Associate Director of People Services

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust; Frimley; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare organisation in England is seeking an exceptional Associate Director of People Services to lead its People Directorate. This senior position involves managing a diverse HR portfolio and implementing the People Strategy to enhance workforce practices. The ideal candidate will possess substantial HR leadership experience, particularly in the NHS or public sector, and demonstrate a strong commitment to equality and inclusion. This role offers opportunities to influence change and improve staff and patient experiences.

Benefits

First-class development opportunities

Flexible working patterns

Qualifications

• Significant senior HR leadership experience within a complex organisation.
• Proven track record of leading large, diverse HR teams.
• Evidence of working on strategic workforce services.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across People Services.
• Deliver the Trust’s People Strategy efficiently.
• Shape divisional workforce strategies and build leadership capability.

Skills

Comprehensive knowledge of UK employment law

In-depth understanding of medical workforce issues

Leadership experience

Ability to drive innovation in workforce processes

Education

Chartered Member / Fellow of CIPD or equivalent

Ongoing CPD in leadership or organisational development

Job description

We are seeking an exceptional and values-driven Associate Director of People Services to join the People Directorate leadership team at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. This is a senior and influential role, responsible for leading a wide-ranging People Services portfolio and helping to shape the future of our workforce.

Reporting directly to the Chief People Officer, you will play a pivotal role in delivering our People Strategy, embedding compassionate and inclusive leadership, modern workforce practices, and continuous improvement. You will deputise for the Chief and Deputy Chief People Officer at senior internal and external forums, and influence decision-making at the highest levels.

This role offers the opportunity to champion equality, diversity and inclusion, deliver transformational change, and directly impact staff experience and patient care across the Trust.

Main duties of the job

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across People Services, including People Business Partnering, Advisory Hub, Workforce Mediation, and Medical Workforce functions.
• Deliver the Trust’s People Strategy, ensuring high-quality, efficient and customer-focused services that align with NHS best practice, statutory requirements, and Trust priorities.
• Provide expert guidance on complex workforce matters, including employee relations, terms and conditions, organisational change, workforce planning, and specialist medical workforce issues.
• Shape divisional workforce strategies and build leadership capability across the organisation.
• Lead and inspire large teams, embedding compassionate, inclusive and high-performing leadership.
• Drive innovation and improvement in workforce processes, including the use of digital tools and workforce systems.
• Oversee significant budgets, ensuring value for money, cost improvements and financial balance.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, working collaboratively to deliver workforce solutions at both Trust and system level.

Working for our organisation

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is committed to being an inclusive and disability confident employer and has been awarded the Gold for the Armed Forces Employment Recognition Scheme. We provide first class development opportunities for all staff and have a wide range of professional, management and leadership, and clinical skills training available.

We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service and its users.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Charted Member / Fellow of CIPD or equivalent strategic experience
• Evidence of ongoing CPD in leadership, workforce, or organisational development

Desirable criteria

• Formal qualification in mediation, coaching or OD

Experience

• Significant senior HR leadership experience within a complex organisation, preferably in the NHS or wider public sector
• Proven track record of leading large, diverse HR teams and delivering operational and strategic workforce services

Desirable criteria

• Experience of system-level or regional workforce collaboration across multiple organisations

Skills and Knowledge

• Comprehensive knowledge of UK employment law, NHS HR policies, and best practice in people management
• In-depth understanding of medical workforce issues, including national policy and contractual frameworks

Desirable criteria

• Awareness of national workforce policy and NHS People Plan / People Promise.

Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust is proud of its strong reputation, record of achievement and ambition for the future. We serve a population of over 900,000 people across Berkshire, Hampshire, Surrey and South Buckinghamshire, and remain committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our communities.

Our new organisational strategy – FHFT 2030 – sets out our ambition to be the best place to receive care and the best place to work in the NHS. Underpinned by our Trust values – Committed to Excellence, Working Together, Facing the Future, and being a modern, compassionate, Healthcare Organisation – we are creating a culture where our people can thrive and patients always come first.