NHS Scotland
Head of Equality and Human Rights (LW)
Get notified of more jobs like this · No spam, ever
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Shape a Fairer Future for Health and Care in Fife
NHS Fife is seeking an exceptional leader to become our Head of Equality and Human Rights. This pivotal leadership role will ensure NHS Fife meets its statutory responsibilities and delivers its wider organisational ambitions for equality, diversity, inclusion, and human rights. The postholder will have influence on organisational culture, workforce experience, service design, and the experience of the people and communities we serve.
Working closely with staff, senior leaders, staff networks, trade unions, community partners, and people with lived experience, you will drive action to reduce inequalities across Fife’s communities. You will play a critical role in advancing NHS Fife’s commitment to ensuring diversity is valued, discrimination is actively addressed, and everyone has equitable opportunities to thrive. In doing so, you will support the delivery of our Equality Outcomes and Mainstreaming Plan and the vision outlined in the Nursing, Midwifery, and Allied Health Professional Strategy 2026-2030.
Key Responsibilities
Reporting to NHS Fife’s Executive Nurse Director and as a senior leader in the NHS Fife Quality Directorate, you will:
- Develop and deliver NHS Fife’s equality, diversity, inclusion, and human rights plans, ensuring statutory responsibilities are met and organisational ambitions are translated into meaningful action.
- Provide strategic leadership for NHS Fife’s Equality and Human Rights team, supporting the delivery of measurable improvements in workforce experience, leadership representation, and equitable access to services.
- Work collaboratively across services and partnerships to embed inclusive leadership, culturally competent care, and human rights-based approaches.
- Ensure equality and human rights considerations are integral to service redesign, workforce planning, quality improvement, and population health initiatives.
- Build meaningful, sustained partnerships with diverse communities and under-represented groups, ensuring their voices shape decision-making and service development.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
About You
We are looking for an inspirational, credible, and values-driven leader who:
- Has a strong track record of leading equality, diversity, inclusion, human rights, or anti-racism programmes within a complex organisation.
- Has delivered transformational change at the organisational or system level.
- Understands the relationship between health inequalities, workforce inequalities, human rights, and outcomes for patients, staff, and communities.
- Demonstrates compassionate, person-centred leadership in line with NHS Fife’s Our Leadership Way, with a clear commitment to psychologically safe and inclusive workplaces.
- Can translate strategic ambitions into practical, measurable actions that improve outcomes for staff, patients, and communities.
Why NHS Fife?
At NHS Fife, we are committed to creating a culture where everyone belongs and can fulfil their potential. We are building a compassionate, inclusive, and values-led organisation that tackles inequalities, promotes social justice, and improves outcomes for the people and communities we serve.
This role offers a unique opportunity to influence Board-wide culture, shape strategic policy, and help create a healthcare system where equality, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism, and human rights are embedded in the way we think, lead, and deliver care.
Join us in building a fairer and more inclusive NHS Fife, where every person, every profession, and every community is valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.
For an informal discussion, please contact Tom McCarthy-Wilson, Head of Improvement via or Gillian McAuley, Executive Nurse Director via.
A requirement of this post is to become a member of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme Prior to appointment.
To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigration Service.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
As part of the pre-employment checks for a preferred candidate, NHS Scotland Boards will check your entitlement to work in the UK. It can be evidenced through a number of routes, including specific types of visa as well as EU settled and pre-settled status. To find out more about these routes of permission, please refer to the GOV.UK website.
It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form.
We offer flexible working and family-friendly policies and fully support disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions or who are neurodivergent by making reasonable adjustments to our recruitment policy and practices.
AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot can be great for planning and preparing your application but your answers must be your own.
Show us the real you: Your application should reflect your skills, experience, and motivations authentically. Use AI wisely: It’s fine to use AI for ideas or to check spelling and grammar, but don’t let it write your answers. Why this matters: Applications that rely on AI-generated content may be withdrawn. By applying, you confirm your responses are based on your own knowledge and achievements.
Tip: Think of AI as a helper, not a substitute. We want to understand you not an AI tool.
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.
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills