Chief Nursing Officer: Sponsorship Available

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust

Job summary

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust and George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust work together as part of a wider, innovative and ambitious Foundation Group. Our partnership is underpinned by our shared commitment to ‘Helping people to live healthier, happier lives’. The two Trusts now have a single board and leadership team with a unified strategic direction. We are focused on delivering high-quality, equitable, and sustainable healthcare services for a population of nearly one million people across hugely diverse populations Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Coventry, and Solihull. Together, we are shaping the future of healthcare delivery through collaboration, continuous improvement, and strong system leadership.

We are seeking a visible, inclusive and collaborative nursing leader with significant experience at board level or equivalent, gained in complex, multi-site provider settings. An engaging and empowering leader, you will bring a track record of inspiring multi-disciplinary clinical workforces, improving quality and safety, shaping culture, and driving change and system integration to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities.

This is an outstanding opportunity to provide leadership across two organisations at the start of an exciting strategic partnership and to influence the future delivery of healthcare; improving outcomes and experience for our staff and communities.

Stakeholder Sessions: Monday 19th October

Final Interviews: Tuesday 20th October

Main duties of the job

The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) is a compassionate and inclusive leader who is professionally responsible for leading the Trusts’ nursing, midwifery and Allied Health Professional workforce. They are responsible for providing leadership to the Board of Directors on issues for this staff group, quality, governance and patient experience issues informed by high levels of engagement with staff across the organisation.

SWFT and GEH have a shared, single executive team. The post-holder will therefore be a Board member representing both organisations.

The CNO is responsible for the delivery of safe, efficient, and effective patient cantered services, in accordance with national and local standards. They will develop and maintain excellent professional working relations with Executive colleagues, senior leaders across the organisation, clinical staff, and a range of key external stakeholders.

They will ensure NHS and Trust key performance indicators and financial targets are delivered within agreed budgets and ensure that all services are delivered, meeting agreed deadlines and objectives, within the Trusts’ strategic frameworks.

They will lead the development and implementation of the governance strategy, to support the strategy of the Trusts and to manage associated risks.

They will, with the Chief Medical Officer, lead the Trusts’ drive to improve the safety, effectiveness, and experience of their services.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Educated to Masters level or equivalent appropriate education and experience
  • Registered Nurse with current professional registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council
  • Evidence of sustained personal and professional development

Experience

Essential

  • A proven track record of nursing, midwifery, and AHP leadership experience at a senior level
  • Experience operating at or close to Board level or equivalent within a complex healthcare organisation or system
  • Experience of providing senior professional leadership to nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals
  • Experience of managing a corporate budget, with strong financial awareness and understanding
  • Demonstrable experience of leading quality improvement, patient safety, and clinical governance programmes
  • Experience of working collaboratively across organisational boundaries and with partners within integrated care systems
  • Experience leading healthcare services in both hospital and community settings
  • Experience of working collaboratively with clinical, operational, and corporate leaders to deliver organisational strategy
  • Experience of leading safeguarding and infection prevention and control frameworks.
  • Experience of working with regulatory frameworks and inspection processes including those of the Care Quality Commission
  • Experience of public relations and dealing with the media

Knowledge

Essential

  • An understanding of the NHS national priorities and able to translate these into a strategic vision for nursing services in the Trust
  • Able to link the impact of the vision for services across the whole health economy into broader medium and longer term objectives for the Trusts
  • Able to engage and influence both within the Trust and beyond
  • Has excellent written, oral and presentational skills
  • Able to drive change, delivering tangible results
  • Able to recount examples of learning from experience

Personal Qualities

Essential

  • Demonstrates energy and commitment to deliver
  • Realistic about what can be achieved
  • An effective corporate team player
  • Decisive and action oriented
  • Honest, fair and demonstrates integrity
  • Role models the Trusts’ values with a strong commitment to inclusive behaviours

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: 18 September 2026

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