OD Practitioner

NHS Jobs; Bournemouth; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 58,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced OD Practitioner to lead a key OD work stream and implement the UHD People Strategy. You will partner with internal and external stakeholders to design interventions that boost culture, leadership, team effectiveness, and engagement across the Trust.

The role requires extensive OD project experience within an Acute Hospital setting, with the ability to act as a consultative expert and drive positive change across teams.

Qualifications

• Postgraduate or master's level qualification in Organisational Development or Leadership & Management.
• ILM 5 Award in Coaching & Mentoring (or equivalent).
• Programme or project management experience and/or qualification.

Responsibilities

• Lead on an OD work stream with organisational impact and stakeholder engagement.
• Design and deliver OD interventions to maximise efficiency and patient outcomes.
• Provide professional OD consultancy with evidence-based advice to boards and leaders.
• Handle confidential information and act on own initiative.
• Collaborate with Care Groups, Directorates and teams to build internal OD capability.
• Design tools and methodologies to support OD and leadership development.

Skills

OD interventions

Project management

Facilitation

Communication skills

Coaching

Education

Postgraduate qualification

ILM 5 Coaching

PM/Programme management qualification

Job description

Go back University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

OD Practitioner

The closing date is 27 September 2026

The successful post holder will be an experienced OD generalist and will play a key role in delivering the UHD People Strategy through the design and implementation of a broad range of OD interventions. This will include supporting organisational development, culture, leadership, team effectiveness and engagement initiatives.

You will be responsible for leading on OD projects working with the many stakeholders within our organisation and regional and national partners. The OD Practitioner is a core member of the Organisational Development Team. As a consultant you will provide professional advice and expertise to ensure interventions are designed to maximise organisational efficiency, value staff and improve patient outcomes. The role requires previous experience of co-ordinating and managing OD projects; delivering interventions in a complex organisation and facilitation within an Acute Hospitalenvironment or similar healthcare setting.

You will be a self-motivated, proactive, creative, hands-on and collaborative individual with an interest in building relationships at every level withinthe organisation and with external partners.

Interview: 6th October

Main duties of the job

The OD Practitioner will be the lead for one of the key work streams within the OD Plan as directed by the UHD People Strategy; this will have a whole organisational impact and application, requiring engagement with internal and external stakeholders and forumsincluding; Culture & Engagement, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Leadership, Talent Managementand Team Integration.

The OD Practitioner willplay a key role in the successful delivery of the trust strategies and key people objectives with the aim to develop a compassionate, inclusive culture at UHD, where staff feel valued, supported, involved, engaged and have a sense of belonging.

The ODPractitioner will be influential in making UHDa great placeto work where morale is high, working collaboratively with staff and acting on their feedback.

The OD Practitioner is a core member of theOrganisational Development Team. As a consultant they will provide professional advice andexpertiseto ensure interventions are designed to maximise organisational efficiency, value staff and improve patient outcomes.

The post holder will be expected to handle highly confidential and sometimes contentious and sensitive information and be free to act on their own initiative.

About us

UHD are investing, developing and transforming Trust services in line with the New Hospital Programme. As part of this, some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or permanently. Recruiting Managers will be happy to answer any service-specific questions at interview.

If a role or service relocates as part of a planned move, excess mileage will not be reimbursed. Travel from home to the new work base will be classed as a normal commute. Any other changes will be managed under Trust or national terms and conditions.

UHD has active networks including Women's, BAME, Pride, EU, Pro Ability, and Armed Forces. We support Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant interview schemes.

AI tools may be used, but applications must honestly reflect your own skills and experience. Integrity is key to our recruitment process.

Job responsibilities

The OD Practitioner will play a key role in the successful delivery of the trust strategies and key people objectives with the aim to develop a compassionate, inclusive culture at UHD, where staff feel valued, supported, involved, engaged and have a sense of belonging.

• As part of the team, create a culture of organisational development and learning across the Trust by providing expert advice and support for organisational development improvement projects based on national/local best practice, legislation, guidance and recommendations, designed to meet the objectives of the Trust.
• To lead on the research, design and development of training programmes and workshops and other educational approaches in supportof the OD work streams.
• To manage functions such as the Culture Champions, including any new recruitment, development and their on-going role in engagement and decision making in the Trust.To critically observe progress of culture and behaviour strategies in action to provide and influence future change with the Board.
• To work in partnership with Care Groups, Directorates and individual teams to provide a specialist internal OD consultancy and to develop the capacity and capability of managers to undertake OD activities within their area of responsibility.
• To introduce and design a range of tools and methodologies which support OD and leadership development and compliment quality improvement; embedding best practice across the Trust.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Relevant post graduate or masters level qualification or combination of qualifications and experience or recent relevant experience to masters level
• Notably within an Organisational Development or Leadership & Management discipline
• Facilitation within an Acute Hospital environment or similar healthcare setting
• ILM 5 award in Coaching & Mentoring (or equivalent)
• Programme or project management experience and or qualification

Experience

• Experience of designing and delivering a range of OD interventions to deliver improved outcomes.
• Working in a project management, or change management environment.
• Evidence of successful development and implementation of cultural change initiatives to achieve improved outcomes.
• Experience of writing and presenting Board reports, and designing development activities.
• Experience of working with staff at all levels to communicate, engage with, and listen to views.
• Within an NHS acute hospital or similar environment

Skills

• Proven ability to diagnose and contract using the OD cycle
• Competent team and individual coach
• Ability to source internal and external data sources, analysis of data to support projects and report writing
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent numerical, verbal and critical reasoning
• Facilitation and presentation skills
• Proven team worker with the ability to motivate colleagues and staff
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to respond effectively to multiple priorities
• Ability to influence across a broad range of stakeholders.
• Able to deal with conflict proactively
• Ability to coach others to find their own solutions
• Innovative, with the ability to "think differently" and challenge current behaviours and mind-sets
• Open to new ideas & change and actively promotes new ways of working
• Resilience to keep focused and positive for othersProfessional, credible and tactful
• Ability to act autonomously with specific guidelines

Knowledge

• Demonstrable understanding of culture in a complex organisation.
• Up to date knowledge of key current issues in organisational development both at a strategic and local level
• Understanding complexity of culture in an Acute Hospital

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.

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust