Executive Chief People Officer
County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Darlington, DL3 6HX · DURHAM, DH1 5TW
Salary
Negotiable
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Not specified
Closing date
3 September 2026
3 days left
Job description
We are looking for an experienced Director to join our Executive Leadership Team at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust to lead and deve...
The Executive Chief People Officer will have a wide
ranging portfolio across a range of People and Culture functions with the
opportunity to lead the development and implementation of the Trust's new
People and Culture Strategy which needs to be underpinned with a programme of
transformation which reflects the opportunities for improvement that the Trust
has embarked on.
Working with the wider executive team and external
stakeholders, you will focus on building a culture of providing safe and
effective high quality care for our patients and staff at County Durham and
Darlington.
The postholder will play a leading role in working
with senior leaders and partners in transforming the Trusts approach to care,
ensuring that our people are at the heart of our new clinical strategy that we
have started to develop.
For an informal discussion about this
Role, please contact
Steve Russell, CEO, CDDFT. Steve.russell7@nhs.net
Closing date: Thursday 3rd September 2026 (0900 hours)
Interview date: Wednesday 16th September 2026
Working closely with colleagues in the Executive Team, you
will lead our people, culture and workforce agenda, focusing on the 10 year
plans ambition and leading the development of our strategy with a focus on
integration, improving the wellbeing of our population and providing excellent
hospital and community services for our patients. As an experienced senior leader you will
be responsible for ensuring that the Trust has the right people, culture and
workforce strategies and services in place to ensure that patient care is
delivered to the highest possible standards across the organisation. You are expected to represent the organisation
externally and play a leadership role for the Trust with stakeholders and
partners.
The ideal candidate will be a successful experienced people
professional with significant operational and transformation experience within
a complex public sector organisation and system experience would be an
advantage.
As a key leader in our organisation, you will have a track
record in matrix working, leading successful teams and services. You will play
a vital role in delivering our ambitious agenda, supporting the Chief Executive
and the Deputy Chief Executive in developing the organisations future strategy
to ensure that the Trust can provide high quality services which are fit for
the future for the population of Durham and Darlington.
This role is part of the Executive
Leadership Team reporting directly to the Chief Executive.
If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.
You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.
We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.
We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.
Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.
Over reliance on
AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of
success.
For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.
Experience
Essential
- Board-level or near Board-level leadership experience in a complex NHS, health or care environment.
- Successful track record of shaping and delivering people, culture and workforce strategy in a large, multi-site organisation.
- Strong understanding of NHS policy, system reform, integrated care, regulatory frameworks and the productivity and transformation agenda.
- Evidence of delivering complex organisational change with measurable benefits for staff experience, patient care, leadership capability or service performance.
- Experience of leading cultural change, staff engagement, inclusion, wellbeing, employee relations and partnership working at scale.
- Experience of using workforce intelligence, performance indicators and risk insight to inform Board decisions and improve services.
- Experience of working constructively with trade unions, clinical leaders, system partners, regulators and external stakeholders.
- Evidence of strategic innovation, sound judgement and the ability to translate ambition into delivery.
Desirable
- Senior leadership experience in an acute and community provider.
- Experience of delivering transformative and cultural change across organisational boundaries.
- Knowledge of improvement methodologies and benefits realisation.
Qualifications
Essential
- Relevant postgraduate qualification or equivalent demonstrable portfolio of senior strategic leadership experience equivalent to Masters level.
- Chartered Fellow of the CIPD
- Evidence of continuing professional and personal development, including Board-level leadership development.
Desirable
- Postgraduate leadership qualification.
- Formal improvement, organisational development or systems leadership development qualification or certification.
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Authentic, inclusive and compassionate leader committed to collective leadership.
- Able to role model NHS Leadership Framework behaviours and build confidence across staff, partners and the public.
- Gravitas, credibility and resilience to operate effectively at Board level.
- Commitment to public service, equality, staff voice and respectful workplace culture.
- Able to travel between sites, participate in the executive on-call rota and meet Fit and Proper Person requirements.
Special Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- Strategic thinker with the ability to connect people, culture and workforce to quality, productivity, finance and performance.
- Compelling communicator with excellent presentation, influencing and public speaking skills.
- Politically astute, system-minded and able to build trust across complex stakeholder groups.
- Highly developed leadership capability, emotional intelligence and resilience under pressure.
- Courage to challenge constructively, simplify complexity and follow through on change.
- Able to interpret complex workforce, financial and performance data and convert insight into action.
- Able to lead through ambiguity, balance competing priorities and maintain grip on delivery.
How to apply
Applications are handled entirely by the employer on the original advert. We do not collect CVs, supporting statements or application data.
Provenance
Source
NHS Jobs
First seen
17 August 2026
Last checked
19 August 2026
Salary, closing date and description are taken from the employer's advert. The original advert always takes precedence.
About the employer
NHS organisation
This listing was structured from NHS Jobs. Vacancy details and the application process remain the responsibility of the original source.
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