Chief People Officer

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust Chief People Officer

The closing date is 09 March 2026

We are seeking to appoint a permanent Chief People Officerto join an ambitious, values driven and well-established board of directors who want to make a difference and deliver our aim of providing outstanding physical, mental and social care in a modern health and social care system.

The successful candidate will bring with them the capability and enthusiasm to support our ambitious vision within the context of significant change, transformation and opportunity, both within the organisation, the region and the wider NHS. The successful candidate must also be able to demonstrate experience of working in or with large, complex organisations, and an ability to engage positively and collaboratively at all levels.

They will also bring strong relationship management and influencing skills, have experience of making autonomous decisions, have a passion for delivering quality and excellence, and, importantly, embrace the values of the Trust.

You must have an excellent track record of success at director or at a senior level, together with experience of partnership working across complex systems. Added to this we want an exceptional and inspirational leader with a passion for delivering high quality care, continuous improvement, and a commitment to enhancing our strong reputation.

As an executive director you will make a very significant contribution to the strategic leadership and direction of the Trust overall, whilst being responsible for providing strong professional leadership to the Trusts People Services.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive and a key member of the Board, you will provide strategic leadership across all aspects of our People and Organisational Development agenda. You will drive workforce transformation and delivery, ensuring the Trust is future‑ready and our people are supported to deliver exceptional care.

We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms. Over reliance on AI‑generated content in application forms is strongly discouraged and we will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form.

At the time of advertising, this role does meet the minimum requirements set by UK Visas and Immigration to sponsor candidates to work in the UK. We look forward to receiving your application.

We are a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental health and learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and are the lead for the west Yorkshire secure provider collaborative.

Our mission is to help people reach their potential and live well in their communities; we do this by providing high‑quality care in the right place at the right time. We employ staff in both clinical and non‑clinical services who work hard to make a difference to the lives of service users, families and carers.

We encourage and welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, we value diversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities.

Being a foundation Trust means we’re accountable to our members, who can have a say in how we’re run. Around 14,300 local people (including staff) are members of our Trust.

Join us and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improving the mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet and help each year.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment.

We do reserve to right to close vacancy before the advertised closing date if necessary, so please apply as soon as possible.

Job Summary

As a role model for the Trust’s vision and values, the Chief People Officer is responsible for the design, development and…