Chief Nursing Officer

Job overview

Mid and South Essex Foundation trust are seeking an exceptional clinical leader to join our Group Executive Team as Chief Nursing Officer.

This is a significant opportunity to provide professional leadership for nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals and to inspire a workforce whose commitment, skill and compassion are central to the service provided to our patients and communities every day.

As Chief Nursing Officer you will lead and support a large and diverse workforce, offering clear and compassionate leadership, inspiring colleagues to be their very best and continuing to build on both organisations shared commitment to outstanding care for every patient.

Please note, we are hoping to interview on the 15th June 2026.

Main duties of the job

The Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) provides visionary leadership to nursing, midwifery and allied health professional (AHPs) staff; being responsible for professional practice and for leading the strategic planning and delivery of high quality, innovative and evidenced base practice across these professional groups.

Placing quality of care at the centre of practice, the CNO will work in partnership with the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) to deliver the quality agenda, with specific responsibility for  the following portfolios: patient engagement and experience, safeguarding, harm free care,  clinical legal services and relationship management with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).   Working with the Chief Medical Officer, the CNO will ensure we take a multi-disciplinary approach to our clinical care and that we have a robust quality and safety governance framework in place learn and improve our quality.

As a highly visible, compassionate and professional leader, the CNO will set an inspiring strategic direction for clinical compliance and governance across our three main hospitals and their satellite sites, working with and through the directors of nursing, the Managing Directors and their senior leadership teams. The CNO will ensure the patient voice is at the heart of care delivery, and that the learning and improvement response to clinical incidents, harms and complaints is of a consistently high standard across MSEFT.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will also strategically lead the development and delivery of aligned workstreams within the integrated quality improvement plan, ensuring that a culture of quality, performance and sustainability is embedded within frontline teams and with their local leaders

As a member of an integrated executive team, the CNO will take the lead role for strategic and corporate issues within their corporate portfolio and also collective responsibility across the wider executive portfolios. The CNO will also foster good relationships across system partners and lead transformation work across our health and care system to deliver better care and outcome to the population of Mid and South Essex.

The post holder will also strategically lead the development and delivery of aligned workstreams within the integrated quality improvement plan, ensuring that a culture of quality, performance and sustainability is embedded within frontline teams and with their local leaders.

As a member of the Trust Board, the post holder will always role model our values and behaviours. This includes promoting diversity and inclusion in all forms, and a culture of learning and continuous improvement through actively leading and embodying our Leadership and Management Behaviours Framework across all our care settings.

The post holder is an executive, voting member of the Board of Directors and reports to the Chief Executive.