Associate Director - Recruitment, Resourcing & Optimisation

Job overview

We are seeking an experienced and forward‑thinking Associate Director – Recruitment, Resourcing & Optimisation to provide strategic leadership and operational oversight of recruitment and resourcing services across University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL).

This is a senior leadership role with responsibility for shaping and delivering high‑quality, digitally enabled recruitment and resourcing services – including temporary staffing and the medical workforce – ensuring the Trust attracts, retains and optimises the workforce required to meet both current and future needs.

The post holder will lead large‑scale transformation programmes, drive service improvement, and ensure robust operational delivery, financial sustainability and an excellent experience for candidates, managers and staff.

Main duties of the job

You will be an experienced senior people professional with a strong track record of leading complex workforce transformation in a large NHS or similarly complex organisation. You will combine strategic thinking with a strong operational focus and be confident influencing at the most senior levels.

You will bring:

• Master’s level qualification (or equivalent significant experience) in a relevant discipline, with evidence of continuous professional development.
• Extensive senior management experience in recruitment, resourcing, workforce transformation or programme leadership.
• Proven ability to lead large‑scale change, working across organisational boundaries and with partners at system, regional and national level.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including experience of managing budgets and delivering efficiency programmes.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence, challenge and build consensus.
• A values‑led approach, demonstrating inclusive leadership and a commitment to equality, diversity and wellbeing.

Membership of a relevant professional body (e.g. CIPD or CMI) and experience in complex acute healthcare environments would be advantageous.

Working for our organisation

Our new strategy, developed with the support and feedback of colleagues, patients, and partners, is our compass for the next seven years (2023-2030).

We have four primary goals:

• high-quality care for all,
• being a great place to work,
• partnerships for impact, and
• research and education excellence

And we will embed health equality in all we do - taking active steps to reduce the avoidable differences in healthcare that some people face, working in partnership with communities.

Our strategy is underpinned by new values and we will work to ensure they are an everyday reality for all:

• we are compassionate,
• we are proud,
• we are inclusive, and
• we are one team

This is an exciting moment as we look to the future with clarity on what we already do well and where we need to focus our energies to make an even bigger difference for the people we serve.

About the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust:

https://www.uhleicester.nhs.uk

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Providing strategic oversight and operational leadership of recruitment, resourcing, temporary staffing and medical workforce services across a large, complex acute Trust.
• Leading and delivering Trust‑wide transformation programmes, ensuring services are streamlined, efficient, cost‑effective and digitally enabled.
• Working collaboratively with senior leaders, clinicians, system partners and external organisations to deliver shared workforce solutions and system‑wide efficiencies.
• Driving service optimisation, ensuring effective utilisation of skills and resources, and measurable improvements in performance and user experience.
• Leading governance, assurance, risk management and benefits realisation across recruitment and resourcing programmes.
• Holding responsibility for budgetary control, financial performance, CIP delivery and contract management.
• Providing visible, inclusive leadership to multidisciplinary teams, supporting development, performance and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Acting as a senior advisor to the Executive Team and Board, providing expert insight, analysis and assurance on recruitment and resourcing matters.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Master’s level professionally qualified in a relevant discipline (or equivalent significant experience to Master’s level or equivalent)
• Evidence of professional continual personal development.
• Change Management qualification or equivalent experience

• Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development member

Experience

• Extensive experience working at Senior Manager level in a workforce programme management / transformation role in a large complex NHS organisation
• Able to demonstrate a commercial and business acumen and an understanding of how high impact People Services can positively impact on the patient experience, quality and efficiency agenda and organisational goals.
• Significant appreciation, knowledge and experience of good people practice within a large complex organisation
• Leading / working on transformational change programmes and achieving results through working with others who are not under direct management control
• Proven ability to work across organisational boundaries and in partnership across health and social care
• Experience of managing improvement- based projects/programmes and having responsibility for the financial implications of change

• Significant appreciation, knowledge and experience of good HR practice within the NHS
• Complex acute hospital environment experience at a senior level with partners across health & social care
• Understanding the financial implications of change and ensuring project/programmes are within budget
• Demonstrates experience of effectively utilising development methods, techniques and tools for effective project management

Communication

• Ability to deal with people in complex, confrontational or highly emotive situations and gain engagement in a resistant environment
• Demonstrate the capability to motivate collaboration amongst different professionals’ user groups and partners to improve service outcomes and performance
• Strong communication and inter- personal skills giving the ability to influence at senior levels

Skills

• Highly analytical and numerate, able to interpret, triangulate, summarise and present a range of different sources of complex information and data
• Advanced IT skills
• Presentation skills and ability to adapt style to given audience
• Strong planning and organisational skills with the ability to work at both the strategic level and with operational teams on the detail to support delivery of plans.
• Ability to develop new ways of working using planning, facilitation, collaboration, capacity planning and continuous improvement skills

Additional Information

Please submit your application form without delay to avoid disappointment; we will close vacancies prior to the publishing closing date if we receive a sufficient number of completed application forms.

Please check the email account (including your junk mail) that you supplied as part of your application on a regular basis following the closing date and throughout the recruitment process, as this is how we will communicate with you.

UHL is an equal opportunities employer. We aim to employ a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds who match our job criteria.

Applicants who have a disability and meet the essential criteria for the job will be interviewed if you indicate you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme. If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process please make the recruitment services team aware as soon as possible.

UHL is committed to helping colleagues balance the demands of both their work and personal needs through flexible working arrangements wherever reasonably practicable and subject to service needs.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

Please note if you are successful in obtaining this position and the post involves regulated activity you will be required to undertake a Disclosure & Barring Service check.

The Trust will pay for the check initially and the money will then be deducted from your salary over a three month period commencing on your first month's payment.

The current price of a check is £38 for an enhanced and £18 for a standard check.

COVID 19 Risk Assessment

Due to the current Covid pandemic we have introduced a staff risk assessment into our pre-employment process. This now forms part of the mandatory pre-employment checks that will be carried out if you receive a conditional offer.

The risk assessment is intended to ensure you are able to safely perform your duties in any of our work areas, and if you have been identified as being particularly vulnerable to coronavirus. Our main aim is to reduce risk and to ensure the safety of all new starters to the Trust as well as current staff, patients and visitors.

If it is identified that you are within a vulnerable category, we will endeavor to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate this through discussions with both Occupational Health and your recruiting manager.

Covid Vaccination Status

Covid-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself, family, colleagues and our patients/service users from the Covid-19 virus. We therefore continue to encourage our current and potential colleagues to get vaccinated.

We welcome applications from the diverse community of Leicester, Leicester and Rutland, to help deliver healthcare services that meets the needs of our diverse communities.