Website Ruth Strauss Foundation
Salary
£40,000 – £45,000
Reporting To:
Head of Mission Services
Accountable To:
Chief Executive Officer
Board of the Ruth Strauss Foundation
Hours Per Week:
35 hours per week
Location:
Flexible across the week between home and office, office 1-2 days per week. The office
is currently in Old Street, London
Job Purpose
Join us as Healthcare Training Lead and you’ll spearhead a groundbreaking training programme that’s already reached over 1,300 NHS and hospice professionals, called No Conversation Too Tough. This is not just another training role; it’s an opportunity to lead systemic change in how we support children whose parents have incurable cancer, creating ripple effects that will benefit thousands of families across the UK. As the Healthcare Training Lead, you will be a senior member of the Mission Services team, leading the RSF training programmes for specialist cancer and palliative health and care professionals across the UK.
Preparing children for a parent’s death is a challenging experience. Research indicates that those who are prepared cope better psychologically. Without guidance from healthcare professionals, parents may feel anxious about having honest conversations. Open discussions help families share feelings and prepare for the future, promoting a sense of togetherness during this difficult time.
Key Relationships
- Programme Co-ordinator
- Head of Mission Services
- RSF Facilitators
- Schools Training Lead
What You’ll Achieve
Programme Leadership & Growth
- Lead our training programme for cancer and palliative care professionals, building on our published research and proven impact
- Scale our reach strategically, identify new opportunities to expand training across cancer and palliative healthcare roles and settings
- Bridge the gap between our training and Family Support Service, creating seamless care pathways for families
Team Leadership & Quality Excellence
- Support and inspire a team of specialist facilitators, ensuring every training session meets our gold standard
- Create a thriving community of trained professionals through our Community of Practice, fostering ongoing learning and peer support
- Forge strategic partnerships with NHS trusts, hospices, and healthcare organisations to embed our training at scale
- Establish robust quality assurance processes to ensure the programme meets and continues to achieve a high quality standards
Innovation & Impact
- Shape the future of family-centred cancer care by expanding our training to new healthcare roles
- Measure what matters by leading the development of robust impact measurement to demonstrate how we’re changing lives
What Does Success Look Like?
- A high quality training programme running in every region of the UK
- A growing community of confident and skilled cancer and palliative healthcare professionals
- Families reporting they felt better prepared and supported
- National recognition of RSF as the go-to resource for preparing children for parental death
- Evidence-based expansion into new healthcare settings and professional groups
What You’ll Bring
Essential Experience & Skills
Healthcare Expertise:
- Significant experience working with cancer and/or palliative care professionals
- Deep understanding of NHS systems, culture, and the cancer and palliative care pathway
- Knowledge of how cancer impacts entire families, not just patients
Programme Leadership:
- Proven track record developing and managing successful learning programmes for healthcare professionals
- Experience negotiating with senior stakeholders to achieve programme goals
Strong leadership and staff development capabilities
Personal Qualities:
- Exceptional interpersonal skills with the emotional intelligence to handle sensitive anticipatory grief and bereavement
- Self-motivated leader who thrives working independently
- Strategic thinker who can spot opportunities and implement creative solutions
- Resilient professional comfortable discussing incurable cancer, death and grief
Practical Requirements:
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Teams, and Zoom
- Willingness to travel nationally, including overnight stays
- Commitment to learning our CRM system (Salesforce)
- What Would Make You Stand Out
- Experience supporting children/families through bereavement or life-limiting illness
- Formal qualifications in training, facilitation or, teaching
- Leadership experience in healthcare workforce development
- Programme/project management certification
- Previous NHS or charity sector experience
- Research or impact measurement expertise
Why Choose RSF?
Meaningful Impact: Every day, you’ll know your work is helping families navigate their darkest moments with dignity and hope.
Professional Growth: Lead a nationally recognised programme with opportunities to shape policy, speak at conferences, and drive innovation in support for families where a parent has incurable cancer.
Supportive Environment: Join a passionate team committed to our mission, with strong leadership support and clear strategic direction.
Flexible Working: We understand work-life balance matters, especially in emotionally demanding roles.
About The Foundation
In early 2018, Ruth Strauss, the late wife of Sir Andrew Strauss, the former England cricket captain, was diagnosed with an incurable lung cancer that affects non-smokers. Ruth died on 29 December 2018; she was 46 years old and mother to two children, then aged 10 and 13.
In her memory, Sir Andrew has launched The Ruth Strauss Foundation to:
- Provide emotional support for families to prepare for the death of a parent from cancer
- Raise awareness of the need for more research & collaboration in the fight against non-smoking lungcancers
READY TO JOIN TEAM RED?
This role offers the unique opportunity to lead meaningful change in how healthcare professionals support families where a parent has incurable cancer. You’ll be joining a Foundation that turns personal tragedy into hope for many, ensuring no family walks this difficult path alone.
If you’re passionate about leading a programme that’s changing lives across the UK, we’d love to hear from you.
We are committed to being an inclusive workforce that fully represents many different cultures, backgrounds, and viewpoints. We welcome applications that help us in our mission to be a place where you can be yourself and thrive.
The application deadline is Wednesday 20th August and with interviews at The Bower, 207-2011 Old Street, London, EC1V 9NR on Thursday 4th September in person.
Please send your CV and covering letter to Deepa Doshi, Head of Mission Services, at
deepa.doshi@ruthstraussfoundation.com, briefly outlining how you meet the person specification and why you feel you are the right person for this role.
We strongly encourage you to contact Deepa Doshi, Head of Mission Services, to discuss the role further, deepa.doshi@ruthstraussfoundation.com or 07930 340 774
To apply for this job email your details to deepa.doshi@ruthstraussfoundation.com.
