Associate Director of Patient Engagement and Experience: Sponsorship Available

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

Job summary

Reporting to the Chief Nurse the Associate Director of Patient Engagement and Experience will ensure that the voices and lived experiences of patients, carers and communities shape Trust strategy, decisions, services and improvement. The post holder will provide corporate leadership and accountability for complaints, PALS, patient surveys and insight, involvement and co-design, carers, Chaplaincy, translation and interpreting, volunteers, and patient-experience improvement.

The post holder will lead delivery of the Patient Experience strategy and the experience and voice commitments of the national Quality Strategy for NHS-funded care in England. They will translate national and Trust strategy into measurable priorities, policy, standards and improvement programmes, creating systematic and inclusive routes for people to influence how care is planned, delivered and evaluated and ensuring that the Trust visibly responds to what it hears.

The post holder will operate with substantial autonomy within broad professional, organisational and national policies and delegated authority, interpreting these requirements and determining how agreed objectives are achieved.

Interview date: 16th November 2026.

Main duties of the job

The post holder is the responsible strategic lead for the development and implementation of the Trust strategy for improving patient and carer experience and engagement for University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust.

An influential senior leader working within the corporate nursing team to provide strategic nursing leadership and expert specialist advice concerning all areas of patient engagement and patient experience. The post holder will lead on and facilitate the successful delivery of the strategic objectives set out in the Patient Engagement and Experience Strategy and provide support to the wider patient experience team in relation to the core functions.

The role requires a senior manager with strong leadership skills, current specialist knowledge and experience in the field of patient experience, engagement and co-production.

The post holder will provide leadership and management of the Trust’s Patient Engagement & Experience Team, Volunteer Services, Chaplaincy, and for patient/community focussed activities. They will act as a source of professional advice and expertise, developing and acting upon specialist knowledge on current trends in NHS complaints and PALS, patient experience, service user involvement, quality improvement, volunteering, and health inequalities, keeping abreast of relevant legislation, policy changes and national/regional impact.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Educated to Master’s level or equivalent experience.
  • Management/leadership qualification or equivalent experience at post graduate level
  • Evidence of continued professional development
  • Registered nurse or other registered professional; alternatively, demonstrable equivalent senior professional knowledge and experience relevant to patient experience, quality governance, complaints, engagement or service improvement.

Desirable

  • Quality Improvement qualification

Experience

Essential

  • Extensive experience of working in a senior management/leadership role
  • Significant experience of managing, leading and motivating teams/departments
  • Specialist knowledge around legislation, service requirements in NHS complaints, PALS, and volunteering
  • Leading service changes to improve performance
  • Experience of working across boundaries to develop networks with key stakeholders with using highly developed persuasive, motivational and negotiating skills
  • Experience of line managing a diverse team utilising the full spectrum of HR practices

Technical Skills

Essential

  • Good analytical and problem-solving skills – ability to analyse highly complex data/information and make judgements/draw conclusions – including ability to respond to unexpected demands.
  • Ability to work independently and make autonomous decisions
  • Ability to prepare and present written reports/papers to a high standard and to find, retrieve and disseminate information up to Board level
  • Ability to embrace, lead and drive change

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).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Closing Date: 4 November 2026

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