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Job overview
The Associate Director of Culture & Colleague Experience is a highly influential senior leader, responsible for setting the strategic direction and leading the delivery of the Trust’s culture, engagement, inclusion, organisational development (OD) and colleague experience agenda across the Hospital Group.
Reporting directly to the Director of People and acting as their deputy across the culture, OD and colleague experience portfolio the post holder plays a critical role in shaping organisational identity, enabling high‑performing teams, and ensuring the Group is a great place to work and a great place to receive care.
As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, the post holder provides authoritative advice to the Board, Executive Directors and system partners on complex cultural, behavioural and organisational issues. They lead the design and delivery of innovative, evidence‑based strategies that enhance staff experience, strengthen leadership capability, and drive cultural transformation aligned to the Trust’s long‑term strategic ambitions and the NHS People Promise.
Main duties of the job
Strategic Leadership & Culture
- Provide visionary leadership for the Group’s Culture & Colleague Experience plan, ensuring it is ambitious, evidence‑based and fully aligned with Group clinical strategy, workforce plans and national NHS workforce commitments.
- Act as the Group’s most senior expert on culture, behavioural change and colleague experience, shaping the long‑term cultural identity of the organisation and influencing how leaders, teams and services operate across all sites.
- Lead a multi‑year, Group‑wide cultural transformation programme grounded in OD principles, behavioural science, systems thinking and compassionate leadership, ensuring cultural change is sustainable, measurable and embedded across all hospitals.
- Provide strategic counsel to the TMTs, GEM, Board and senior leaders on cultural risks, organisational climate, leadership behaviours and workforce implications of major change.
- Deputise for the Director of People at Trust Management Team, Group Executive, Board and system‑level forums, representing the Group’s cultural agenda with authority, credibility and strategic insight.
- Ensure culture and colleague experience priorities are embedded into Group‑wide business planning, quality improvement, workforce transformation, leadership development and organisational design.
- Shape the Group’s narrative on culture, values and behaviours, ensuring consistent messaging and alignment across all hospitals and services.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Associate Director of Culture & Colleague Experience is a highly influential senior leader, responsible for setting the strategic direction and leading the delivery of the Trust’s culture, engagement, inclusion, organisational development (OD) and colleague experience agenda across the Hospital Group.
Reporting directly to the Director of People and acting as their deputy across the culture, OD and colleague experience portfolio the post holder plays a critical role in shaping organisational identity, enabling high‑performing teams, and ensuring the Group is a great place to work and a great place to receive care.
As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, the post holder provides authoritative advice to the Board, Executive Directors and system partners on complex cultural, behavioural and organisational issues. They lead the design and delivery of innovative, evidence‑based strategies that enhance staff experience, strengthen leadership capability, and drive cultural transformation aligned to the Trust’s long‑term strategic ambitions and the NHS People Promise.
Person specification
Aptitudes
Essential
- Strategic Systems Thinking – able to understand complex organisational systems across a multi hospital Group and connect cultural, behavioural and workforce insights to long term strategic priorities
- Advanced Organisational Development Judgement – highly developed diagnostic and analytical capability to interpret organisational dynamics and design evidence based OD and cultural interventions
- Political and Cultural Acumen – sophisticated awareness of organisational politics, cultural nuance and system level sensitivities, with the ability to navigate ambiguity and influence senior leaders
- High Impact Communication and Facilitation – exceptional ability to communicate complex or sensitive cultural insights clearly and to facilitate challenging conversations and large scale engagement
- Relationship Building and Collaborative Leadership – strong ability to build trust, credibility and collaborative partnerships across clinical, corporate, staff side and system stakeholders
- Resilience, Emotional Intelligence and Adaptive Leadership – demonstrates emotional maturity, self awareness and resilience, adapting leadership style to context and modelling inclusive, compassionate behaviours
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Strategic leadership and vision
- Exceptional influencing and interpersonal skills
- Ability to lead through complexity, ambiguity, and change
- Strong analytical, problem solving, and decision making capability
- Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills
- Resilience and ability to manage sensitive and high pressure situations
Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Significant senior leadership experience in a complex organisation
- Proven track record in delivering culture and engagement transformation
- Experience working with Boards and formal governance structures
- Specialist knowledge and experience of leading staff engagement, and workforce strategy
- Demonstrable expertise and experience in leading an Organisational Development (OD) function, including the ability to diagnose organisational needs, design evidence based interventions, and apply OD methodologies (such as change management, team effectiveness, leadership development, and organisational design) to drive sustainable cultural and performance improvements
- Understanding of NHS workforce, policy, and transformation agenda
- Experience of managing budgets and delivering financial targets
Desirable
- Experience in executive coaching or senior leadership development
Qualifications and Training
Essential
- Master’s level qualification or equivalent experience in OD, HR, or related field
- FCIPD (or equivalent)
Desirable
- OD or Leadership qualification
- HCPC registration (e.g. Occupational Psychology)
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Associate Director of Culture & Colleague Experience with University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust in Bristol, South West, England. It is listed as a Band 8 Manager and corporate role. The advertised salary is £94,356 - £108,814 pa. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 06 Aug 2026.
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