Apply for our new Medical Inventory and Procurement Officer role
The David Nott Foundation is a UK charity dedicated to training surgeons in conflict zones and austere environments, giving them the skills needed to save more lives. We do this by delivering our Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) courses in territories affected by conflict, such as Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somaliland and Ukraine. Since 2016, our faculty of trainers have upskilled over 2,007 doctors in 17 countries.
Job title: Medical Inventory and Procurement Officer
Summary: This role is an essential part of the success of the programmes delivery here at the Foundation. The Medical Inventory and Procurement Officer will be responsible for managing our global training and logistics HQ where the David Nott Foundations surgical training equipment and other is kept. This space will be owned by you.
Accountability: Initially this role will managed by and accountable to the Programmes Manager with some support provided to the Head of Operations.
Responsibilities:
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following
Inventory management
- Maintain and manage inventory records for all items in a clean and tidy store.
- Ensure safety and security of access into the store at all times.
- Conduct regular stock checks and audits to ensure appropriate accuracy of inventory records.
- Monitor stock levels and reorder items as needed to prevent shortages and to ensure we can deliver training at reasonably short notice if required.
- Communicate stock and inventory issues to management.
Procurement
- Source and purchase the small and single use items through our list of current suppliers.
- Develop and maintain relationships with current and future suppliers and vendors.
- Ensure all procurement activities comply with the organisation’s policies, procedures and environmental and sustainability ambitions.
- Research and obtain quotes and negotiate prices for new stock items to ensure cost effective purchases.
Support training and events
- Work with the Programmes Team to understand upcoming trips and what kit will be required for these training courses, as well as support with packing the kit ready for travel.
- Work directly with heads of Faculty and Director of Product in the training section to better understand equipment needed for training.
- Work with the Communications and Engagement and Fundraising teams to ensure that there is kit and supplies for fundraising events, TDNF and FDNF conferences, meetings and other training events.
Development
- Devise ways to optimise inventory management.
- Work with Programmes Team to understand and anticipate needs for upcoming courses.
- Work with Faculty and others to understand new equipment that will further support the success of our training offerings.
Wider support
- Across the charity we all pitch in to help different teams and areas of This may mean you attend and support with the delivery of other teams’ activities and events. From time to time, you may also work with another team for a fixed period of time or collaborate on a project to ensure we deliver on our mission for safe and skilled surgical care for all. We think this is a good way to gain experience in different areas of the organisation and enhance your professional skills. Willingness to occasionally travel where we work is required.
- There is also a requirement that this role will manage aspects of the day-to-day running of the office in support of the Head of Operations, this will include procurement of office supplies, stationary and other things that support the smooth running of the office.
Person Specifications:
Communication
- Ability to communicate effectively with people at various levels of their careers.
- Ability to develop and maintain relationships with suppliers and manufacturers.
- Ability to communicate effectively about medical inventory needs and developments.
Initiative and Problem-solving
- Identifies problems and suggests potential solutions.
- Proactive in seeking feedback and enhancing processes.
Developing Self and Others
- Creates and commits to personal development plans to address strengths and weaknesses, using feedback to strengthen plan.
Role Specific Knowledge and Skills
- Essential – Medical background, as this role requires understanding and identification of a wide range of medical equipment and instruments.
- Essential – Good working knowledge of Microsoft.
- Essential – Adhere to all policies set pit in the charity’s staff.
- Essential – Capable of adapting quickly to new systems and interfaces.
- Essential – Ability to communicate effectively with those in the team and others.
- Desirable – Data management and forecasting.
Role specific Experience and Qualifications
- Essential – Experience of working with medical inventory and stock as a clerk or officer.
- Essential – Medical Background, experience working with clinicians.
- Desirable – Experience of using inventory management.
The role holder must have the right to live and work in the UK, and they must not have any
restrictions on their international travel through dual nationality or an entry ban in any country
within which the Foundation might, in future, operate.
