About this role
Job summary
Join us on the North London Way
We are the North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) providing high-quality mental health care to local people across the London Boroughs of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington.
We serve diverse communities across North Central London supported by a workforce of almost 7,000 colleagues. Created through the coming together of three respected organisations, our Trust has successfully navigated a period of significant transformation and growth. We now have a unique opportunity to build something special: a shared culture that reflects who we are today and who we aspire to be tomorrow.
This is an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of a newly restructured People and Culture Directorate, designed to deliver exceptional support to our staff and enable the delivery of outstanding care. Working closely with the Chief People Officer, Executive Team and senior leaders across the Trust, you will play a key role in forging a modern, high-performing and values-led people function that places staff experience, inclusion and culture at the heart of everything we do.
As Deputy Chief People Officer, you will provide strategic leadership across a broad portfolio of workforce and organisational development responsibilities, leading significant programmes of transformation and improvement.
Main duties of the job
You will act as a trusted adviser to senior leaders, build strong partnerships with trade unions and staff networks, and support the delivery of our ambitious People Strategy and the North London Way.
This is a highly visible role offering the opportunity to influence Trust-wide priorities whilst helping to shape the next chapter of our People and Culture Directorate.
We are looking for someone who:
Is an experienced senior People leader with a track record of delivering strategic workforce and organisational change. Can build credibility and influence at Board, Executive and system level. Is passionate about staff experience, organisational culture, inclusion and wellbeing. Has experience of leading large teams and delivering high-quality People services within complex organisations. Brings a collaborative and compassionate leadership style, with the resilience to operate in a fast-paced and evolving environment. Is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all colleagues can thrive.
About us
North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.
Our Five-Year Strategy:
We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home. With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care. We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology. Why NLFT?
We develop and retain our staff through leadership behaviours and managers programme and many more opportunities. We promote flexible working and support staff with a range of health and wellbeing initiatives. NHS Discounts, generous annual leave and NHS pension scheme Excellent internal staff network The post holder will be aligned with our values:
We Are Kind We Are Respectful We Work Together We Keep Things Simple We Empower We Are Proudly Diverse In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.
Job description Job responsibilities
Why Join Us?
This is a rare opportunity to:
Help design and embed a newly restructured People and Culture Directorate. Work at the heart of a large, innovative and ambitious NHS Trust at a unique moment in time Lead major people and culture transformation programmes. Make a tangible difference to the experience of thousands of colleagues and the communities they serve. Develop your leadership experience whilst working alongside an experienced and supportive Executive Team. If you are an ambitious, values-driven leader who wants to help shape the future of people, culture and organisational development in one of the NHS's most exciting organisations, we would love to hear from you.
Join us and help create a workplace where our people can be at their best, so they can deliver their best for our service users and communities the North London Way.
Interviews are to be held week commencing 5th October 2026
Person Specification
Qualifications/ Registrations Essential
Chartered Member CIPD (Chartered MCIPD) or equivalent Master's degree in HR, Employment Law, Business, Public Administration, Organisational Development, or related field or equivalent senior level experience Evidence of ongoing CPD
Desirable
Chartered Fellow CIPD (Chartered FCIPD) or equivalent. Employment law qualification Mediation, coaching, or OD related training
Skills/ Abilities Essential
Able to take difficult and challenging decisions that support strategic aims and long-term vision Lead a large team successfully and build staff capacity and capability Ability to maintain personal resilience and exhibit high levels of emotional intelligence Examples of positive use of disruptive innovation to deliver sustainable change
Experience/ Knowledge Essential
oSenior HR leadership in a large and complex organisation oExperience of providing strategic and technical HR&OD advice to the NHS or comparable organisations oTrack record of delivery at Director/Senior management level, including exposure at Board oTrack record of delivering large scale change and knowledge of quality improvement methodologies and evidence oExperience of large budget management oTactical understanding of employment law issues NHS policy and regulatory frameworks oPeople systems procurement experience e.g. rostering oKnowledge of digital transformation and sustainability in health services.
Personal Qualities Essential
oA commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards, the values of public service and the NHS and the core values and behaviours of the Trust. oExcellent communication skills both verbal and written and the ability to represent the Trust in front of staff, patients, the public and the media. oA high degree of self-awareness of own emotions, the impact on the emotions and behaviours of others and being sensitive to the needs, values and beliefs of others in personal interactions. oShow caring and well-informed management of our most important resource, our staff, including proper involvement, support, personal development and sensible delegation
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).
Employer details Employer name North London NHS Foundation Trust
Address Trust Headquarters - Centro Building
19 Mandela Street
London
NW1 0DU
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)