Director of People and Culture

Job summary

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC) is seeking an exceptional Director of People & Culture to help shape the future of one of the NHS's most ambitious integrated healthcare organisations.

Providing hospital and community health services to more than 500,000 people across one of England's largest and most geographically diverse regions, NCIC employs over 6,500 colleagues delivering more than 70 services across 15 sites. Our people are at the heart of everything we do, and our values of Kindness, Respect, Ambition and Collaboration underpin our commitment to delivering safe, high-quality care every time.

As we deliver our ambitious strategy for 2026-2031, we are creating a culture where colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered to thrive. We are focused on developing our workforce, strengthening leadership, embedding inclusion and creating an outstanding employee experience that enables exceptional patient care.

Reporting to the Executive Chief People Officer, the Director of People & Culture will provide strategic and operational leadership across the Trust's people agenda.

Main duties of the job

Leading organisational development, workforce planning, employee relations, leadership and cultural transformation, you will play a vital role in ensuring our workforce strategy supports the delivery of safe, compassionate and sustainable services. You will also work collaboratively across the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care System, helping to shape the wider people agenda across the region.

We're looking for an accomplished, values-led leader with substantial senior experience across people, workforce and organisational development within a large, complex organisation. You will have a proven track record of leading strategic workforce transformation, developing inclusive cultures and building high-performing teams, alongside the credibility to influence executive colleagues, clinical leaders, staff representatives and system partners.

While experience within the NHS or wider health and care sector would be advantageous, we would also welcome applications from outstanding senior people leaders from other organisations who can demonstrate the strategic leadership, cultural insight and collaborative approach required to succeed in this role.

If you're inspired by the opportunity to help shape the future workforce of North Cumbria and make a difference to colleagues, patients and communities, we'd love to hear from you. For a confidential discussion, please contact our partners at Hunter Healthcare: James McLeod, 07842 424530 or email [email protected]

About us

At NCIC, we have an ambition to deliver outstanding healthcare services to the population of North Cumbria. The Trust is committed to creating a centre of excellence in providing rural and remote healthcare and provides a wide range of community and acute services throughout our county.

Our 5 key principles demonstrate our belief in the delivery of 'safe, high quality care every time':

Being a clinically led organisation

Quality and safety at the heart of our Trust

A positive patient experience every time

A great place to work

Managing our money well

As an organisation we are serious about supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our local community and are very much focused on being an inclusive and compassionate place to work.

Across the North East and North Cumbria we are working together to deliver our ambition to be the greenest region in England by 2030. All staff are expected to support sustainability.

Job responsibilities

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Please see attached job description and person specification for further information regarding the role and the essential and desirable criteria required to be met by applicants.

CERTIFICATE OF SPONSORSHIP

Please note, due to changes implemented by the Government to the UK immigration policy, individuals who require a Health and Care Visa or a Skilled Worker Visa may no longer be eligible for sponsorship where the UKVI salary threshold is not met or if the occupation is not included in the updated Immigration Salary List (ISL). Applicants must check their eligibility to be employed in any role they are interested in applying for, prior to completing an application for employment.Any applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be progressed. For further information visit theUK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

If you are applying under the Disability Confident Scheme or Armed Forces Covenant and you meet all the essential criteria for a post, you will be guaranteed an interview.

Relocation assistance may be available for successful applicants moving to the region for certain posts. Please see our Policy for eligible vacancies.

Disclosure and Barring Service:

This 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.

The cost of the DBS must be met by the successful candidate(s) through salary deduction. DBS charges are as follows if applicable to the post:

Standard Check: £21.50 + Administration cost of £6.50 = £28.00 Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one-off payment.

Enhanced Check: £49.50 + administration cost of £6.50 = £56.00 Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one-off payment.

NCIC can offer successful future employees the following benefits:

27-day holiday scheme rising to 33 after 10 years

Flexible working Scheme

NHS Discounts*

Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work*

Excellent opportunities for development*

Competitive NHS Pension scheme

Vivup is a free, confidential counselling and information service to assist with personal or work-related problems

*Subject to eligibility

Important Information

Please ensure that you document evidence of meeting all the essential criteria in the supporting information.

If sufficient response is received this post could be closed earlier than the specified closing date, please apply as soon as possible to ensure that your application is considered.

Candidates who have been successfully shortlisted for interview will be asked via an email notification to log on to their Trac account to select an interview time. This will usually be within 2 weeks of the closing date.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Chartered Member of the Institute of CIPD
• Educated to Masters level in a relevant field or can demonstrate an equivalent portfolio
• Post Graduate management or leadership experience or equivalent qualification

Desirable

• Coaching qualification
• Chartered Fellow of the Institute of CIPD

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Highly developed knowledge of HR and be a subject matter expert in HR service delivery and operations, HR Business partnering and organisational development
• Highly developed knowledge or employment legislation , current case law, best practice and has significant experience of interpreting and analysing this in a highly complex organisational setting with due regard to regulatory requirements
• Demonstrable understanding of current and future drivers for successful people management and development services within the NHS
• Experience of leading large HR function(s) within a complex organisation
• Track record of designing, delivering and implementing a values-based leadership culture across a complex organisation.
• Experience of leading significant and complex, including technical complex change.

Desirable

• Significant knowledge and experience of medical staffing matters
• Experience of collaboration and shared service leadership
• System leadership experience across multiple sectors

Skills and Aptitudes

Essential

• Strategic thinker and ability to work and lead a team on own initiative
• Personally resilient and able to manage complexity
• Ability to self motivate and motivate others
• Ability to prioritise own workload and those of others
• Exceptional leadership and management skills
• Ability to analyse highly complex data and professional opinions
• Ability to present highly complex information to very senior staff at board level and externally, including contentious information.
• Effective IT skills