Help strengthen the organisation behind the UK’s professional voice and trade union for midwives and maternity support workers.
About the role
The Chief Operating Officer will help the RCM turn its strategy into disciplined, inclusive and member-focused delivery.
Working closely with the Chief Executive, Board, executive team and colleagues across the four nations, you will strengthen the business engine behind the RCM’s purpose. This includes financial planning, governance, risk, compliance, digital, data, CRM, operational performance, supplier management and organisational improvement.
The role comes at an important stage in the RCM’s development. We have made significant progress in working as One RCM, bringing together our professional association, trade union, membership and business functions around a shared commitment to members.
The next COO will build on that work by improving financial grip, strengthening data and insight, developing clearer systems and helping teams work with greater confidence and accountability.
Who we are looking for
You will bring significant senior leadership experience in a broad organisational role, such as COO, Deputy CEO, Chief Executive, Director of Corporate Services, Director of Resources or a comparable position.
You will understand how to build strong business infrastructure, improve systems and lead change through people.
An accounting qualification is not required; however, you will have experience delivering strategic financial management.
Importantly, we need someone confident with governance and risk, who is interested in how data, CRM and insight can improve member experience and decision-making.
You do not need to have worked in an organisation exactly like the RCM. Experience in a membership organisation, professional body, trade union, charity or values-led organisation would be helpful, but we are also interested in leaders from other settings who bring the judgement, curiosity and humility to understand our distinctive role.
If you connect with the RCM’s purpose and can help strengthen the organisation that supports midwives and maternity support workers across the UK, we would be pleased to hear from you.
To access the job information pack for this position, please follow the instructions on the ‘How to Apply’ page. Following this, should you like to have an informal conversation, you can email our advising consultant at Peridot Partners:
James Hunt | james@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07711 405444
The Royal College of Midwives is a registered charity in England and Wales (No.00030157).
Welcome from the Chief Executive, Chief Midwife and General Secretary
Thank you for your interest in becoming Chief Operating Officer of the Royal College of Midwives.
This is an important appointment for the RCM at a significant point in our development. We are the professional association and trade union for midwives and maternity support workers across the UK, by the side of our members throughout their careers. Our strategy is guided and shaped by our members, and our mission is to improve their working lives, amplify their voices and build our midwifery community.
Over recent years, we have made real progress. We have strengthened our voice and influence, developed our role as a professional association and trade union, and brought the organisation closer together as One RCM. We are proud of the role we play for midwives, student midwives, maternity support workers and maternity care assistants, and of the contribution we make to improving maternity services across the UK.
We are now ready for the next stage of that journey.
To deliver well for members in an increasingly complex and demanding environment, we need to continue strengthening the business engine that sits behind our purpose. That means developing our financial planning and commercial decision-making, making better use of data and insight, improving CRM and digital capability, strengthening governance and compliance, and ensuring that our teams have the systems, confidence and accountability to deliver consistently well.
The incoming COO will be central to this work. Working closely with me, the Executive Team, the Board and colleagues across the four nations, they will help translate strategy into practical delivery, build strong organisational disciplines and create the conditions in which our people can do their best work for members.
This is a broad and influential role. It requires someone who can combine strategic perspective with operational grip, and who understands that good operations are not separate from member impact, they enable it. The successful candidate will help us become more resilient, more financially sustainable, more data-led and more joined-up, while keeping our values and our members at the heart of every decision.
We are looking for an experienced, values-led and collaborative leader. You do not need to have worked in an organisation exactly like the RCM, but you will need the curiosity, judgement and humility to understand our unique role as a professional association, trade union and membership body. You will also need the experience and confidence to build trust quickly, diagnose what needs to change and lead improvement through others.
If you are motivated by helping a values-led organisation strengthen its foundations so it can have even greater impact for members and the wider maternity community, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Gill Walton
Chief Executive, Chief Midwife and General Secretary
About us
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is the UK’s only membership organisation, professional association and trade union dedicated to midwives and the wider maternity team. We represent and support 50,000 midwives, student midwives and maternity support workers, bringing together the largest and strongest maternity organisation of its kind in the world.
For over 140 years, we have stood alongside the people who make maternity care possible. Today, our members work across every part of the UK, supporting women, birthing people, babies and families at some of the most important moments in their lives.
Our role is both professional and collective. We provide members with workplace advice, representation and practical support, alongside professional guidance, learning, research and opportunities to develop throughout their careers.
We champion high-quality maternity services and professional standards, while using the experience and expertise of our members to influence governments, employers and decision-makers.
This is a particularly important time for the RCM and the communities we serve. Maternity services across the UK face sustained pressure, including workforce shortages, unequal outcomes and concerns about safety, culture and investment.
Our members need a strong, credible and responsive organisation that understands their working lives, stands up for their interests and helps shape a better future for maternity care.
We are proud of our history but firmly focused on what comes next. We want to listen more closely, work more inclusively and ensure that the RCM has the people, systems and organisational strength to deliver lasting value for its members and positive change for maternity services.
Accessibility information
We understand that different members of the community have different access needs and have made some modifications to the way we do business to accommodate people from diverse communities and abilities.
We offer the following amenities:
- Step free access to the building, all key meeting rooms and bathrooms, and an accessible workstation
- Accessibility dogs are welcome
- Assistive Listening can be made available in meeting rooms
- Papers and materials can be presented in different formats
- A sign language interpreter can be accessed for interview
- Working patterns and locations can be adjusted
The RCM is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome and encourage applications from all sections of the community. All disabled applicants meeting the criteria will be invited to interview.
To arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultant at Peridot Partners:
James Hunt | james@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07711 405444
Thank you for your interest in this role. Please download the job information pack.
To formally apply, please submit a CV and supporting statement (ideally maximum 2 sides of A4 each) that clearly outlines your suitability for the role against the criteria provided in the person specification, including your interest and motivation in applying for this position.
Please include your home address, contact email and mobile.
Please ensure that your application is emailed to response@peridotpartners.co.uk, inserting “Application: The Royal College of Midwives — Chief Operating Officer” into the subject field. You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 2-3 days. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please contact our admin team.
Following review of the candidate information pack, should you like to have an informal conversation, you may email our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:
James Hunt | james@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07711 405444
As a sector-leading executive search consultancy, we know the importance of creating recruitment processes that are fair, inclusive and free from bias. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a process that values differences.
If you require any job information in an alternative format (e.g. large print), please contact James Hunt. Please also let us know if you would like to submit your application in an alternative format.
Applicants with disabilities are welcome to contact us in confidence at any stage of the recruitment process to discuss any reasonable adjustments or support that may be required to ensure fair and equal participation.
Recruitment selection processes are based on evidence of competence stated in the person specification and in relation to our values.
Timetable
Closing date: 9 a.m. Monday 12th October 2026
Candidates informed of outcome: By COP Monday 19th October 2026
First stage interviews (virtual): Wednesday 4th November 2026 (10: 30 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and Thursday 5th November 2026 (11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)
Psychometric exercises: Between first and second interviews
Second stage interviews (in person, London): Tuesday 17th November 2026
Equal Opportunities Monitoring
Peridot and The Royal College of Midwives are committed to promoting equality and diversity. To help us raise awareness and support a culture that is diverse and recognises and develops the potential of all, we need to appreciate the profile of candidates who apply for positions. We will send you an equality monitoring survey at the point of receiving your application and at the time of placement. This ensures that our processes remain inclusive and equitable throughout, and provides us with important data to help us showcase our impact.
The information will be treated confidentially and anonymously and will help us to support our commitment to fair recruitment practice. All information provided will be held in the strictest confidence and will not be shared with anyone, in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 launched on 25 May 2018.
The information provided does not form part of the decision-making process and will not affect your application. Learn more about why we collect this data here.
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