Chief People Officer: Sponsorship Available

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

Job summary

As we look to the future, we are excited to be making progress in our plans to build a new health and care campus for West Suffolk, co-producing these plans with staff, stakeholders and partners. Our new Chief People Officer (CPO) will play a pivotal leadership role in this development as we design and deliver a new healthcare facility for our population.

Main duties of the job

The CPO will be the executive lead for the resourcing, leadership, support and development of staff and volunteers at WSFT, and the ongoing cultural development of the organisation that enables people to perform at their best

Together with other executive members of the Board of Directors, the CPO will demonstrate inspirational and compassionate leadership to the entire workforce, ensuring that staff, and volunteers are supported and motivated to provide the safest and best patient care, and are at the heart of quality improvement and organisational development

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Masters Degree level education in a relevant subject or equivalence experience
  • Chartered Fellow CIPD or equivalent experience

Desirable

  • Further professional management qualification

Experience

Essential

  • Knowledge and understanding of current strategic issues in the NHS
  • Appreciation of leading-edge people management and development practices
  • Up to date with current UK employment law framework
  • Evidence of building, leading, motivating and inspiring successful and effective senior teams within a complex organisation, to achieve service development and transformation
  • Significant experience of people leadership at or near Board level
  • Strong persuasive and influencing skills with the ability to present ideas and proposals effectively at Board level

Desirable

  • Experience at Executive Director/senior leadership level in an acute hospital and/or community services setting
  • Experience of leading workforce transformation across complex healthcare systems

Strategic Management

Essential

  • Ability to think and act strategically and to articulate a clear sense of direction and vision to a wide audience
  • Ability to engage and involve colleagues across disciplines (clinical and non-clinical) in the development of strategic issues and associated decision-making
  • Able to engage and involve senior staff across disciplines in the development of strategic issues

Innovation and Sustainability

Essential

  • Leadership approach that promotes change and transformation, including impact of digital enablers
  • Understands the different perspectives of stakeholders in order to build effective relationships and improve services

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: 17 September 2026

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