Deputy Chief People Officer

Job overview

Are you an inclusive, forward‑thinking People Services leader committed to creating outstanding experiences for colleagues and the communities they serve?

In this influential role, you will help drive strategic workforce initiatives, strengthen leadership capability, embed compassionate and values‑driven culture, and ensure our People Services teams are equipped to enable excellent care across the South East.

With a workforce of over 4,500 colleagues delivering urgent and emergency care across the region, every individual plays a critical role in our success. We also recognise that not all of our people currently feel valued, empowered, or heard. We are committed to changing this.

We want to create an organisation where every member of staff feels they make a difference; where colleagues are involved in shaping outcomes; and where people are supported, developed, and trusted to reach their full potential. The Deputy Chief People Officer will be instrumental in helping us get there.

Main duties of the job

The Deputy Chief People Officer will ensure the delivery of a highly effective, forward‑looking People Services function that enables leaders to build a people‑centred, high‑performance culture where engagement, continuous improvement, and quality thrive.

They will help shape a business‑focused, innovative organisation that supports the delivery of outstanding care to patients and communities across the South East.

Operating in a period of significant transformation across the NHS and the wider health and care sector, the postholder will bring high personal resilience, adaptive leadership, and the ability to navigate complexity, uncertainty, and pace.

They will play a crucial role in stabilising teams, supporting change‑readiness, and ensuring People Services remains a trusted strategic partner through ongoing system‑wide reform across the region.

A compassionate, inclusive, and values‑led leadership style will be essential, with the Deputy Chief People Officer acting as a visible role model for the Trust’s values and behaviours.

The Deputy Chief People Officer will also hold senior leadership responsibility for the core People Services portfolio, providing strategic oversight and operational leadership across Employee Relations, People Business Partnering, Workforce, and other key People functions that underpin a high‑quality, responsive service.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• As a senior leader within People Services, the postholder will take strategic ownership for the development, modernisation, and continuous improvement of key People Services functions, systems, and policies ensuring they enable the Trust’s corporate aims and objectives and reflect national priorities such as the NHS People Plan.
• Support the Chief People Officer in shaping and delivering progressive remuneration, reward, and benefits strategies aligned with national NHS policy and designed to support the Trust’s operational and financial priorities.
• Work closely with the senior People Services Team to drive forward the Trust’s equality, diversity, and inclusion agenda ensuring best practice is embedded across all People Services activity and the wider workforce strategy.
• Hold strategic responsibility for effective change management, ensuring frameworks, processes, and advisory support are in place to enable seamless, people‑centred workforce transitions aligned to clinical, operational, and organisational transformation programmes.
• Provide strategic People Services leadership into organisational planning and business development, ensuring the Trust remains compliant with national and local NHS policy, workforce initiatives, and changes to terms and conditions, while anticipating and responding to future workforce risks and opportunities.
• Support the division in delivering a compelling, values‑led Recruitment & Retention Strategy that enables the Trust to attract, develop, and retain the best people ensuring the workforce is equipped to deliver high‑quality patient care now and in the future.