Group Associate Director for Culture

NHS; Swindon; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious healthcare organization in the United Kingdom is seeking an exceptional Associate Director of Culture to influence over 15,000 colleagues. The role focuses on strategic leadership in organisational development, wellbeing, and inclusivity across three Trusts. Responsibilities include championing culture initiatives, enhancing staff engagement, and leading talent management strategies. Candidates should have a master’s degree, NHS experience, and strong communication skills. This position offers a unique opportunity to shape organizational culture effectively.

Qualifications

• Extensive knowledge of People Service and healthcare policy.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Highly developed communication skills for complex matters.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership across culture and wellbeing initiatives.
• Design and deliver organisational development and talent management strategies.
• Oversee education and training functions ensuring high-quality learning.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Organisational development

Communication skills

Analytical skills

Education

Educated to master's level or equivalent

CIPD membership (FCIPD or MCIPD)

Job description

Group Associate Director for Culture

The closing date is 01 February 2026

We are seeking an exceptional Associate Director of Culture to join the BSW Hospitals Group and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our organisational culture for over 15,000 colleagues. With a dedicated focus on Organisational Development, Wellbeing, and Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, this role will champion initiatives that empower our people.

The role will include travel between the 3 Care Organisations majority of the time at the base location (RUH) with 1 day a week travel to one of the other 2 sites (GWH and SFT).

Please see the JD for more detailed information on the role and for questions about the job please contact Matt Foxon, [e-mail]

Main duties of the job

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across people design initiatives including organisational development, talent management, staff engagement and health and wellbeing.
• Drive transformation and consistency across three Trusts, embedding shared processes, systems, and culture.
• Champion inclusive, innovative, and people-centred services that support the Groups workforce ambitions and organisational strategy.
• Work closely with senior leaders to ensure the Group is equipped with the skills, leadership and organisational capacity required to deliver outstanding care and services for now and into the future.

About us

At BSW Hospitals Group, we're proud to bring together three leading NHS Trusts - Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust - working as one across Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire.

By combining our expertise, resources, and passion for care, we deliver consistent, high-quality healthcare for every patient, no matter which of our hospitals they visit. Together, we're tackling shared challenges, embracing innovation, and building a stronger, more resilient health system for our communities.

Job responsibilities

Main Duties of the job

• Provide strategic oversight and leadership across culture, learning, and wellbeing initiatives, ensuring alignment with the Groups vision, NHS priorities, and the People Promise.
• Lead the design and delivery of organisational development and talent management strategies, embedding values and behaviours while supporting leadership pipelines and succession planning.
• Oversee the Groups education and training function, ensuring high-quality clinical and non-clinical learning programmes that meet regulatory standards and build capability across all professions.
• Design and implement a Group-wide wellbeing and ED&I strategy, integrating health, belonging, and inclusion into workforce planning and retention to create a sustainable, thriving workforce.
• Drive improvements in staff engagement, morale, and team climate through data-informed interventions, staff survey action plans, and collaboration with staff networks to strengthen voice and recognition.
• Line manage and develop the Education and Training, Culture and Wellbeing teams.

Please find attached a full job description and person specification

Person Specification

Knowledge

• Educated to masters level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area.
• Extensive knowledge of People Service, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or experience to master's level equivalent.
• Evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development.
• Must understand the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and appreciate the implications of this on engagement.
• Should have an appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health and Social Care, Regional and National teams and individual provider and commissioning organisations.
• Membership with CIPD with FCIPD or MCIPD.

Communication

• Highly developed communication skills with the ability to communicate on highly complex matters and technical information clearly and concisely.
• Ability to provide and receive, convey and present highly complex, sensitive and/or contentious information to large groups, responding openly to questions to ensure full understanding and engagement.
• Ability to communicate with clinical and all levels of colleagues effectively.

Analytical

• High level analytical skills and the ability to draw qualitative and quantitative data from a wide range of sources and present in a clear concise manner.
• Ability to develop, maintain and monitor information systems to support innovation initiatives.

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.

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust