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Job summary

Main area
People & Culture
Grade
Executives / VSM: Executives / VSM
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
346-CORP-124-26
Employer
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Flatts Lane Centre
Town
Middlesbrough
Salary
£100,000 - £200,000 pro rata, per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
19/10/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust logo

Executive Director of People & Culture

Executives / VSM: Executives / VSM

We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.

From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care —our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for.

We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In Our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health.

We’re committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it.

We won’t rest until everyone in our region has the mental health care they need, to lead their best possible life.

Job overview

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust
Executive Director of People and Culture 
Location: West Park Hospital, Darlington
Salary: Attractive VSM 


As Executive Director of People and Culture, you will be a voting Executive Director, Trust Board member and the Trust’s most senior people professional. Reporting to the Chief Executive, you will lead the strategic people, workforce and organisational development agenda, ensuring our people strategy, culture and workforce plans enable delivery of our organisational ambitions. Working closely with Board colleagues, operational leaders and system partners, you will provide expert advice, assurance and constructive challenge on workforce performance, organisational development, leadership, inclusion, colleague experience and workforce sustainability. This is an opportunity to shape the future culture and capability of a large and complex NHS organisation at a pivotal stage in its development.

Main duties of the job

We are seeking an experienced and credible people leader with significant experience operating at, or close to, Board level within a large and complex organisation. You will bring a broad track record of leading HR, workforce and organisational development services, alongside a strong understanding of NHS governance, regulation and the financial context in which NHS organisations operate. You will have experience of driving workforce transformation, organisational change and cultural improvement, with the ability to influence and build trust at the most senior levels. Above all, you will be a compassionate, inclusive and values-driven leader who is passionate about creating an outstanding place to work and supporting colleagues to deliver exceptional care for our communities.

Working for our organisation

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health, learning disability and autism services to more than 2 million people across County Durham, Tees Valley, North Yorkshire and York. Our dedicated staff operate from more than 90 sites, working in partnership with patients, carers, communities and system partners to deliver high-quality care.

Whilst we have made significant progress in improving our services, we remain rated ‘Requires Improvement’ by the CQC. With a new Chair and Chief Executive, a refreshed Board, and a renewed focus on transparency, learning and improvement, we are committed to building a stronger, safer and more compassionate organisation. Guided by Our Journey to Change and our values of Respect, Compassion and Responsibility, we are determined to create an environment where colleagues can thrive and provide the very best care for those who rely on our services.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We want our Board to be as inclusive and diverse as possible, and we are keen to attract candidates who can bring diverse perspectives. We warmly welcome expressions of interest from the widest possible range of backgrounds, particularly those who are under-represented at board level in the NHS.  

To learn more about this incredible opportunity, please contact our recruitment partners at Gatenby Sanderson:

Laura Cubillo-Aparicio, Niamh Blair, or Robin Staveley via

[email protected] 

We are working in partnership with Gatenby Sanderson to manage the recruitment process for this role. All applications should therefore be submitted directly through Gatenby Sanderson. Please be aware that applications submitted via TRAC will not be considered.

 

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Master’s degree level education or equivalent knowledge, training and experience.
  • Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD)
  • Evidence of significant continuing professional development

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Extensive senior people, workforce or organisational development leadership and management experience within a large, complex organisation
  • Significant experience operating at or close to Board, Executive Director or equivalent senior leadership and management level
  • Track record of designing and delivering effective people strategies, workforce transformation, organisational redesign and organisation-wide cultural change with measurable impact on organisational performance, colleague experience and outcomes
  • Experience of providing clear, evidence-based advice and assurance to Boards and Board committees on workforce performance, risks, controls and improvement
  • Experience of using workforce analytics, benchmarking and qualitative insight to influence strategic decisions, anticipate risk and drive improvement
  • Experience of leading and managing high-performing multidisciplinary People and Culture functions, including HR and organisational development
  • Experience of effective partnership working with trade unions, system partners, professional bodies, regulators and other stakeholders
  • Experience of leading equality, colleague experience, engagement, wellbeing, leadership and management development and talent initiatives
  • Experience of managing significant budgets, resources, risk, complexity and competing priorities

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Comprehensive knowledge of contemporary people, workforce, organisational development, employment relations and equality practice in a large, complex organisation
  • Strong understanding of current national NHS workforce policy and the regulatory, governance and financial context within which NHS provider organisations operate
  • Extensive knowledge of strategic workforce planning, organisational design, cultural transformation, workforce productivity and improvement methodologies
  • Strong understanding of employment legislation, trade union partnership working, equality duties, workforce assurance and people governance
  • Understanding of system working and how the people agenda contributes to organisational, place-based and system plans

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Highly developed executive leadership and management, communication, negotiation and influencing skills
  • Ability to communicate complex, sensitive and contentious information clearly and credibly
  • Strong analytical ability, with the capacity to interpret complex workforce, financial, quality and performance information
  • Ability to provide authoritative professional advice, constructive challenge and evidence-based assurance at Board level
  • Ability to translate strategy into clear plans, accountabilities and measurable outcomes
  • Ability to lead and manage through change with compassion, credibility, resilience and pace
  • Ability to build strong relationships with clinical, operational, corporate, professional and system leaders
  • Ability to make sound executive decisions under pressure and balance competing organisational priorities
  • Strong written and verbal presentation skills, including Board-level reporting

Employer certification / accreditation badges

We are a Living Wage EmployerVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveImproving working livesArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)Mindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerNHS Rainbow badgeStep into healthArmed Forces CovenantBetter Health at Work Gold Award

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Gatenby Sanderson
Job title
Recruitment Partners
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
0113 205 6071
Additional information

We are working in partnership with Gatenby Sanderson to manage the recruitment process for this role. All applications should therefore be submitted directly through Gatenby Sanderson. Please be aware that applications submitted via TRAC will not be considered.

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