Director of People and Culture: Sponsorship Available

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust

Job summary

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC) is seeking an exceptional Director of People & Culture to help shape the future of one of the NHS’s most ambitious integrated healthcare organisations.

Providing hospital and community health services to more than 500,000 people across one of England’s largest and most geographically diverse regions, NCIC employs over 6,500 colleagues delivering more than 70 services across 15 sites. Our people are at the heart of everything we do, and our values of Kindness, Respect, Ambition and Collaboration underpin our commitment to delivering safe, high-quality care every time.

As we deliver our ambitious strategy for 2026-2031, we are creating a culture where colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered to thrive. We are focused on developing our workforce, strengthening leadership, embedding inclusion and creating an outstanding employee experience that enables exceptional patient care.

Reporting to the Executive Chief People Officer, the Director of People & Culture will provide strategic and operational leadership across the Trust’s people agenda.

Main duties of the job

Leading organisational development, workforce planning, employee relations, leadership and cultural transformation, you will play a vital role in ensuring our workforce strategy supports the delivery of safe, compassionate and sustainable services. You will also work collaboratively across the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System, helping to shape the wider people agenda across the region.

We’re looking for an accomplished, values-led leader with substantial senior experience across people, workforce and organisational development within a large, complex organisation. You will have a proven track record of leading strategic workforce transformation, developing inclusive cultures and building high-performing teams, alongside the credibility to influence executive colleagues, clinical leaders, staff representatives and system partners.

While experience within the NHS or wider health and care sector would be advantageous, we would also welcome applications from outstanding senior people leaders from other organisations who can demonstrate the strategic leadership, cultural insight and collaborative approach required to succeed in this role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Chartered Member of the Institute of CIPD
  • Educated to Masters level in a relevant field or can demonstrate an equivalent portfolio
  • Post Graduate management or leadership experience or equivalent qualification

Desirable

  • Coaching qualification
  • Chartered Fellow of the Institute of CIPD

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

  • Highly developed knowledge of HR and be a subject matter expert in HR service delivery and operations, HR Business partnering and organisational development
  • Highly developed knowledge or employment legislation , current case law, best practice and has significant experience of interpreting and analysing this in a highly complex organisational setting with due regard to regulatory requirements
  • Demonstrable understanding of current and future drivers for successful people management and development services within the NHS
  • Experience of leading large HR function(s) within a complex organisation
  • Track record of designing, delivering and implementing a values-based leadership culture across a complex organisation.
  • Experience of leading significant and complex, including technical complex change.

Desirable

  • Significant knowledge and experience of medical staffing matters
  • Experience of collaboration and shared service leadership
  • System leadership experience across multiple sectors

Skills and Aptitudes

Essential

  • Strategic thinker and ability to work and lead a team on own initiative
  • Personally resilient and able to manage complexity
  • Ability to self motivate and motivate others
  • Ability to prioritise own workload and those of others
  • Exceptional leadership and management skills
  • Ability to analyse highly complex data and professional opinions
  • Ability to present highly complex information to very senior staff at board level and externally, including contentious information.
  • Effective IT skills

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Closing Date: 24 August 2026

To apply for this job please visit apps.trac.jobs.