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Future Leaders | Recruitment | Health Education Yorkshire and Humber Creating a new NHS England
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Future Leaders Recruitment

The Future Leaders Programme offers opportunties for NHS England Yorkshire and the Humber medical and dental trainees to undertake a one year Out of Programme Experience (OOPE) Leadership Fellowship to help grow and develop their personal leadership skills.   

Pages in this section:

Future Leaders Home | Future Leaders Recruitment | Hosting a Leadership Fellow | Call for Bids | FLP Vacancies

Contents

Applying to the Future Leaders Programme

We are delighted to hear you are interested in leadership.

To support you as you prepare for interview, you may find the following helpful:

  1. Prepare some interview ‘stories’ about your experience, skills and attitude, which you can use as examples in response to interview questions.  Remember these are not ‘stories’ in that they are fictional, they are ‘stories’ because they are engaging narratives describing your experience.  The ‘STAR’ approach (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is one framework you might use for structuring your responses. 
  2. If you do not already have a coach, you may wish to arrange some sessions through the NHSE coaching offer prior to any interviews to help with this preparation. 
  3. Please look out for our FLP recruitment open evening which will be held in the Autumn.  The date, once confirmed, will be updated on this webpage. The event will also be publicised via NHSE's social media channels.

Eligibility Criteria

Doctors and Dentists in Training and Public Health Registrars: 

Doctors and Dentists in training, and Public Health Registrars wishing to apply must have progressed to the relevant training grade below by the Programme start date: 

  • Medical Specialty Trainee (ST5/GPST2+ by programme start date)
    • or for Radiology Registrars (ST4+ by programme start date)
  • Dental Specialty Trainee (ST2 by programme start date)
  • Public Health Registrars (ST4+ by programme start date)

In addition Doctors and Dentists in Training, and Public Health Registrars must:

  • Hold a Yorkshire and the Humber NTN
  • Have a satisfactory ARCP outcome by the programme start date
  • Have full GMC, GDC or UKPHR registration as applicable and current licence to practice
  • Must not have existing experience in a senior / significant leadership role
  • Meet the requirements for an OOPE to be approved

Post-CCT doctors, dentists and public health practitioners are not eligible. 

Pharmacy Professionals

  • Registered pharmacy staff with 3 or more years post registration experience- working at Bands 6-8a
  • Have agreement from their current employer to undertake a secondment

All applicants must be registered and in good standing with the appropriate professional body.

In order to ensure as many healthcare professionals as possible have an opportunity to benefit from the programme, current or previous Leadership Fellows are not eligible to apply.

Right to Work - Tier 2 / Skilled Worker Visa

Applicants who are sponsored for visa purposes by NHS England should contact the national sponsorship team via england.sponsorship@nhs.net to discuss eligibility.

All other applicants requiring sponsorship are only eligible to apply if their current sponsor is willing to continue their sponsorship for the duration of the future leaders programme. 

OOPE Application (Doctors and Dentists in Training, and Public Health Registrars only)

Doctors, public health registrars and dentists in training who are offered a Future Leaders post, will need to apply to their Training Programme Director for approval for a period Out Of Programme Experience (OOPE). As the programme is an OOPE opportunity, it does not count towards CCT / CCST.

Trainees should discuss their FLP application with the TPD who should confirm their eligibility for OOPE at the programme start date. Applicants will be asked to confirm this as part of the FLP application. 

OOP applications must be submitted 6 months prior to the OOP start date. To avoid delays, candidates should apply promptly after appointment to the Future Leaders Programme. Please see the Training Guidance webpage for information about the OOP approval process. 

Academic trainees

Academic trainees are generally not able to undertake OOPE, but this is at the discretion of NHSE and the NIHR TCC. Academic trainees should consult the NIHR TCC website and discuss the opportunity with their Academic Supervisor before applying.

Recruitment Timeline

Recruitment timeline for bids Leadership posts commencing August 2027:

Bid Applications open Friday 18 September 2026
Bid Applications close

17:00 on Thursday 08 October 2026
DME / HoS Confirms number of Posts the Trust / School can support 17:00 on Thursday 08 October 2026
NHSE Confirm number of bids approved Friday 16 October 20262025
Draft adverts shared with bidders Wednesday 28 October 2025
Applications open 10:00 on Monday 09 November 2026
Applications close 16:00 on Monday 23 November 2026
Shortlisting window 24 November to 2 December 2026
Interview window 14 December 2026 to 8 January 2027
Verbal offers made by Wednesday 8 January 2027
Appointments confirmed by Thursday 14 January 2027
OOPE applications made by Monday 2 February 2027
Successful applicants start in post Wednesday 4 August 2027

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vacancies

All vacancies will follow the recruitment timeline above.

2027 vacancies will be published on our website from 10:00 on Monday 9th November 2026 and will close at 16:00 on Monday 23rd November 2026.  

 To apply for a vacancy:

  • Please email a fully completed application form and your CV to the Application contact given in the vacancy description. Please ensure you include the post reference on your application and in the subject line of your email. [Please save the form before starting to complete it.]

Shortlisting and Interviews

Shortlisting and interviews are coordinated by the Lead Contact for each vacancy with guidance from the Future Leaders team. The interview window is given in the timeline above. Specific interview dates for each vacancy are included in the descriptions in the vacancies section. Interview venues will vary depending on the vacancy, and the specific interview venue will be given in the interview invitation.

