Deputy Chief People Officer

Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, staff pride themselves on not only leading through clinical excellence, but also by creating an environment where all staff are valued and appreciated. To achieve this, the Trust has embarked on an exciting new strategy focused on continuous improvement.
Our vision is to improve the lives of our community and provide excellence in healthcare, through partnership and innovation
Our High Performance Culture will support everyone to be the best version of themselves by being true to our Trust vision, values and behaviours.
We welcome applications from colleagues from our local and neighbouring communities of all backgrounds and identities, who are currently under-represented within our region such as Black, Asian, Minority ethnic and those with disabilities.
As a region we are reviewing the way we work, and exploring how new working practices that support flexible working can create a positive work-life balance. As part of our recruitment process we will explore how our inclusive employment policies, flexible working, staff engagement forums, Trust facilities and services can be of mutual benefit., Working closely with the CPO, you'll help to develop and deliver our People Strategy, foster a positive workplace culture, and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our workforce. In this critical leadership role, the Deputy Chief People Officer will have operational leadership responsibility for the people portfolio as we embark on an ambitious programme of work to transform the service and deliver the NHS People Promise across our organisation.
The ideal candidate will be motivated by the opportunity, bringing their passion, leadership, expertise and influence in HR and organisational development, culture and staff experience to a Trust focused on continuous improvement and learning. With experience working as a senior people professional in a large, complex organisation, you will have proven ability in leading, transforming and delivering a range of people services, leading culture change and cross-organisational workforce programmes and have the ability to gain credibility with a range of stakeholders.
This is an exciting time to join the Trust and be part of an ambitious but exciting change in how the service is delivered in order to enhance the experience of our people, build a strong, inclusive culture where everyone can thrive and ensure our teams are equipped to deliver the highest standards of care., You will provide strategic leadership and operational management to the People function where you'll find a team of committed colleagues all wanting to be part of an exceptional people service.
No senior leadership role is complete without an eye to system leadership, and this is no exception. There's lots to of opportunity to be part of collaboration across the Cheshire and Merseyside system.
A compassionate and inclusive leadership style and role modelling of the Trust's values will be critical to success.
This role is full time and will require the majority of the working week to be spent onsite, however flexible working requests will be considered.
As Deputy Chief People Officer, key responsibilities of this role will be to:

• Provide strong visible leadership that ensures the delivery of excellent people services and promotes a culture of innovation, flexibility, responsiveness and high performance within the People Directorate.


• Ensure that the political, financial, and professional probity, credibility and sustainability of the Directorate and Trust is considered in all activities.


• Lead the People Directorate professional development to ensure the people profession has the requisite skills and knowledge both now and for the future to meet the requirements for future people service delivery and the those within the Long-Term Workforce Plan.


• Substantial experience in a senior people leadership role overseeing a range of people functions.
  
  This is a unique opportunity to join a Trust dedicated to delivering outstanding patient care, and putting our people at the heart of everything we do., The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides services to West Cheshire and to Welsh patients covered by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. Its services are provided from three locations:


• The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 438 general and acute beds.


• Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 56 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility.


• Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.

The Trust employs over 6258 staff (headcount) which includes temporary bank staff and provides acute emergency and elective services, primary care direct access services and obstetric services to a population of approximately 407,000. This includes 357,000 residents in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire which has a population of approximately 50,000.
The Trust is a busy district general hospital and in 2022/2023, there were more than 503,342 patient attendances (inpatient, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery. This is an increase of nearly 10,000 compared to the previous year when there were 494,387 patient attendances.

Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values.
Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £23 (standard) or £43 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first three months of employment.
You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £13 per year applies.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
If the role is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Enhanced DBS check applications that are submitted with omitted or incorrect information will be withdrawn. In the event errors are identified on your original application, a new application will need to be submitted and you will be required to pay the DBS application fee again.
The cost of the DBS application is £23 (standard) or £43 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first three months of employment.
Overseas Candidates
The Department of Health and Social Care has released a new publication to support overseas candidates looking to work in health and care in the UK.