The Nursing and Midwifery Council
Head of Pay, Policy and Workforce
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Head of Pay, Policy and Workforce
Application Deadline: 6 August 2026
Department: People
Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time
Location: London or Edinburgh
Reporting To: Joanne Sheppard
Compensation: £67,087 - £80,150 / year
Description
About the role
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is looking for a Head of Pay, Policy and Workforce to lead a newly shaped function bringing together three core capabilities: pay and reward, workforce planning, and HR policy. This is a pivotal role in ensuring the NMC offers a fair, competitive and evidence-based employment package, builds the workforce capability it needs to meet its regulatory responsibilities, and maintains modern, accessible HR policies.
You'll work closely with senior leaders and boards, trade union representatives and external partners, playing a central role in the People and Culture senior leadership community as the directorate delivers a strategic, future-focused service.
What you'll be doing
- Providing visible, inclusive, values-led leadership across pay and reward, workforce planning and HR policy teams.
- Leading development and delivery of the reward strategy and annual pay remit, underpinned by robust benchmarking and market insight.
- Building and embedding a strategic workforce planning approach that ensures the NMC has the right skills and capacity to deliver for the public.
- Overseeing the development, review and governance of HR policies, ensuring they are compliant, accessible and aligned to best practice.
- Building constructive, transparent relationships with trade unions across both pay and policy consultation.
- Leading and developing a team, with accountability for budgets, suppliers and HR systems supporting your service areas.
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What we're looking for
- Significant senior leadership experience gained across pay and reward, workforce planning or HR policy, within a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.
- Experience working constructively with trade unions or staff representative bodies.
- Deep technical knowledge of pay and reward, workforce planning and policy, with a proven track record of designing and implementing strategies and plans in a complex change environment.
- Excellent leadership skills, with experience developing engaged, high-performing teams.
- Strong diagnostic and analytical skills, with the ability to draw sound, evidence-based conclusions from complex data.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the credibility to build trust across a range of senior stakeholders.
Benefits
- 30 days annual leave
- Enhanced Pension Contributions via our attractive Pension Scheme – with a basic 8% employer contribution as standard which increases up to 14% with optional added Employee Contributions
- Life Insurance – 4 x current salary
- Hybrid working
- Enhanced Maternity and Paternity Leave
- 24 Hours Employee Assistance Programme
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Perkbox membership
- Subsidised restaurant in our Portland Place office
- Season ticket loans
Additional Information
The role you are applying for is a flexible role, and whilst you will be posted initially to a team, this may require movement between teams as the flow of work dictates. You will of course understand that this flexible approach enables us to provide the best possible service to our registrants and reach the outcomes to our cases quickly and within a reasonable timeframe. This will not change your terms and conditions and will be discussed with you prior to you taking up the post.
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Hybrid Working Policy
We are currently working to a policy of office attendance for two days per week with the rest of the time working from home. Before submitting your application, please ensure you are able to commit to working in one of our office locations twice per week. If you are applying for a part-time role, please pro-rata office attendance based on the number of days you would be working.
Our Pay Policy
It is expected that staff new to the NMC will ordinarily be appointed to the bottom of the relevant pay band. However in exceptional circumstances, it may be possible to offer a salary above the bottom of the relevant pay band but we may request proof of current earnings. Please note that we offer an annual review of salaries and adopt a generous progressive pay approach. Further details of which are available on request.
For our internal colleagues, you will be paid in accordance to our internal pay policy.
Reasonable adjustments
We will provide reasonable adjustments to support disabled candidates throughout the recruitment process. Please let us know if you need any additional support to enable you to make an application with us.
Screening and vetting
All of our roles are subject to pre-employment checks. We are in the process of introducing a vetting policy, and it is possible that this role may become subject to DBS and further vetting checks in future.
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