Chief People Officer

East Kent Hospital University NHS Foundation Trusts is one of the largest NHS Trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 730,000 people in East Kent and providing specialist services for a far wider population. As a teaching Trust we play a vital role in the education and training of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, working closely with universities. The Trust employs over 10,000 people and has a budget of over £1bn.

The Trust has been through a challenging period where the quality of care in some of our service areas has not been at the standard that our population should expect. We are on of a journey of transformation and improvement, which will draw on the commitment, resilience and determination of all our people.

We see teamwork as vital in achieving our ambitions. As Chief People Officer, you will play a critical role in our executive team, supporting our leaders and people to deliver the improvements we all wish to see. Reporting to the Chief Executive as a member of the Trust Board, you will work with our staff, stakeholders and Board to shape and drive our improvement and cultural transformation programme. Your key responsibilities will include:

• Playing a full role in the strategic leadership of the Trust as an Executive Board member
• Providing leadership and direction to the Trust Board on all people and organisational development matters, coaching and supporting the Chief Executive and executive colleagues.
• Leading teams across our Organisation Development, Culture & Leadership, Resourcing and Systems, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Staff Engagement and Experience, Human Resources, Employee Relations, Learning & Development, Occupational Health & Wellbeing, and Freedom to Speak Up functions.
• Championing values-based, compassionate, inclusive and innovative leadership, and developing the necessary culture, systems and processes to encourage these leadership behaviours across the Trust.
• Promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) at all levels and every opportunity.
• Leading on the delivery of the Trust’s strategic People agenda, creating and implementing the People strategy so that it makes a real difference to our staff and patients.
• Representing the Trust externally and establishing effective networks and partnerships with other organisations to enable the Trust to constantly improve and learn from best practice.
• Designing and implementing Organisation Development strategies that support the strategic objectives of the Trust and the development of exceptional people, exceptional leaders and a great place to work.
• Ensuring that the culture of the Trust reflects our values, creating an environment where people feel cared for, safe, respected and confident they are making a difference.

We are seeking an exceptional individual with a strong professional background in HR & OD and a depth of leadership experience. We value great team players, and you’ll bring a track record of working with colleagues, through others, and across organisational boundaries to achieve results at pace. With experience of leading cultural transformation within comparably complex environments, you will bring strategic perspective and sound judgement, complemented by resilience, tenacity and a collegiate approach to achieving change. Previous experience within the NHS is not a prerequisite to applying.

This is a challenging role where you can be part of a team committed to supporting each other to collectively drive improvements and make a positive impact on the experience of our patients and workforce.

The Trust is committed to being an organisation within which diversity is valued and appreciated, regardless of race, age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, faith or religion and socio-economic status. The Trust is committed to equality of opportunity for all and welcome applications from all sections of the communities that we serve. All appointments are based on merit and the principles of independent assessment, openness and transparency of process.

A full recruitment pack can be downloaded from this page.