Applicants invited to interview will be required to bring photographic ID (normally a Passport or Drivers Licence) when they attend. Any other documents you will need to bring with you, will be included in the interview invitation.

Offers and Appointment

Following interview, feedback and verbal offers will be made by the Lead Contact. The Lead Contact will also notify the Future Leaders team about the successful applicant. The successful applicant will then be sent a formal offer letter by the FLP team. The offer letter will confirm details about the Future Leaders Programme, the post, and your employment.

Doctors, public health registrars and dentists in training only:

After accepting an offer for the Future Leaders Programme, trainees will need to apply for approval for a period Out Of Programme (OOP).

Employment Arrangements

Future Leaders vacancies are funded by NHS England. However, Leadership Fellows are not employed by NHS England and the employer will vary depending on the vacancy and the staff group of the successful applicant. The employer may be distinct from the host organisation. Medical and dental registrars will be employed by a nominated employer. Public health registrars will be employed by Leeds Teaching Hospitals.

Terms and conditions will be similar to existing terms and conditions. Any questions regarding NHS service and contract arrangements should be directed to the nominated employer. Employment arrangements and contacts will be confirmed on appointment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I apply if I work Less Than Full Time (LTFT)?
Working LTFT should not be a barrier to applying for the FLP. Irrespective of the fellows working pattern the programme is a fixed-term appointment for 12 months. It may be possible for you to make adjustments to the job role to allow for reduced working hours and ensure the demands are more manageable.

We are keen to make the programme available to a broad range of staff that is reflective of different working patterns. Please contact the Lead Contact for the vacancy to discuss whether the post would lend itself to LTFT / part-time working. Some posts may be more suitable than others. 

Please be aware that the Leadership year is a very busy and full one and includes the additional demands of a Postgraduate Certificate. All leadership posts are funded for 12 months only, irrespective of the post holders' working pattern.

Can I apply for a post at a different NHS organisation?
Yes.

Can I apply for a post that is outside my speciality?
Yes, you can. All projects will provide the opportunity to develop transferrable leadership skills.

My clinical training rotation does not coincide with the start of the FLP, can I start the FLP later/earlier?
Unfortunately, the start date for the FLP cannot be flexed to fit with programme rotation dates. We feel that it is important that all FLPs start at once to create a cohesive and supportive cohort.

Can I undertake locum or bank work?
Fellows must be mindful of the fact that they are employed to undertake a Fellowship and that is their primary responsibility. Normal hours of work should be clarified at the outset of the year with the Fellow’s Educational Supervisor.

It is not permissible to undertake any other form of employment during normal hours of work. Undertaking additional / alternative employment during normal work hours of a Fellowship is fraudulent behaviour and Fellows doing so may be subject to disciplinary procedures by their employer, NHS England and their professional regulator.

Some Fellows express concern at spending a year away from clinical work and may wish to take steps to mitigate this concern and maintain their skills, e.g. through locum or bank work. Locum or bank work is permitted as long as it is undertaken in a Fellow's own time, i.e. during evenings, weekends or annual leave. Locum or bank work must not interfere with a Fellows’ ability to carry out their Fellowship role. Fellows must declare all locums undertaken on their Form R, as this is the formal record of their whole scope of practice.

All Educational Supervisors and Fellows need to sign the locum/bank work agreement form by the end of August.

All Fellows must declare any clinical work undertaken at the end of their Fellowship year.  

Deferments on the grounds of pregnancy / parental leave
Candidates who are pregnant and therefore unable to commence the programme on the given start date are eligible to apply and will be treat the same as all other candidates applying for the post(s). If successful at interview, then a tentative deferment until the next intake (following August) will be offered. As funding for the Future Leaders Programme is non-recurrent it is not possible to guarantee that funding and post(s) will still be available. However subject to confirmed funding the candidates place will be honoured on the programme.  

It is imperative that all fellows commence the programme at the same time and therefore deferments will only be agreed for the usual FLP start dates and not sooner i.e. first Wednesday of August the following year.

Candidates should provide the host organisation / lead bidder with their contact information during the parental leave so they can be contacted and kept updated with regards to any deferment.

What will I be paid whilst undertaking my fellowship?

NHSE's contribution will be based upon your base line salary of your substantive role (ST grade or AfC banding).

Statement on pay equity
The Future Leaders Programme offers postgraduate doctors and dentists in training and other qualified NHS health professionals an opportunity to spend 12 months focusing on personal and professional development, combining leading a project with engagement in a wealth of leadership educational opportunities. We want the programme to be available to everyone who meets the eligibility criteria and can benefit from the unique opportunities the FLP offers, without the worry of financial penalty. With this in mind the posts are funded to remunerate the fellow at the grade / level of their existing substantive role within the NHS, allowing them to leave those posts for a year while they engage in this educational opportunity.  This means fellows will be rumunerated differently from one another, based on their occupation and grade within that occupation.  Whilst the FLP doesn’t offer a financial incentive for fellows, we hope the skills and opportunities gained during the programme will strengthen the chances of future leadership opportunities when returning to clinical practice.

Contacts

If you cant find the information you need on our wesbite please contact the Future Leaders team via england.futureleaders.yh@nhs.net.

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