Chief People Officer
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is one of the top performing organisations within the NHS. Our staff think this is a great place to work and we hope you will agree. We have recently been rated as 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following our most recent inspection.
We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the whole county. This includes our Community Teams in North Warwickshire.
We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity. Over 6000 people work for the Trust and many of them have been here a long time. People find they don’t need to go elsewhere to find a fulfilling career in healthcare.
The first thing you will notice about us is how we take our values seriously. We believe that our values underpin everything we do. If you are interested in a role with us you need to make sure our values match your own.
Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are ‘Trusted to provide inclusive, safe, effective and compassionate care’. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work.It doesn’t matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.
Probationary Period
All new staff to the Trust will be subject to a standard 6 month probationary period, the details of which will duly follow in your contract of employment.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is committed to creating and sustaining a positive and inclusive working environment for all our employees. Our aim is to ensure that employees are equally valued and respected and that our organisation is representative of all members of society.We define diversity as valuing everyone as an individual – we value our employees, job applicants, students, patients and visitors as people. This is reflected within our values of being Inclusive, Safe, Effective, Compassionate and Trusted.
Agile and Flexible Working
All our staff will have a work base. However the Trust operates as an Agile Working Team therefore staff may be working from home on a regular basis as required by the service. However, occasionally travel around Warwickshire and into your base will be required so access to your own transport would be helpful.
The Trust also welcome staff to work flexibly and we would welcome the conversation at interview regarding flexible working.
Staff Benefits
The Trust offer a wide range of additional benefits to staff. Anyone who joins us on a substantive basis can assess things such as the Lease Car Scheme, Electronics Scheme, Discounted Leisure and Travel, Cycle to work scheme amongst many others available.
Car Parking
The Trust have recently completed the construction of a multi-storey car park at our Warwick Hospital site which has allowed us to reduce waiting times for car parking passes.
To keep up to date on our latest recruitment activity follow us on twitter @swftrecruit or look us up on Facebook (Recruitment - South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust).
Job overview
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) and George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust (GEH) are seeking a visionary leader to serve as Chief People Officer across the two organisations
SWFT and GEH provide acute and community services to residents in Warwickshire. SWFT and GEH are actively seeking opportunities to collaborate further to support patient care
Both Trusts are high-performing and place a firm emphasis on values and culture. In 2024 SWFT was awarded Trust of the Year in the HSJ Awards, and continues on a journey to being Lead Provider for services in Warwickshire
The Trusts are looking to appoint an exceptional leader to serve as Chief People Officer. We are looking for:
A strategic thinking leader with a track record of developing and embedding workforce strategies
A people-focussed and experienced HR professional who can guide, advise and empower staff- A champion for inclusivity and equality
- An excellent communicator who can engage, empower and build strong partnerships
Key responsibilities will include:
Shaping our future workforce in line with national and regional strategies.
Continuing to embed our people-focussed culture of inclusion and continuous improvement across the organisations
We will offer the successful applicant a Board level Executive role across two high-performing and forward-thinking organisations, a competitive salary and opportunities for continuing professional development
Interview Date: 24/2/2025
Main duties of the job
Leading the People and Workforce agenda for South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust and George Eliot Hospital, the Chief People Officer will be fundamental to both Trust’s Executive Teams.
This role is pivotal in shaping a strategic approach to our workforce and ambition to be a very flexible employer. The post-holder must understand the requirements of the future workforce as well as national strategies to lead changes to the Trusts in support of this.The post holder will continue to build on the values led and patient-centred culture in both Trusts that recognises and rewards the skills of individuals, supports continuous improvement and inspires new ways of working. They will share a passion for emboldening our workforce through devolved decision making as well as inspiring and empowering teams to be the best they can to deliver the best care to patients.
Our values define what is important to us and set out how we aspire to work with each other in a caring, supportive and compassionate way to deliver our services to our patients, service users and the communities. Each Trust has its own set of values and behaviours, that have been developed by staff and drive our culture.
SWFT and GEH are members of the Foundation Group of NHS Trusts which also includes Worcester Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and Wye Valley NHS Trust. The Group has a shared Chief Executive and Chairman and the Trusts work together strategically and share best practice.
Working for our organisation
Come and join a Trust rated Outstanding by the CQC. South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust have been rated as outstanding following our latest inspection by the CQC and we are recruiting new staff to come and help us improve even further.In addition our staff survey results have placed us 4^th in the country for recommended place to work.
We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the county. We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity.
Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are ‘Trusted to provide safe, inclusive, effective and compassionate care’. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work.It doesn’t matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Key Responsibilities
The Chief People Officer will lead the development and implementation of workforce strategies across the Trusts. They will have a fundamental role in ensuring that the workforce is supported, empowered, and valued. The CPO is responsible for shaping recruitment and retention strategies, nurturing and developing talent, and fostering a culture of inclusivity and wellbeing.A key part of the role will be ensuring that the organisations have a workforce fit for future needs, and that our workforce is developed in line with relevant national and regional strategies.
At the core of the role is the commitment to championing the needs of colleagues across SWFT and GEH. The CPO will support both organisations in a shared ambition to ensure a culture where we listen and value the feedback from colleagues, where we seek to understand their challenges, aspirations, and needs and address these in the context of the organisations’ development.
The CPO is also responsible for championing inclusion, fairness and equality, working to ensure that every member of SWFT and GEH has equal opportunities to grow and succeed, regardless of their background or circumstances.
The Chief People Officer is a strategic leader, collaborating with other executives and senior leaders to shape the future direction of SWFT and GEH, continually looking for innovative ways to enhance and improve our colleague experience and develop the experience for our patients.
Please see attached detailed Job Description and Personal Specification for all responsibilities of the role.
Person specification
Experience and Qualifications
Essential criteria- Please see detailed Job Description and Personal Specification
- Please see detailed Job Description and Personal Specification
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Sometimes we get a lot of applications for our roles. On those occasions we might close the job early. If you don’t want to miss out we recommend submitting your application as early as possible.
The Trust use an Applicant Management System called TRAC which helps us manage the recruitment process. All communications regarding your application will come via TRAC (even if you applied via NHS Jobs).
Please check your TRAC account regularly and ensure your email is set up to accept messages so they don't go into your junk/spam folder.
We aim to shortlist all vacancies within 2 days of the vacancy closing, we will get back to all candidates ASAP.
Please ensure all sections of the application form are completed fully. Please particularly ensure that you provide full details of all referees including business email address, telephone contact details and postal address.
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is an equal opportunities employer who is committed to Equality and Diversity and does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the grounds of any protected characteristic as defined by the Equality Act 2010.
All South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust sites are smoke free. We feel it’s a great way to help our patients, visitors and staff stay healthy.
The Trust is part of a ‘Foundation Group’ through a strategic alliance with Wye Valley NHS Trust, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. This partnership is great for the sustainability of all four organisations and allows us to share learning and maximise opportunities to ensure the delivery of high quality health and care services for our local populations.