Professional Volunteer Appointments

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is pleased to present several exciting opportunities for suitable individuals to join some of its Surgical Specialty Boards (SSBs).

The  SSB in General Surgery is recruiting for a new Chair

The following SSBs are recruiting for new Members:

• SSB in General Surgery
• SSB in Neurosurgery
• SSB in Plastic Surgery
• SSB in Urology

The following SSBs are recruiting for a Trainee Representative:

• SSB in Cardiothoracic Surgery
• SSB in Paediatric Surgery
• SSB in Neurosurgery
• SSB in Vascular Surgery

Details on how to apply for these vacancies can be found in the relevant adverts below. Please clearly specify which vacancy and SSB you are applying for.  

Any informal enquiries should be directed to: committeeadministrator@rcsed.ac.uk in the first instance. 

If you would like to be considered for any of the Surgical Specialty Board (SSB) roles, please send a covering letter outlining what relevant experience/expertise you would bring to the role, and a brief CV. Applicants must also provide two completed Referee Declaration Forms in support of their application.

Closing date for applications: 17:00 on Friday 28 February 2025.

The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh are currently recruiting for an RCSEd representative on SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) Council. Members of SIGN Council help to determine the overall direction of SIGN’s development and play a key role in shaping the SIGN guideline programme. The term of office is 3 years commencing in June 2025, with members having the option of a second term. At present SIGN Council meets four times per year; once in person, two virtually and one hybrid meeting. SIGN’s policy for choosing SIGN Council members has been agreed with the Scottish Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, and they request up to four nominations from Colleges and then choose their SIGN Council members from that approved College list to ensure that the Council as a whole takes account of Diversity and Inclusion as well as geography and NHS or other commitments.

The College are seeking an RCSEd Fellow in Good Standing who has an understanding of evidence-based medicine and a commitment to guideline development, who would like to represent the College in its role at the forefront of quality and standards within surgery, dentistry and allied areas of healthcare.

We are looking for people who will bring their enthusiasm, communication skills and ability to assimilate, analyse and debate complex information.

Core responsibilities as a SIGN Council Member include:

• Consider proposals for new guideline topics and to advise if these should be referred to Healthcare Improvement Scotland for further consideration.

• Be responsible for indicating areas of concern to the Chair.

• Approve proposed priorities from the Guideline Programme Advisory Group for keeping published guidelines up to date.

• Consider and approve proposals for changes to SIGN methodology, processes, or activities.

• Feed back to RCSEd on the activities of SIGN.

• Participate in the editorial group for guidelines relevant to surgery.

• Participate in promotional activities following publication of guidelines in surgery.

To register your interest or to receive more information please contact presidentpa@rcsed.ac.uk by Friday 28 February 2025.

As Vice President leading on Education and Examinations at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd), we are pleased to invite applications for five key leadership positions within the College’s Learning and Assessment structure: 

• Deputy Dean of Education (Dental)
• Deputy Dean of Education (Surgical)
• Deputy Dean of Examinations (Dental)
• Deputy Dean of Examinations (Surgical)
• Deputy Dean of Accreditation 

These roles represent an exciting opportunity to contribute to the continued development of our educational and assessment strategies, ensuring that RCSEd remains a leader in surgical and dental training. Each Deputy Dean will play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering our education, examination, and accreditation portfolios, working closely with the respective Deans, Office-Bearers and Council to enhance the quality, reach, and impact of our offerings.  

We are seeking experienced and energetic individuals who are committed to supporting both the current and the next generation of professionals through high-quality education and assessment. 

Applicants should be UK-based Fellows of the College with demonstrable experience in training, assessment, and leadership within their respective fields. These positions will provide a unique platform to drive innovation, influence policy, and support the strategic growth of our national and international educational and examination frameworks.  

We encourage all eligible UK Fellows who are keen to make a significant and meaningful contribution to the College’s core missions to consider applying. Your expertise, insight, and leadership will be instrumental in shaping delivery  and the future of surgical and dental education and assessment at RCSEd.  

