Joint Director of Corporate Governance

NHS; London; On-site; GBP 113,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS organization is seeking a Joint Director of Corporate Governance to provide strategic oversight and operational excellence across two trusts in North East London. This role emphasizes embedding governance as a key enabler of high-quality, people-centered mental health and community health services. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in NHS governance, exceptional leadership skills, and a commitment to equity and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in NHS corporate governance at Board level.
• Significant experience in corporate governance within the NHS.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership across corporate governance.
• Ensure compliance with NHS Provider Licence and Code of Governance.
• Champion governance as a shared responsibility.

Skills

Leadership

Governance

Collaboration

Inclusion

Transparency

Education

Master's Degree

Job description

Joint Director of Corporate Governance, East London NHS FT & North East London NHS FT

East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) & North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT)

Location: London, UK| Full-Time, Permanent

Online stakeholder session: 11 June 2025

Face to Face Interviews: 12 June 2025

Are you a strategic leader with a people-first mindset? Can you transform NHS governance into a powerful enabler of better mental health care, smarter systems, and real impact?

We are seeking an inspirational leader to bring strategic oversight, operational excellence, and a collaborative spirit to shape the future of NHS corporate governance across ELFT and NELFT in North East London. This role is about more than compliance - it's about embedding governance as a strategic enabler, supporting high-quality, people-centred mental health and community health services for the populations we serve.

About the Role

As Joint Director of Corporate Governance, you'll provide strategic leadership across all aspects of corporate governance, compliance, and operational effectiveness, working at the heart of both NHS Trusts.

Main duties of the job

Your Responsibilities:

• Shaping corporate and system-wide governance to support integrated, place-based mental health care and community health care.
• Providing expert counsel to our Chair, Boards, Councils of Governors, and executive leadership.
• Ensuring full compliance with the NHS Provider Licence, Code of Governance, and Well-led Framework.
• Leading and developing high-performing teams across four key functions: corporate governance, secretariat, executive office, and governors and members support.

You'll champion governance as a shared responsibility woven into the fabric of theNHS Trusts, not a siloed function. Through strong relationships and visible leadership, you'll embed a culture where good governance is understood, valued, and seen as a trusted enabler, driving better outcomes, strengthening mental health and community health services, and fostering learning, accountability, and trust.

As a People Person, You Will:

• Strengthen engagement between the Boards, Councils, and members.
• Champion inclusion, accountability, and transparency.
• Raise the profile of administration as a profession, driving continuous improvement and career development within the governance function.
• Ensure governance systems reflect our commitment to service users, population health, and lived experience.

About us

• Align governance approaches across ELFT and NELFT to deliver efficiencies, clarity, and consistency.
• Lead governance integration with Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) and provider collaboratives.
• Drive collaborative governance frameworks that support innovative, equitable, and sustainable mental health and community health services across East London

What We're Looking For:

• Deep expertise in NHS corporate governance at Board level, with a strategic and operational mindset.
• Strong leadership credentials with experience leading high-performing, multi-functional teams.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and the ability to influence, advise, and support senior leaders.
• A passion for equity, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• A collaborative style and the vision to bring people, systems, and processes together for impact.

Job responsibilities

Why Join Us?

This is an exciting moment for ELFT and NELFT two values-driven, innovative NHS Trusts leading change across the mental health and community health sectors. If youre ready to lead with purpose, build trusted governance systems, and make a tangible difference for staff and service users in North East London, we want to hear from you.

Apply Now:

We are committed to diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all backgrounds, especially underrepresented groups.

#NHSJobs #MentalHealthCareers #GovernanceLeadership #LondonNHS #ELFT #NELFT

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Qualification relevant to the role and/or comparable health governance/assurance experience
• Master's Degree or equivalent experience at a senior level in a relevant environment

Experience

• Significant and demonstrable experience particularly within corporate governance at a senior level role within the NHS or similar complex public sector organisation operating within a complex and highly political environment, with evidence of extensive engagement, persuasion and influencing at Executive and Non-Executive Board level
• Operating at or near to Board level
• Extensive understanding of NHS corporate governance, including substantial and proven experience in legal and governance frameworks, statutory regulations and corporate compliance
• Proven experience of designing and implementing governance frameworks that ensure service user/patient safety, regulatory compliance and quality improvement
• Strong track record in planning and managing a broad range of complex activities, adapting to changing circumstances
• A track record of developing and embedding robust internal controls and risk management frameworks to support corporate governance in an NHS organisation and particularly identifying, assessing and mitigating risks that could impact on service user and patient care and outcomes

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.

£113,557 to £129,443 a yearper annum inc HCA