Salary: £32000-£35000, depending on skills, attributes, and experience, plus an annual personal development fund of £2000 and membership of a workplace pension scheme.
Contract Length: Permanent, with an initial probationary period of three months.
Application Details: To apply, please send a copy of your CV and a cover letter (no longer than 2 pages) stating why you want this opportunity and detailing how you meet the person specification above. Please send all applications to [email protected] quoting ‘Medical Inventory and Procurement Officer’ in the subject line.
Application deadline: Midnight 24 November 2024
A milestone mission in Ukraine
In October, we partnered with the World Health Organization (WHO), UOSSM, and the Ukrainian Ministry of Health to deliver our frontline surgical courses in Ukraine. Thanks to the support of our partners, we were able to train 71 medical professionals from across the country, including the frontlines, who travelled to Kyiv to gain essential trauma care skills. These newly acquired skills will be crucial as they return to their hospitals and provide care in some of the most difficult conditions imaginable.
Since the onset of the war, we have remained steadfast in our commitment to support Ukraine’s medical community. Our mission has been clear: to empower medical professionals who face the realities of war injuries every day. To date, we have trained a total of 666 healthcare workers across Ukraine and built a dedicated team of Ukrainian instructors who, this October, successfully led the Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) course. This October mission was a milestone, as it included an adaptation of the courses tailored to Ukraine’s needs, extending our usual three-day Hostile Environment Surgical Training-Anaesthesia (HEST-A) course to five days, allowing us to deliver even more course content.
Empowering Frontline Nurses and Strengthening Local Healthcare
This mission to Ukraine marked many milestones for us, one being the pilot of our Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) course specifically designed for nurses. In this pilot course, we trained 15 nurses, equipping them with vital trauma care skills. Just as importantly, this course offered us an opportunity to learn from the participants themselves. As they shared their insights, experiences, and specific challenges they face on the ground, we were able to gain a deeper understanding of how we can adapt and enhance our training to best meet their needs in conflict settings.
Nurses are at the heart of frontline healthcare, providing continuous care in some of the most intense and difficult environments. Their bravery and commitment are essential not only in treating patients but also in strengthening healthcare systems in conflict zones. We firmly believe that building resilient healthcare systems requires empowering and supporting nurses.
In addition to training, we are committed to localisation in Ukraine. We do this in a number of ways, including the local employment of key programmatic team members, building relationships with local suppliers and ensuring our strategy is fully in line with that of the Ministry of Health and affiliated bodies. This approach ensures that our training sessions are adapted to locally available resources, we support the local economy, and we deliver a sustainable product for the future of Ukraine.
Our team’s dedication has been unwavering. They travelled long hours, often overnight, and took shelter alongside Ukrainians as they navigated the challenges of delivering these courses amidst ongoing conflict. This commitment was evident in every moment of training.
“As my first deployment with the Foundation, seeing the dedication and resilience of the Ukrainian surgeons, anaesthetists and nurses, who both delivered and attended the courses, palpably highlighted the importance of DNF’s role in providing not only training, but also solidarity.” – Hetty Cane, DNF Programmes Officer
The Power of Partnerships
Our work would not be possible without the strength and commitment of our partners. With critical funding from the WHO, logistical support from UOSSM, and guidance from the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, we have been able to deliver life-saving training in Ukraine. These partnerships are central to our mission, enabling us to empower frontline medical professionals and make a lasting impact on healthcare in conflict zones. Together, we are building a future where medical teams are equipped, resilient, and ready to save lives when it matters most.
