About this role
Job summary
Are you a senior HR leader who is passionate about shaping culture, driving workforce transformation and delivering meaningful impact at scale?
As Deputy Chief People Officer, you will play a pivotal role in leading the Trust's People & Culture agenda, acting as the strategic deputy to the Chief People Officer. You will provide visible, values-led leadership across the full HR portfolio, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, responsive and colleague-centred people services that enable outstanding care for our communities.
This is a key leadership role at the heart of the organisation, offering the opportunity to influence strategic direction, embed a compassionate and inclusive culture, and deliver tangible improvements in staff experience, recruitment, retention and organisational development. You will work in partnership with senior clinical and corporate leaders to align workforce priorities with service transformation and operational delivery.
You will champion a culture that reflects our values, Team, Accountable, Learn & Improve and Kind, while strengthening our commitment to be an equitable, anti-racist and inclusive employer.
You will be joining an organisation committed to creating a workplace where people feel valued, supported and able to thrive. This is a role where your leadership will directly influence culture, workforce sustainability and the quality of care we provide.
Main duties of the job
Provide senior leadership across all HR and People Services functions, ensuring a high-quality, efficient and colleague-centred service
Act as deputy to the Chief People Officer, offering expert advice and representing the function at senior level internally and externally
Lead workforce strategy, planning and transformation, using data and insight to drive recruitment, retention and organisational outcomes
Oversee employee relations, organisational change and professional standards, ensuring fair, consistent and inclusive practices
Drive improvements in recruitment, onboarding and staff experience, strengthening the Trust's position as an employer of choice
Build strong partnerships with senior leaders, staff-side representatives and system partners to support delivery of workforce priorities
Ensure robust governance, policy development and risk management across all People Services functions
Promote a compassionate, inclusive and high-performing culture aligned to Trust values and workforce ambitions
About us
Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.
Why work for us? We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.
Why Norfolk and Suffolk? The people here are warm and welcoming, you'll never be far from the beautiful coastline or Broads National Park. We're an hour and a half away from London and have an international airport in Norwich too. Our villages, towns and cities are packed full of history, independent cafes, shops and theatres. We have excellent shopping, eating out, top ranking schooling and affordable house prices too.
Job description Job responsibilities This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of People & Culture within a complex and ambitious organisation. As Deputy Chief People Officer, your leadership will directly influence staff experience, organisational culture and the delivery of high-quality care. If you are a values-driven, strategic HR leader who thrives in a dynamic environment and is motivated to make a lasting impact, we would welcome your application.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Master's level qualification or equivalent senior-level experience Chartered CIPD membership or equivalent knowledge and experience
Desirable
HR specific postgraduate qualifications Employment law qualification
Experience Essential
Significant experience leading a high-performing HR service in a large, complex organisation Strong track record managing senior HR teams in a diverse workforce environment Demonstrable expertise in employee relations, including MHPS Substantial experience of partnership working and supporting organisational change initiative
Desirable
Experience in healthcare or NHS at senior level Knowledge of mental health services Understanding of ICS structures, NHS workforce priorities and the national People Plan
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 Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust
Address County Hall
Martineau Lane
Norwich
NR1 2DH
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.nsft.nhs.uk/Pages/Home.aspx (Opens in a new tab)