Lead Chaplain
At a glance
- Band
- Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Pattern
- Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working
- Posted
- 14/09/2026
- Closes
- 04/10/2026
Sponsorship verdict
Candidates needing sponsorship are encouraged to apply.
HiveMind found a sponsorship-friendly statement in the source advert welcoming applicants who require a visa. Always confirm on the source before applying.
“Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.”Quoted verbatim from the source advert
Role summary
This role is for an experienced healthcare chaplain to lead the multi-faith and belief Chaplaincy services across South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust. The Lead Chaplain will manage staff and volunteers, ensuring spiritual, pastoral, and religious care for patients, relatives, and staff across three hospitals. Responsibilities include participating in an emergency out-of-hours on-call provision and working closely with the Head of Patient Experience to improve services.
Essential criteria
- Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) with demonstrable learning in a relevant field such as counselling, pastoral care, psychology, psychotherapy, religious studies or theology
- Endorsement to practise as a healthcare chaplain by a recognized/established sponsoring faith community or belief group.
- Evidence of Continued Professional Development relevant to healthcare chaplaincy to Council for Professional Chaplains and Pastoral Carers standards
Desirable criteria
- Registration, or ability to be registered with the Council of Professional Chaplains & Pastoral Carers (formerly UKBHC). (It is not compulsory for Chaplains to be registered with the Council for Professional Chaplains and Pastoral Carers but the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care recommends choosing them from an Accredited Register.)
- Post graduate qualification or Masters, or equivalent post basic training or work experience with demonstrable outcomes of learning relevant to healthcare chaplaincy
- Minimum of 1600 hours of professionally supervised clinical practice as a designated healthcare chaplain that should include: on-call duties, pregnancy/baby loss, palliative and end of life care
- Experience of working with multi-faith and belief teams
- An understanding of the principles and practice of governance and/including safeguarding
- Engagement with audit, service evaluation or research
- Ability to offer spiritual care beyond own faith/belief boundaries with evidence of commitment to an inclusive approach to chaplaincy
- Experience of managing staff/teams
- Ability to handle complex, sensitive and sometimes contentious information appropriately and to respond with empathy, honesty and reassurance
- Evidence of excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and spoken
- Keyboard skills and computer literate
- Proven ability to lead by example, to drive culture change and seek continuous improvement
- Evidence of strategic planning to assist the Trust to develop the service which meets the current spiritual needs of those we serve
- Experience of budgetary management
- Enhanced use of self in chaplaincy practice including emotional availability, cultural humility, appropriate self disclosure, positive use of power and authority, and clear and responsible boundaries
- To be trustworthy, showing careful attention to the individual and specific needs of those in their care, and have an approach that values and affirms the right of those outside the chaplain's own tradition to practice their beliefs appropriately.
- Evidence of working collaboratively, contributing to team and sustaining positive working relationships with colleagues
- Evidence of establishing and sustaining relationships in pastorally complex and challenging environments, demonstrating empathy and compassion while taking personal responsibility and initiative
- Evidence of fluent and effective communication in speech and writing
- Evidence of practising professionally within recognised boundaries in pastorally diverse settings (as set out in the Code of Conduct)
- Ability to create and lead ritual or other spiritual process in a way that is sensitive to the pastoral context and faith/belief traditions of those present
- Possession of a professional chaplaincy identity rooted in one's one religious/spiritual/pastoral heritage that integrates professional values and behaviours, skills and specialist knowledge
- Emotional availability, cultural humility, and a positive use of power and authority, within clear and responsible boundaries
- A high degree of personal stability and resilience to cope with significant stress on a sustained basis
- Ability to apply theoretical knowledge or ethical issues relating to health care
- Other
- Access to own transport
- Ability to attend an urgent on-call referral, out of hours, within 60 minutes
- Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) with demonstrable learning in a relevant field such as counselling, pastoral care, psychology, psychotherapy, religious studies or theology
- Endorsement to practise as a healthcare chaplain by a recognized/established sponsoring faith community or belief group.
- Evidence of Continued Professional Development relevant to healthcare chaplaincy to Council for Professional Chaplains and Pastoral Carers standards
- Registration, or ability to be registered with the Council of Professional Chaplains & Pastoral Carers (formerly UKBHC). (It is not compulsory fo
Useful to know
Agenda for Change 2024/25 pays Band 7 at £46,148 – £52,809 a year, across England.
This advert: £49,387 – £56,515 — outside the standard scale; check for HCAS/London weighting.
Posted 1d ago · Closes in 20d
Plenty of time to prepare a strong application.
Full advert · preview
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust
Lead Chaplain
The closing date is 04 October 2026
Job summary
We are looking for an experienced healthcare chaplain of any faith tradition to lead our team andto work with us in providing spiritual, pastoral and religious care to patients, relatives and staff. This post will be based in our acute team and will work across our three hospitals (Warwick, Stratford and Leamington Rehabilitation Hospital).
You will join a well-established, creative and committed team in a Trust which is very supportive of the chaplaincy service. The wider team includes over 40 very well trained, active chaplaincy volunteers.
You will be expected to participate in our emergency out of hours on call provision, which also includes call-outs to the Myton Hospices at Coventry and Warwick. We anticipate this to require being on call one night a week and one weekend a month.
For an informal conversation or more information, please contact [contact details removed], Lead Chaplain: [email removed]
Main duties of the job
The Lead Chaplain is responsible for leading the delivery of multi-faith and belief Chaplaincy services across the Trust.
The Lead Chaplain will work closely with the Head of Patient Experience, Volunteering & Chaplaincy to plan, manage, and improve chaplaincy services, ensuring that patients, families, and staff receive ap
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