For further details on the roles and the application process, please contact Mrs Irene MacDonald-Kennedy (i.macdonald-kennedy@rcsed.ac.uk) for a job description.  Please note that the closing date for receipt of applications for all five posts is Friday 7 March 2025. 

Please note that these roles are only open to UK Fellows.

Interview dates will be as follows:

• Deputy Dean of Education (Dental): 22 April 2025
• Deputy Dean of Education (Surgical): 8 April 2025 (pm)
• Deputy Dean of Examinations (Dental): 18 April 2025
• Deputy Dean of Examinations (Surgical): 18 April 2025
• Deputy Dean of Accreditation: 14 April 2025 (pm)

Call for Applications for a Chair and two Board Members for the MFDS Advisory Board Committee.

The Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) was established in 1982 and is the oldest, largest and most international of all the Surgical Royal Colleges in the UK. 

In 2026, RCSEd, The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCSEng) and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (RCPSG) will launch a new Tricollegiate Membership of the Faculty of Dental Surgery (MFDS) examination. 

This examination will be in two parts with the first part focusing on the range of knowledge and understanding forming the basis of direct patient care and how this is applied in a clinical context. Part two will test communication skills, clinical competence and clinical reasoning to cover the full breadth of non-technical skills. The examination syllabus will be aimed at Dental Core Training levels two and three with entry to the new Dental Specialty Fellowship Examinations requiring MFDS or MFD as essential at application.

MFDS Chair

The Faculty is looking for an energetic, enthusiastic and dynamic individual to lead the RCSEd team in contributing to the development of this new examination. The existing bi-collegiate RCSEd-RCPSG and separate RCSEng Part 1 question banks will require to be reviewed and updated as part of the merger, whilst the Part 2 system will require all existing questions to be reviewed and updated, with a considerable volume of new question bank content requiring to be developed. To lead these developments, the successful candidate should be engaged in clinical practice and in the training of dentists in training at DFT and DCT career stages.

To participate fully in the development of the new Tricollegiate MFDS examination, the Chair for the MFDS Advisory Board will be appointed from April 2025. The successful candidate will work closely with the existing Chair of the Advisory Board for MFDS, for a handover period. The incoming Deputy Chair will be responsible for the existing examination in partnership with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasow, which will cease in 2027.

MFDS Board Members

The Faculty is seeking committed and hard-working board members to help steer this important examination. As well as being engaged in clinical practice, the board members must be able to demonstrate experience of and commitment to professional dental examinations. These positions are ideal for those already active in examining and considering their next steps. 

If you seek to foster an open, co-operative, professional and dynamic environment as the Chair of the MFDS Advisory Board please contact dental@rcsed.ac.uk.

Closing date for applications: Monday 07 April 2025.

Please visit our Work for RCSEd page for information on current job opportunities with the College.

As the Regional Surgical Ambassadors' (RSA) Network goes from strength to strength we are inviting applications from UK based Fellows to join the Network. We are recruiting in all regions across the UK for succession planning.

For more information, email Una Curran in the Marketing and Communications Team at outreach@rcsed.ac.uk.

View the list of our current RSAs here.

Following a recent review of our networks, we will be changing the composition and duties of our regional representatives, encompassing support for the whole dental team.

We are now recruiting for a network of Dental Ambassadors.

Please visit our Examinations Vacancies page to see our current list of Examiner Vacancies.

The Edinburgh Surgical Sciences Qualification, run by RCSEd and the University of Edinburgh is currently recruiting for tutors to mentor and support training surgeons in 40 different countries and at the same time enable the tutor to maintain their knowledge base.

If you are interested in supporting elements of the Edinburgh Surgery Online programmes and taking part, find out more here.

Advisory Appointment Committees (AACs) are the process through which non-Foundation Trusts in England advertise and fill consultant level posts and function in accordance with the NHS (Appointment of Consultants) Regulations 1996 and Good Practice Guidance 2005.

Find out more and become and AAC Participant here.