Head of EDI and People Promise

Job overview

An excellent opportunity has arisen to join the Norfolk and Waveney University Hospitals Group as our Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and People Promise. This senior leadership role will lead the development and delivery of a Group-wide vision for workforce inclusion, equality and staff experience across our three hospital sites, supporting a workforce of approximately 18,000 colleagues. Reporting to the Director of Culture, Inclusion and Learning, you will provide essential strategic leadership for EDI and People Promise priorities, ensuring national NHS requirements and statutory obligations are translated into meaningful improvements for colleagues. You’ll lead the Group's approach to workforce equality standards, staff experience, staff networks and inclusion programmes, while providing professional leadership to Site Inclusion Partners across the Group. This is a unique and really exciting opportunity for an experienced and influential EDI leader who is passionate about creating an inclusive culture, addressing inequalities and improving employee experience. You’ll work closely with senior leaders, staff networks, community partners and Board-level committees to drive measurable change and help create a workplace where every colleague can thrive. Flexible and agile working arrangements are supported, with travel across all three hospital sites required.

Main duties of the job

As Head of EDI and People Promise, you will lead the development and implementation of the Group's workforce EDI strategy, ensuring compliance with the Equality Act, Public Sector Equality Duty and national NHS workforce equality standards. You will oversee key programmes including WRES, WDES, gender pay reporting and anti-racism initiatives, using workforce data and insights to identify priorities and drive improvement.

You will lead the Group's People Promise agenda, coordinating staff experience initiatives, staff survey governance, listening frameworks and action planning to improve colleague engagement and wellbeing. Working collaboratively with staff networks, trade union representatives and external partners, you will ensure diverse voices influence organisational decision-making and shape future priorities.

The role also includes providing leadership and direction to Site Inclusion Partners, ensuring local delivery aligns to Group objectives while responding to the needs of individual hospital sites. You will provide assurance to senior leaders and Board committees on equality, inclusion and workforce experience outcomes, helping build organisational capability in inclusive leadership and equality practice.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Lead and deliver the Group workforce Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy and improvement programme.
• Provide strategic oversight of People Promise delivery, staff experience initiatives and workforce inclusion priorities.
• Ensure compliance with statutory equality requirements and national NHS workforce equality standards.
• Lead workforce equality reporting, including WRES, WDES, gender pay gap and related improvement actions.
• Analyse workforce data to identify inequalities, inform decision-making and drive measurable improvement.
• Develop and support staff networks and inclusion forums to strengthen colleague engagement and influence.
• Provide professional leadership, supervision and direction to Site Inclusion Partners across the Group.
• Build effective partnerships with senior leaders, staff representatives, community organisations and external stakeholders.
• Deliver assurance, performance reporting and expert advice to Boards, committees and senior leadership teams.
• Support the development of an inclusive culture aligned to the Group's PRIDE values and commitment to creating a positive experience for all colleagues.

Please note this position is advertised as a Band 8b subject to job evaluation confirmation

Applicant requirements

This post will require a submission for Disclosure to be made to check for any unspent criminal convictions.