally in a collaborative, high-profile environment, we’d love to hear from you.
We’re looking for a confident and credible professional who brings senior-level expertise in mental health nursing and a passion for advancing psychosocial practice. The ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate:
Registered and qualified: Active NMC registration and a postgraduate qualification in nursing, healthcare, or education, with a strong commitment to continuous professional development and NMC revalidation.
Experienced and knowledgeable: Substantial experience in senior clinical, educational or policy roles within mental health, with in-depth understanding of UK mental health policy, psychosocial interventions, service design, and governance.
Strategic and influential leader: A proven ability to lead programmes and people, manage complex projects and budgets, interpret evidence, and influence a wide range of stakeholders—combined with confident use of digital tools.
To succeed at the Royal College of Nursing all you need to do is think bigger, better and brighter. And with an attitude like that, anything’s possible.
What we offer you We expect you to look after our members and your customers. And we expect you to be rewarded for it. We offer an impressive range of benefits, a broad range of learning development opportunities and an award-winning health and wellbeing programme. We offer annual leave up to 32 days plus bank holidays and three additional days for the Christmas break plus generous maternity, adoption, paternity, and shared parental leave packages.
*We offer a competitive pay structure with annual pay progression until you reach the top of the salary scale. We normally offer new employees the first point of the salary range, although you may be able to negotiate a higher starting salary depending on your skills, experience and current salary.
We are a diverse organisation and understand everyone has different needs and many of our employees enjoy flexible working enabling them to deliver results whilst having a good work life balance. Our hybrid working model allows for up to 60% of your working time to be carried out from home. At least 40% of your working time will be spent working in person.
Our selection process
Please click the ‘apply now’ button to submit a CV and answer the supporting questions online demonstrating how you meet the criteria for this role. You may not be shortlisted if you don’t. Please ensure your CV is in a simple format with minimal tables and sections. Any identifying information in your application will automatically be anonymised for shortlisting purposes.
We want your experience applying for a job with us to be the best it can be. We may hold our interviews and assessments in person or by video call. If you foresee any problems, please let us know.
Equal opportunities for everyone
Equity, diversity and inclusion are a priority for us and we aim to foster an inclusive environment so our people can bring their authentic selves to work. This is integral to our mission to enable you to support our members and ensure their voice is heard by all UK governments to get the best outcomes for them and their patients.
As proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme we actively encourage applications from people with disabilities.
Contact details For more information or for an informal discussion about the role please contact Stephen Jones 02076473770
For more information about the recruitment and selection process please contact recruit@rcn.org.uk
Opening date: 23 July 2025
Closing date: 11.59pm on 29 July 2025
Selection dates: 06 August 2025
Interview date: 06/08/2025
Contracted hours: 17.5