Chief People Officer

Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS FT; Doncaster; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NHS Pension Scheme

Generous holiday entitlement

Comprehensive health and wellbeing

NHS Car Lease schemes

Discounts on services

Job summary

Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS FT seeks a Chief People Officer to lead the People & Organisational Development and Education & Research directorates from board level. You will drive workforce transformation, culture change, leadership development and research partnerships, aligning with the Trust’s values and strategic goals.

The role requires a credible, inclusive leader with a track record of strategic delivery in complex, unionised environments, and a commitment to equality,

Qualifications

• Experience at senior level within large, complex and unionised organisations.
• Track record in leading organisational change, transformation and workforce development.
• Ability to build productive partnerships with unions and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated leadership in diversity and inclusion improvements.
• Knowledge of NHS terms, policies and workforce frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead the People & Organisational Development and Education & Research directorates.
• Executive lead for Freedom to Speak Up and Guardian of Safe Working roles.
• Shape the People Plan, Research & Innovation Plan and Culture & Leadership Programme.
• Role model Trust values and drive a values-based culture across the organisation.
• Collaborate with executive teams to deliver strategic people agenda.

Skills

Executive leadership

People management

Strategic change

Stakeholder engagement

Diversity & inclusion

Education

Master's degree or equivalent

CIPD Chartered Fellow or equivalent

Continuous professional development

Leadership qualifications

Job description

Go back Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS FT

Chief People Officer

The closing date is 21 September 2026

We are seeking an experienced and inclusive People Services leader to join our Board. This is a unique opportunity to influence organisation-wide transformation, lead cultural change, workforce modernisation, leadership development, education and research. Role-modelling the DBTH Way and working closely with colleagues and system partners, you will inspire a high-performing, inclusive culture where our people can thrive and deliver exceptional outcomes for our patients. As Chief People Officer and a voting board member, you will lead one of our most critical strategic agendas, shaping and delivering our People Plan and ensuring our workforce is equipped, engaged, and empowered to deliver our ambitions.

In our new Chief People Officer, experienced and inclusive People Services leader operating at or close to Board level and with a strong track record of delivering strategic leadership and organisational development in comparably large, complex, unionised and multi-professional environments. Bringing a track record of embedding cultural change, transformation, and continuous improvement, you will demonstrate credibility in building productive and progressive partnerships across a range of stakeholders. A values-led leader, you will combine strategic vision with operational delivery, bringing authenticity and a commitment to driving meaningful change.

Main duties of the job

The Chief People Officer is a key member of the Trust Board and Executive team at DBTH and is vital to ensuring the success of our operational and strategic plans, sharing corporate responsibility for the strategic direction of the Trust and delivery of the Trust's vision and objectives. The postholder will lead the People & Organisational Development Directorate and the Education & Research Directorate, ensuring these functions are fit for purpose, providing an effective, proactive and efficient service to stakeholders across all aspects of the People agenda. The postholder is also the Executive lead for Freedom to Speak Up at the Trust and for the Guardian of Safe Working role.

The postholder will play an integral leadership role in shaping and delivering the People agenda across DBTH, including leadership and accountability for the strategic People Plan, Research & Innovation Plan and Culture & Leadership Programme. As the most senior lead for the People agenda, the postholder will visibly role-model the Trust values and DBTH Way and drive a values-based culture through a range of strategic initiatives, activities and in all the practices of the People & OD and Education & Research directorates.

As a key member of the Executive Team, they will have the ability to build credibility, inspire confidence and demonstrably influence people at all levels. An exceptional leader of people with drive, vision, a strategic mindset, clarity of purpose, and high levels of integrity.

About us

DBTH is one of Yorkshire's Leading acute trusts, serving a population of more than 440,000. Our services are based over three main hospital sites and several additional services employing over 7,000 colleagues.

At DBTH we have a comprehensive framework of behaviours that guide us in our daily working lives, these form the DBTH Way. We pride ourselves on our commitment to the values of We Care and now the DBTH Way builds upon these foundations, providing further clarity on what it means to embody these values in our everyday interactions.

As an organisation that supports flexible working, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applicants from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including those with disabilities, members of our ethnic minorities and LGBTQ+ communities.

Benefits

• Extensive range of learning opportunities
• NHS Pension Scheme
• Generous holiday entitlement in line with Terms & Conditions
• Comprehensive health and wellbeing support
• NHS Car Lease schemes and a range of salary sacrifice scheme
• Discounts on restaurants, getaways, shopping and finance through external providers.

Job responsibilities

We look forward to exploring how you can contribute to the future success of Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals.

Further information can be found in the attached job description and person specification.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience of operating at a senior level (Board level or Deputy to Board Director level) within a comparably large, complex and unionised organisation
• Successful track record in the effective leadership of people and diverse teams including line management
• Recent experience of leading major complex organisational change, transformation and workforce development, working in partnership with unions to deliver effective outcomes
• Experience of building and sustaining effective and productive working relationships with a wide range of people at a local and regional level
• Experience in building successful partnership relationships with external stakeholders and experience of collaborative working with other organisations
• Demonstrable evidence of personal development and leadership in promoting a culture of diversity and inclusion, to improvements in outcomes or experience for staff and service users
• Good understanding and experience of leading all aspects of operational human resources management and employee relations
• Evidence of experience in strategy development and implementation in relation to the people and culture agenda
• Experience of leading and achieving success in continuous improvement
• Senior leadership experience in a provider NHS Trust
• Experience of working with Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions and Medical and Dental Terms and Conditions

Qualifications

• Master's level qualification or equivalent experience
• Professional qualification (e.g. Chartered Fellow of the CIPD)
• Evidence of continuous professional development
• Other leadership professional training or qualifications

Knowledge, Skills & Attributes

• Ability to establish rapport with colleagues from across the organisation and externally, including from other Trusts and partner organisations
• Strategic thinker with highly developed influencing, negotiation and advocacy skills, with the ability to use these internally and externally impactfully
• Compassionate and inclusive leadership approach, with track record of visible and effective leadership through a coaching approach
• Able to lead change management, cultural change programmes and organisational development, including the application of OD methodologies and approaches
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and ability to build strong relationships with clinical leaders and across professional groups
• Role model for our Trust values and the DBTH Way
• A good understanding of the wider NHS, health and care environment, its infrastructure and associated organisations and government policy
• Knowledge of Agenda for Change, Electronic Staff Record

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.

Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS FT

£100,000 to £200,000 a yearVSM Salary dependent on experience