About this role
Job summary
University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHLG) is undergoing a significant period of transformation, including the strengthening of the Shared Services operating model, harmonisation of corporate services and the development of new hospital and corporate leadership teams. As part of this, the Group People Service is evolving toward a more integrated, modern and scalable service aligned to Liverpool 2030, and designed to deliver improved workforce outcomes and cultural change.
Within this context, the Head of Organisational Development and Effectiveness plays a pivotal leadership role, acting as the strategic integrator between the Liverpool 2030 Strategy and the organisational conditions required to deliver a high performing, connected and values led Group. The role leads the development and delivery of a Group wide OD&E approach that strengthens organisational health, culture, leadership behaviours, team effectiveness and readiness for transformation.
Blending strategic OD leadership, organisational diagnostics, change enablement and team-based development, the postholder builds the structural, cultural and behavioural foundations required for organisational effectiveness and successful transformation across UHLG.
Main duties of the job
The role leads the development and delivery of a Group wide OD&E approach that strengthens organisational health, culture, leadership behaviours, team effectiveness and readiness for transformation.
The post holder ensures that OD&E processes, frameworks and interventions:
enable the effective delivery and maturation of Shared services operating models; strengthen shred values, behaviours and leadership expectations across LUHFT, LWH and LHCH; build organisational and cultural readiness for transformation at Group, Hospital and Corporate levels; Support teams, leaders and services to work effectively across organisational boundaries; remain responsive to emerging OD&E needs across services and leadership teams. acting as the strategic integrator between the Liverpool 2030 Strategy and the organisational conditions required to deliver a high performing, connected and values led Group.
About us
NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group (UHL Group) was formed on 1 November 2024, born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our communities.
We are one of the largest employers in region, with over 18,900 colleagues who are dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond.
For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services that extend to more than two million people in the North West.
We operate from five hospital sites:Aintree University Hospitalis the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside, and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility.Broadgreen Hospitalis home to several elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation.Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospitalprovide specialist services incardiothoracic surgery,cardiology and respiratory medicine, both in the hospital and out in the community.Liverpool Women's Hospitalspecialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK's largest single site maternity hospital each year. TheRoyal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single en-suite bedrooms and mainly focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.
Job description Job responsibilities
Please refer to attached job description for full details
Collaborative Working Across People Effectiveness
All Heads of Service within the People Effectiveness portfolio are required to work collectively to maximise Group-wide impact. This includes aligning programmes, sharing insight, coordinating priority planning and ensuring that activity is designed and delivered in a way that supports whole system goals rather than isolated function delivery.
Organisational Development and Effectiveness Focus and Leadership
Lead the design and delivery of the Group OD&E Strategic plan, ensuring full alignment with Liverpool 2030, Group/Local People enabling plans and the evolving Group People Service operating model. Act as the strategic integrator between organisational ambition and the cultural, behavioural and organisational conditions required for transformation. Translate strategic ambitions into practical OD&E frameworks, behavioural standards, leadership expectations and organisational effectiveness plans.
Governance, Assurance and Performance Management
Lead the development and assurance of OD&E methodologies, organisational diagnostics, behavioural frameworks and cultural insight tools. Ensure robust systems for organisational health reporting, cultural insight and performance indicators (e.g. leadership behaviours, team effectiveness, change readiness)
Operating Model and Partnership with Hospital People Teams
Work collaboratively with Hospital People Teams to implement Group OD&E frameworks in a way that is practical, proportionate and informed by local context Provide tools, guidance and OD consultancy to support team effectiveness, leadership transition, value-based leadership, service transformation and organisational change.
Organisational Development, Culture and Behavioural Change
Lead programmes that strengthen organisational culture, leadership capability building, collaboration and cross-Group working. Embed consistent behavioural expectations into leadership development, capability frameworks, team effectiveness tools and organisational culture programmes.
Leadership, Talent and Capability
Ensure behavioural frameworks, cultural insights and organisational diagnostics inform leadership and learning pathways. Support capability-building through OD&E tools, team-based development, behavioural coaching and leadership effectiveness interventions.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Masters degree or equivalent experience Specialist OD, organisational psychology, behavioural science or change leadership training/qualification Evidence of ongoing CPD in OD, culture, leadership or organisational effectiveness
Desirable
Leadership/management qualification Coaching qualification or training in diagnostic/behavioural tools Data/analytics skills relevant to organisational insight
Experience Essential
Senior OD leadership within a large, complex organisation Leading organisational development, culture change and behavioural frameworks across multiple sites/services Designing and delivering of OD interventions informed by diagnostics, organisational insight and behavioural data Strengthening leadership behaviours, team effectiveness and organisational culture Providing senior OD consultancy, facilitation and challenge to executives and senior clinical/corporate leaders Managing OD teams, programmes, commissioned work and budgets
Desirable
Experience contributing to Board development System level (ICS) OD experience Experience supporting large-scale transformation or new operating models
Knowledge Essential
Deep knowledge of OD theory, organisational psychology, systems thinking and behavioural science Understanding of cultural diagnostics, team effectiveness tools and organisational health metrics Strong awareness of inclusive leadership, psychological safety and behavioural risk management Knowledge of NHS People Plan, leadership expectations and organisational design principles Ability to interpret organisational insight, cultural data, team feedback and colleague experience evidence
Desirable
Knowledge of transformation and system leadership Understanding of population/cultural inequalities and organisational dynamics Digital or data-enabled approaches to organisational insight
Skills Essential
Highly skilled facilitator confident working with executive and senior clinical leaders Strong OD consultancy skills: contracting, diagnosis, intervention design and evaluation Ability to translate organisational diagnostics into practical OD action plans Excellent communication, influence, political awareness and emotional intelligence Programme leadership, prioritisation and cross-portfolio alignment Strong analytical capability in organisational health, culture and behavioural insight
Desirable
Co-design and participatory engagement methods Experience facilitating lived-experience-based cultural insight sessions
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Address Aintree Hospital (All Site travel)
Aintree
L9 7AL
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.liverpoolft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)