Chief People Officer

Go back Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustEnsure you read the information regarding this opportunity thoroughly before making an application.Chief People OfficerThe closing date is 15 December 2025Wrightington, Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) is seeking an exceptional, values‑led Chief People Officer (CPO) to join our Board and Executive Team at a crucial moment in our organisation's evolution. This is an outstanding opportunity for a strategic, system‑minded people leader to shape the future of a major acute and community teaching trust serving more than 329,000 residents across the Wigan Borough.A pivotal moment for our organisationWWL is delivering a £4.8m transformation programme – the only one of its kind in Greater Manchester – in partnership with our local authority and ICB, reshaping urgent and emergency care, improving patient flow and accelerating our acute‑to‑community shift. Alongside this, our three‑year financial recovery plan is progressing successfully, supported by a refreshed Executive Team and a new Chair passionate about integrated care. With two new divisions, Start Well and Live Well, we have reshaped our operating model to meet the borough's health needs across the life course and deliver care closer to home.We are an organisation defined by our culture: low turnover, high engagement, a strong ethos of continuous improvement, and deep partnership with our local system. As an anchor institution – with 70% of colleagues living in or near the borough – WWL plays a vital role in improving population wellbeing, tackling inequality, and supporting the local workforce pipeline.Main duties of the jobAbout you: We are seeking an accomplished senior People & OD leader with experience gained in a complex environment, ideally within the NHS or wider public sector. You will bring:A track record of developing and delivering impactful People & OD strategiesSignificant experience of organisational development, workforce transformation and culture changeDeep expertise in equality, diversity and inclusion with demonstrable commitment to anti‑racismStrong partnership skills, including working with multi‑agency stakeholders and Trade UnionsVisible, compassionate leadership and the ability to inspire followershipThe confidence, credibility and strategic insight to influence at Board levelA personal style that reflects our values – compassionate, collaborative, authentic and ambitiousAbout usWrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are the proud providers of acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff believing that 'happy staff, makes for happy patients'. We have a recognised track record in staff engagement, and living our values 'the WWL Way'.WWL is committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and in the provision of safe, effective care that acknowledges and ensures dignity. With this in mind we are seeking to recruit people who share our values and beliefs.At WWL we value the benefits a rich and diverse workforce brings to our community and therefore welcome applications from all sections of society.Job responsibilitiesAbout the role: As CPO, you will be a strategic equal at the Board table, responsible for the design, implementation and evaluation of our People & Culture Strategy, aligned with the NHS People Plan, NHS People Promise and long‑term workforce ambitions. You will lead the full portfolio of workforce, organisational development, culture, leadership, digital people services, education, recruitment, wellbeing and Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) including leading our journey to become a fully anti‑racist organisation.You will provide visible, inclusive and compassionate executive leadership, strengthening people management capability across the Trust and driving service improvement, modernisation and high performance. You will also play a key system leadership role through the Greater Manchester HR Directors Network, the Healthier Wigan Partnership and wider locality programmes.Will be required to travel to all Trust sites.Key priorities include:Leading and embedding our People & Culture StrategyOverseeing workforce planning, modernisation and future workforce designDriving the acute‑to‑community shift and redesigning workforce models to meet growing demandStrengthening leadership capability, succession planning and talent developmentImproving colleague experience, wellbeing, psychological safety and engagementLeading EDI strategy and reporting, with explicit responsibility for anti‑racismEnsuring robust employee relations, partnership working and Trade Union collaborationSupporting organisational transformation through high‑impact OD and cultural change programmesDelivering People Services excellence with grip, control and service improvement focusA full Job Description and Person Specification is available in the attached candidate pack.Applications are via CV and Cover Letter. xpwpeyx Please email: using the subject line: WWL CPO ApplicationFor an informal and confidential conversation, please contact: Jonathan Phillips A recruitment microsite with further information can be found at datesClosing date: Midnight, Monday 15 December 2025First‑stage assessment: Week commencing 15 December 2025Final interviews: Week commencing 12 January 2026Person SpecificationQualificationsMA in HR Management / associated subject (or equivalent experience)MCIPDRecognised Leadership DevelopmentEvidence of continuing professional and leadership developmentFCIPDExperienceSenior People & OD leadership experience in a highly complex organisationEvidence of successful development, implementation and delivery of People & OD strategyEvidence of effective partnership working with multi‑agency stakeholders & trade unionsRecord of successful delivery against HR / OD improvement targetsLeadership of equality and diversity function (or significant elements of them)Previous HR Director / CPO experience in an Acute and/or Community TrustKnowledgeDetailed knowledge and understanding of NHS People Plan, NHS People Promise, Transforming People Services and local workforce imperativesExpert understanding of principles of inclusion and diversity (with strong commitment to delivery)Detailed knowledge of regulatory frameworks (i.e. CQC, GMC, NMC, HCPC, MHPS, etc)Understanding of the GM IC System and the associated workforce prioritiesSkills and AbilitiesHighly visible and inclusive leadership style – able to quickly build credibility and followshipPassionate about people, partnership and inclusion, including demonstrable commitment to anti‑racism, with ability to inspire othersDemonstrates that people are at the heart of everything they doAbility to lead strategic and tactical transformational programmes, deploying proven quality and service improvement methodologyAbility to build effective relationship and allyships with stakeholders and regulatorsAble to demonstrate strong personal values of integrity and compassionProven ability to convert vision into reality, with outcomes embedded long‑termDemonstrate ability to build, lead, develop and motivate effective team(s)Quality & Service Improvement abilitiesProven influencing and negotiation skills, particularly across organisational boundaries and at regional/national levelsDisclosure and Barring Service CheckThis post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustDepending on experience Competitive salary aligned with experience#J-18808-Ljbffr