“This mission was a huge step towards our goal of localising our HEST courses in Ukraine. It was a mission of firsts. It was a privilege to collaborate with UOSSM, headed up by Ahmed Aldbis and Muhammad Zaydiye, who, with their team, worked with us to enable these courses. We're indebted to the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, WHO-Ukraine and Bogomolets National Medical University for partnering with us.” - Nick Cartwright, DNF Head of Operations
Find out more about our work in Ukraine
Stars align at Almeida Theatre to support our mission
On Sunday 13th October, the Almeida Theatre welcomed an audience to a special event, ‘Doctor Theatre’. The evening featured a line-up of some of the world’s greatest actors, Peter Capaldi, Judi Dench, Lindsay Duncan, Stephen Fry, Ian McKellen, Simon Russell Beale and Imelda Staunton. During the course of the evening each actor took to the stage to interview or to be interviewed by one another. They discussed life on stage, on screen and in the real world. It was at times hilariously funny and, in other moments, deeply moving. In a special moment, Judi Dench and Ian McKellen spoke to each other as old friends, almost as if the audience were not there. The final conversation was with Judi Dench and David Nott. For the audience, simply to witness their connection and mutual admiration was wonderful.
The evening was filled with ‘peek behind the curtain’ moments; anecdotes of life on stage, the secrets of making blockbuster hits, and of course some personal revelations. The actors also brought some prized mementos to auction at the end of the evening, including a prop from the “Harry Potter” films (from Imelda Staunton), a personally illustrated “Doctor Who” script (from Peter Capaldi), a prosthetic heart the Foundation uses to teach surgeons lifesaving skills, and a painting by done by Judi Dench herself. The auction was conducted brilliantly by the evening’s emcee, Stephen Fry, who played a major role in making the sum raised on the auction alone £19,500.
In addition to this once in a lifetime line-up of actors providing the audience with a thoroughly entertaining and moving evening, the event generated an incredible £61,000 for our work. We are indebted to the Almeida Theatre, the supporters who attended and to the Theatre Friends of the David Nott Foundation who organised the event. We would like to say a special thanks to Joyce Nettles, without whom the evening would not have been possible. Her tireless dedication to the Foundation, not just this year but in years gone by, is truly remarkable. On behalf of the 2077 doctors we’ve trained worldwide since 2015, thank you.
Should you wish to watch the event, we will soon have a recording available to view for a small donation. Please watch this space or contact [email protected] for more information.
You can now stream "Doctor Theatre" online for a small donation
October 7th: A catalyst for unrelenting crisis and the fight to save lives
October 7th is a day that remains seared into our collective memory—a day marked by unimaginable loss, fear, and suffering. The death toll continues to rise, and for every life lost, there are countless more left injured and grieving. The ripple effects of this violence are spreading far beyond that single day, reaching into every corner of the region. As the violence escalates across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Yemen, and Israel, the humanitarian needs grow more urgent with each passing hour.
We have not forgotten the victims—the hostages, the dead, the wounded, and the families in mourning. Like many in the humanitarian and development community, we’ve been overwhelmed by the surge in requests for assistance. Over the past year, we have adapted to meet this growing need. We know the skills, knowledge, and expertise we provide will save lives. This year alone, we’ve trained 55 surgeons and 18 anaesthetists in the UK and Kuwait to prepare them for operating in Gaza. Our founder, David Nott, and Head Surgeon, Ammar Darwish, have both traveled to Gaza on missions with MAP and MSF, bearing witness to the daily horrors Palestinians face. In addition to direct medical support, we’ve created teaching videos in English and Arabic to assist doctors in real-time on the ground.
“Seeing Gaza reminds me of the vital importance of our foundation’s work. Training doctors, operating on patients in war zones, bearing witness to doctors’ needs on the ground, I’m more driven than ever to help the charity grow so we can reach even more people in need.”
We hear a lot about the death tolls of Oct 7th and the violence since. But for every death there are countless injuries. Many of these will be life-changing and require highly specialist input that is simply not available. This is the case across the region, as the violence begins to spread beyond Gaza and Israel, into the West Bank, Lebanon and Yemen.
"The number of injured in Gaza has now surpassed 70,000. The complexity of these injuries means that these patients will require extensive medical care—surgeries, physiotherapy, and immense resources to reconstruct their lives. This is a humanitarian crisis of unimaginable proportions."
As the violence spreads like a global contagion, the need for medical aid is growing by the day, and we remain committed to doing everything we can to provide support.
James Gough,
CEO
Our most recent work for Palestine
World Humanitarian Day
On World Humanitarian Day, we perhaps allow ourselves a few more minutes to think about others. Perhaps those we often find it hard to think about or to imagine. To remind ourselves that humans, wherever they are, deserve the basic access to freedom, to peace, to equity and to love that many of us enjoy. To have to make a special day each year is both a tribute, and a damning indictment of humankind. On most measures, it has been a relentless and notably horrific few years for humanity.
Moving from the private sector as I have and beginning my first few weeks as CEO of the David Nott Foundation, I have been struck by the unfortunate parallels in the language used. I did not expect to be talking about a “growth market”, but that is indeed what humanitarianism is experiencing.
For the past 12 years, the number of displaced people has increased every year. The number of refugees has tripled in a decade. In 2023, 1 in 69 of us on the planet were forced to leave our homes – 117.3 million people. More specifically to our line of work, conflict related fatalities are also on the rise. The annual number of deaths in conflict since we began our work almost a decade ago has risen by 92% to almost 250,000 this year.
Many of those deaths will be what we call ‘Survivable Deaths’. It is these deaths our teams work tirelessly to prevent by training doctors with the skills they need in conflict and catastrophe.
You can imagine that if we saw these kinds of numbers on a business forecast in a different context, it would be a reason to celebrate. But we are in the business of alleviating suffering. The more suffering there is, the more of a strain and demand it puts on the sector as a whole to meet the vital needs of those we must continuously work to serve.
In a conversation with a Ukrainian diplomat some months ago, I heard her talk of war as “a branding exercise”. She explained to me that Ukraine was not just competing with other wars for international attention and resources, but also with Donald Trump, Taylor Swift and the Climate Crisis. Her point was clear. To win the war, you need to win the media and the requisite public support. It is for this reason that today I believe we should think deeply, not just about the horrors we are seeing on our newsfeed, but to the horrors we are not. With conflicts and catastrophe raging all over the world in Haiti, DRC, the West African Sahel, Afghanistan and Myanmar, to name just a few, we can perhaps be forgiven for feeling overwhelmed and somewhat fatigued. One of our explicit responsibilities at the David Nott Foundation is to think every day about these ‘forgotten conflicts’ and lesser-known catastrophes. Thanks to the incredible generosity of our donors, we are able to consider them in our planning and delivery of vital surgical and medical training. However, the increasing need is so vast, that we and other non-profit organisations worldwide need to think very seriously about how we scale – another regrettable business term that is a sign of our times. Scaling requires funding, partners, innovation, knowledge and an appetite for risk. Many of us do not consider ourselves as direct contributors to humanitarian work, but with the skills and requirements I describe, perhaps today is the day to re-consider. To be more explicit, we certainly wish to hear from you at the David Nott Foundation.
With gratitude, James Gough
CEO
Welcoming our new CEO
Having founded the charity in 2015 and led it as CEO for nine years, Elly Nott has stepped down as Chief Executive to take up an alternative role in the leadership of the organisation.
As Elly embarks on her new role, the charity warmly welcomes Dr James Gough as its leader. James is a former military and aid doctor, having served with the British Army and international aid groups in Afghanistan, Egypt, Indonesia and Bangladesh.
Beyond the field of medicine, James has served with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office and founded both the virtual reality enterprise One Shot Immersive and a UK charity promoting and protecting the wellness of those who serve the Crown.
Dr James Gough MBBCh, newly appointed CEO of the David Nott Foundation, said:
“It is the privilege of my professional life to have the opportunity to serve the beneficiaries of the David Nott Foundation as Chief Executive. At a time of immense human suffering around the world, the dedication of our donors, our volunteers and our people is both humbling and critically important.”
Graham Hodgkin, Chair of Trustees of the David Nott Foundation, said:
“The David Nott Foundation continues to develop its position as providing the gold standard of conflict surgical training. The Foundation is known and respected among humanitarian organisations, government ministries and policymakers and trusted by healthcare workers. Crucially, our training saves lives and makes access to safe, skilled surgical care a reality for more people in conflict and catastrophe-affected regions.
Alongside Co-Founders David and Elly Nott, and my fellow Trustees, we are delighted to welcome James as our new CEO and have every faith in his ability to deliver our vision and mission to our stakeholders. He will have our unwavering support as he takes on his new role as CEO of this remarkable and special organisation.”
Since our birth in 2015, our global faculty of trainers have upskilled over 2000 doctors in countries tarred by war and disaster, such as Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Ukraine and Palestine. Under James's leadership, we look forward to further deepening our impact across the globe.
SUPPORT OUR MISSIONS
“The patients. The families. They’re all in my head.”
Our Co-Founder David Nott recently travelled to Rafah, Gaza, to help treat the thousands suffering from war injuries, malnourishment, and everyday ailments that have progressed to life-threatening conditions because of delayed treatment. Here, David shares what he witnessed, what the urgent medical needs are on-the-ground, and how those he met are tattooed onto his mind.
After travelling from Cairo and getting closer to Gaza, it was quite a shocking experience. At the Rafah crossing, you could see miles worth of trucks in a queue trying to get in.
Driving through Gaza, it was like an enormous refugee camp with tents everywhere. Every single place that wasn't occupied by somebody had a tent on it. Most of the tents were so packed against each other it was difficult for people to walk.
"Thousands and thousands of people were in a small area. They had nowhere to go."
Treating those more likely to live
The hospital I was working in was called Al Najjar Hospital, the only semi-functioning hospital in Rafah. It was small, with a limited number of beds, but ended up housing thousands of people. Every corner was full. Patients were in the corridors, all over the wards, lying on the floor, five people where one might stand. There were people on the floor that were dying, some that had died - people crying out for help.
I had to step over people to get to patients. I had to make rapid decisions on whether or not they could be saved – decision-making techniques that we teach to those that attend our courses.
The hospital only had two operating theatres. There was no intensive care unit and no ventilators, so I had to decide which patients should be operated on with the best possible outcome. On ward rounds we reviewed those that had been treated, but many had infections because of limited sterile space or antibiotics.
18th century illnesses
"Because thousands of people have been compressed into small spaces, and many haven’t sought medical care for their everyday conditions, the clinical needs in Gaza today are astonishing."
It’s not just war wounds that doctors face – ruptured appendices, hernias, ulcers, gangrene. General surgery has been delayed for months on end and people are dying or losing limbs as a result of problems that could have been resolved quickly.
This is the reality of trauma in war – some traumas that were not traumas to begin with become life-threatening – racking up death tolls even further.
"Outside of war wounds, 21st century doctors are dealing with 18th century illnesses."
Children with chest infections were developing a condition called empyema - their infections had become so bad that their lungs were filling with pus. I’d never seen that before – it’s an 18th century condition that you would never see today.
Post-operative care felt impossible. Say you amputate somebody’s leg, there’s nowhere for them to go to recover safely. Tents aren’t sterile and it has been so cold, with the wind coming off the beach.
Calm amongst the chaos
Despite the chaos, Gazan doctors are truly outstanding. They were so warm and helpful. They were grateful that people were there to help, and together we did everything we possibly could.
This war zone is different to the others I’ve been in. The volume of people and the lack of basic medical or human resources made it incredibly challenging.
They urgently need field hospitals, more staff, a huge amount of medical resources. They need more doctors, nurses, rehabilitation services, physiotherapists. But not only that, they need a safe place for patients to go to recover after operations. Their medical aid needs are huge and doctors in the field need to be supported.
"Seeing Gaza reminds me of the vital importance of our foundation’s work. Training doctors, operating on patients in war zones, bearing witness to doctors’ needs on the ground, I’m more driven than ever to help the charity grow so we can reach even more people in need."
The patients, the families, they’re all in my head. They will always stay in my head.
SUPPORT OUR TRAINING IN PALESTINE
“Maternal health - it's a societal barometer.”
Every two minutes, a woman loses her life to preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. These staggering statistics stress the need for action. In humanitarian crises, where access to healthcare is severely limited, maternal care becomes even more critical.
“800 preventable maternal mortalities are happening every day, and a woman dies every two minutes from a preventable cause. So that's women dying through pregnancy and pregnancy related conditions,” shared Dr Pippa Letchworth, our Faculty Lead for Obstetrics and Gynaecology.”
This sobering reality is what drives our passionate team to develop an obstetrics and gynaecology course aimed at addressing the most pressing challenges in maternal healthcare. In crisis settings, where resources are scarce, the course equips healthcare professionals with the skills needed to perform life-saving surgeries, particularly focusing on addressing the top global killers of women - haemorrhage, obstructed labour, sepsis, and unsafe abortion.
“75% of displaced people are women and children, and one of the five of those women will be pregnant.”
The course covers a wide spectrum of topics in maternal and neonatal healthcare in crisis. Participants begin with trauma training before transitioning into obstetrics to understand the complexities of childbirth emergencies.
Emphasis is placed on neonatal resuscitation techniques with the goal of reducing the number of stillbirths. Subsequent sessions address postpartum haemorrhage management, perineal repair, and navigating challenging deliveries like impaction and breech positions. The course also covers disruptive delivery, crucial for situations where doctors have limited access to caesarean sections.
Beyond the medical realm, our trainers advocate for a holistic approach to maternal health in their teaching. It's not just about reducing mortality rates, it's about understanding the wider implications of maternal deaths on families, communities, and societies at large. Children left motherless are at a significantly higher risk of mortality and developmental issues, perpetuating a cycle of vulnerability.
“There needs to be a call to arms to improving maternal health.”
We must advocate for women's rights, improving doctors access to education and dismantling systemic barriers that perpetuate maternal mortality.
DONATE
Our new Betty Boothroyd Scholarship Fund
We are delighted to announce the launch of our new Scholarship Fund in memory of our late Patron and beloved friend, The Rt Hon. The Baroness Boothroyd OM. The fund invites applications from medical professionals living, working or volunteering in conflict zones, including surgeons, clinicians and nurses, who wish to further their surgical training.
Our Patron
Betty became our Patron in 2016, when the conflict in Syria was at its most intense. Areas of the country were besieged, civilian infrastructure targeted and the passage of humanitarian aid restricted. Betty would often call our Co-Founders to express her concern at what was happening and ask what the Foundation could do to help.
In conflict, surgeons need a particular set of skills and decision-making strategies to be able to respond effectively to the waves of devastating injuries they encounter daily. The work of training doctors began in Misrata, Libya, moved on to Aleppo, Syria, and we have since then trained 1,825 surgeons and anaesthetists in conflict setting including Iraq, Cameroon, Palestine, Ukraine and many more.
From the very beginning of her journey with us, Betty remained deeply passionate about our training of frontline doctors working relentless hours. In honour of Betty’s commitment to our mission, we are proud to launch the Betty Boothroyd Scholarship Fund.
What’s the funding criteria?
Whether you’re a Sudanese nurse interested in a Masters in Trauma Management, a Palestinian doctor wishing to complete a paediatrics course, or a humanitarian surgeon interested in joining one of our HEST-UK courses, we may be able to support you with funding.
Guidelines
1. Applications are open to any surgical team members who wish to further their medical training or education (e.g. surgeon, anaesthetist or surgical nurse)
2. The training that applicants are seeking funding for can be held anywhere in the world
3. Applicants must meet one of three criteria below:
- Living and/or working in a conflict or catastrophe zone
- Your country of origin is a territory that has experienced conflict or catastrophe, however you currently reside in another country
- You are a humanitarian surgeon who travels to, and volunteers in, conflict and catastrophe zones
“Thanks to Betty’s generosity to our Foundation, she will continue to make a difference to doctors striving to heal their wounded communities for decades to come.” - Elly Nott, Co-Founder