[Hiring] Speech & Language Therapy Advanced Practitioner @East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust

Role Description

This is a unique opportunity to become one of the first Advanced Practitioners leading the delivery of the national SEND Reforms across the Central East region. As an Early Adopter, successful candidates will have the chance to shape, test, and influence this exciting new role from the very beginning. There will be 3 roles across Central East ICB footprint, allowing collaboration with peers to develop the role.

Working across health, education, and local authority systems, you will provide strategic clinical leadership to:

• Strengthen the Speech and Language Therapy workforce
• Improve outcomes for children and young people with speech, language, and communication needs
• Support SEND reform across your local area

Stakeholder panel will take place on 9th November. Successful candidates will be invited to formal interviews on 12th November 2026.

Please note that successful candidates may be employed by East of England Community Health and Care NHS Trust (BLMK/Cambs and Peterborough) or Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (Herts).

Qualifications

• Consultant-level strategic clinical leadership experience in Speech and Language Therapy
• Experience in education and workforce development
• Ability to influence commissioning and service transformation

Requirements

• Work with a high degree of professional autonomy
• Generate, lead, and translate evidence to influence strategic decision making
• Design and champion approaches that optimise the contribution of SaLT support workers and the wider workforce
• Provide expert clinical advice to commissioners, senior leaders, and partner organisations
• Build partnerships with NHS providers, ICBs, local authorities, education settings, HEIs, professional bodies, parent carer forums, and young people
• Lead workforce supply, placements, apprenticeships, supervision frameworks, career pathways, and succession planning
• Provide leadership for supervision, educator capability, workforce quality, and advanced practice development
• Use population health intelligence, workforce data, and evaluation methodologies to identify inequalities and inform strategic priorities
• Produce complex reports, business cases, and recommendations for senior boards and stakeholder groups
• Facilitate co-production with children, young people, families, and carers
• Maintain consultant-level clinical credibility through limited direct clinical practice and professional supervision activity
• Design and oversee system-wide workforce models that increase access to SaLT expertise in mainstream education and support long-term workforce sustainability
• Lead strategic partnerships with Higher Education Institutions, early years, and education providers
• Act as an educator, supervisor, coach, and mentor
• Develop system understanding of SaLT workforce supply and demand
• Act as the senior clinical authority for the programme of work and be accountable for the quality, safety, and strategic direction of recommendations provided to system leaders

Benefits

• Flexible working opportunities
• Supportive work environment
• Commitment to staff engagement and development