Job vacancy: Deputy Governance & General Manager, Public Health Wales NHS Trust, Cardiff / Swansea / Wrexham

Job summary

Main area

Deputy Governance & General Manager

Grade

Band 8a

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full time
Home or remote working

37.5 hours per week

Job ref

028-AC230-0925

Employer: Public Health Wales NHS Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: To be confirmed
Town: Cardiff / Swansea / Wrexham
Salary: £56,514 - £63,623 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 23/09/2025 23:59
Interview date: 08/10/2025

Deputy Governance & General Manager

Band 8a

Welcome to Public Health Wales, the national public health organisation for Wales

Our vision is Working to achieve a healthier future for Wales

To find out more visit Public Health Wales and watch this video about our Strategic Plan

Working together, with trust and respect, to make a difference

Applicants are invited to apply in Welsh, any application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application made in English. To support our all Wales service, we particularly welcome applications from Welsh speakers.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Deputy Governance & General Manager is a pivotal leadership role within the Research, Data, and Digital Directorate. This position is central to embedding robust governance, risk management, and operational excellence across the Directorate’s functions. The postholder will bring strategic insight, practical leadership, and a collaborative mindset to ensure governance not only meets compliance standards but also fosters innovation, agility, and service quality.

Working closely with senior leaders, the Deputy will lead the development and implementation of governance frameworks, compliance mechanisms, and business processes that align with organisational priorities. This includes acting as a key advisor to the Directorate’s leadership team, ensuring that decision-making is well-informed, risk-aware, and supported by transparent governance structures and robust evidence.

The role demands a proactive approach to managing governance cycles, risk registers, safeguarding protocols, and information governance. The postholder will be responsible for designing and delivering policies and procedures that support continuous improvement and audit readiness. This includes coordinating responses to internal and external audits, monitoring compliance with recommendations, and maintaining documentation control systems that support effective audit trails.

In addition to governance responsibilities, the Deputy will lead business process governance across the Directorate, driving consistency, standardisation, and alignment with strategic goals. The role involves coordinating input into integrated medium-term planning (IMTP), resource mapping, and prioritisation of delivery. A key focus will be on identifying and implementing opportunities to streamline processes, reduce risk, and enhance service impact, with a strong emphasis on embedding user-centred design into service change initiatives.

The Deputy will also play a critical role in programme and project delivery, leading small to medium-scale projects with a focus on governance integration, operational change, and delivery assurance. This includes monitoring project milestones, managing risks and issues, and providing actionable insights to stakeholders. The postholder will support transformation programmes and agile implementation, ensuring governance frameworks adapt to dynamic delivery contexts.

Financial governance is another core aspect of the role. The Deputy will lead all Directorate procurement activities, ensuring alignment with organisational policies and regulations. This includes coordinating financial governance processes such as business case development, procurement specifications, and tracking of financial data. The postholder will ensure compliance with Standing Financial Instructions and procurement regulations, and provide financial insights and forecasts to support strategic and operational decision-making.

Committee governance is a key responsibility, with the Deputy managing governance cycles for key Directorate boards and committees. This includes ensuring efficient administration, high-quality reporting, and effective collaboration across teams. Building and maintaining strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders will be essential to the success of this role.

Overall, the Deputy Governance & General Manager will be a driving force behind the Directorate’s commitment to excellence, continuous improvement, and effective service delivery. The role offers a unique opportunity to influence strategic direction, enhance operational performance, and contribute to the transformation of health and care services through effective governance and leadership.

The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.

The Job Description and Personal Specification provide full details.

Interview Date: 8 October 2025 in Cardiff

Interview Style: Presentation, assessment and in person interview

For further details contact:

Hilary Parsons

Governance & General Manager

[email protected]

Person specification

Qualifications and Knowledge

Essential criteria

Level 7 qualification / Masters or equivalent
Agile, Kanban or SAfe Project Manager Certified Practitioner
Specialist knowledge of a broad range of management functions e.g. HR, Finance, Estates, H&S and Risk
Strong understanding of NHS or public sector governance, finance, and compliance frameworks
Serious Incident management certificate or proven experience

Experience

Essential criteria

Experience in a senior governance or operations role within a complex organisation
Extensive experience of managing budgets, and full procurement processes at all thresholds levels
Proven experience managing projects using Agile/Kanban or SAfe methodologies, in a formal project environment
Experience of managing and organising multiple projects simultaneously
Experience on writing and collating organisation audit responses/public enquiry responses
Experience of generating plans, that are multi layered in various formats, including easy-read
Experience of implementing, managing and auditing documentation control systems including the use of SharePoint
Full understanding of the GDPR, Information Asset management, including completing of DPIA’s and other impact assessments or data sharing agreements
Risk Management including Strategic, Corporate, Directorate and Programme risks
Experience of people management
Experience of incident/complaint handling including serious incidents

Skills and Attributes

Essential criteria

Exceptional attention to detail aligned to auditing and finance practices
Excellent written and verbal communication skills including presentation skills
Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate and work effectively with a wide range of people from different backgrounds at all levels of seniority
Confident in the understanding of the business administration life cycle and able to implement processes for successful monitoring and delivery of workstreams
Proficient in the use of standard Microsoft software, such as Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and SharePoint
Ability to work under pressure whilst meeting deadlines and adapt to changes in demand and workload
Strong problem-solving skills
Able to work autonomously
Able to work flexibly in a dynamic, fast paced, complex and demanding environment

Desirable criteria

Welsh Language Skills

Other

Essential criteria

• Ability to travel between sites in a timely manner to meet the needs of the service

Public Health Wales, reserves the right to close this vacancy early. We therefore encourage early applications.

Priority is given to staff awaiting redeployment. We therefore reserve the right to withdraw this advert at any stage.

If you have a disability and have any particular requirements to enable you to participate in the application process, please contact [email protected]

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR APPLICANTS: Applications for our roles are carefully reviewed and shortlisted based on specific criteria, which varies from job to job.

Using a generic application or automated AI application services, such as Lazy Apply or AI Apply, does not usually provide enough personal evidence of your skills and experience relevant to the role. This can make it difficult for us to assess your suitability and will reduce your chances of being shortlisted.

To ensure your application is given full consideration, we recommend submitting a tailored application that directly addresses the criteria listed in the Person Specification section of the advert, providing clear evidence and examples to demonstrate how you meet each requirement.

Visa Sponsorship Eligibility

If you require sponsorship under the Skilled Worker or Health and Care Visa routes, please ensure you self‑assess your eligibility for sponsorship for this role before applying.
Check the Skilled Worker visa guidance or Health and Care visa guidance for details on job eligibility, salary, English language, and sponsorship requirements.

If you are successful and short listed for interview you will be contacted by email using the address with which you registered. Please ensure you check your email account regularly.

We are committed to fair, transparent recruitment and believe in equality of opportunity in our workplace and will not tolerate discrimination on grounds of age, disability, gender identity, religion or belief, race or nationality, marriage or civil partnership status, sex, sexual orientation, working pattern, caring responsibilities, trade union activity or political beliefs – or on any other grounds. We welcome applications from individuals seeking flexible working arrangements.

The salary scale shown is for a full-time member of staff, with the amount being adjusted pro rata for those working less than 37.5 hours per week.

In general, anyone joining our Trust who has not previously worked in the NHS will, by default, start on the first point of the advertised pay band. Pay progression will then be determined by annual Performance and Development Reviews in accordance with the NHS Wales Pay Progression Policy. An application for Incremental Credit may be considered, but can only be awarded based on evidenced, reckonable service and/or equivalent, relevant experience.