Head of Organisational Development

Job summary

Are you passionate about shaping organisations where people can thrive and perform at their best? Come and lead the teams shaping leadership, culture, employee experience and organisational effectiveness across NHS Blood and Transplant. NHS Blood and Transplant is seeking an experienced and strategic Head of Organisational Development to lead our Organisation Development, Leadership & Management Development, Employee Experience & Engagement, and Inclusive Culture teams. This is a pivotal leadership role with responsibility for driving organisational effectiveness, strengthening leadership capability, enhancing colleague experience, and embedding an inclusive, high-performing culture across NHSBT. Reporting to the Assistant Director of Organisational Design & Development, you will work closely with Executive Directors, senior leaders and teams across the organisation to design and deliver people-centred solutions that support NHSBT's strategic priorities. You will provide expert leadership on organisational development, culture change, leadership development, engagement and inclusion, helping NHSBT respond to current challenges while building capability for the future. Leading a multidisciplinary team of specialists, you will combine strategic thinking with practical delivery, ensuring high-quality interventions that improve organisational performance, strengthen leadership, and create a positive and inclusive experience for colleagues.

Main duties of the job

• Leading and developing multidisciplinary teams across Organisation Development, Leadership & Management Development, Employee Experience & Engagement, and Inclusive Culture, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, impactful services across NHSBT.
• Acting as the organisational lead for strategic organisation development, supporting the delivery of NHSBT's strategic objectives through evidence-based interventions and whole-system thinking.
• Partnering with Executive Team members and senior leaders to shape organisational strategy, improve organisational effectiveness and drive sustainable cultural change.
• Designing and implementing organisation-wide strategies and programmes that build leadership capability, enhance employee experience, strengthen engagement and create an inclusive, high-performing culture.
• Using workforce, culture and organisational insight to inform strategic decision making, evaluate impact and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Leading the development, governance and evaluation of ODD, leadership development, engagement and inclusion plans, ensuring delivery against organisational priorities and objectives.
• Managing significant budgets, resources and external partnerships, ensuring value for money and high-quality outcomes.
• Representing NHSBT internally and externally, building partnerships across the NHS and wider public sector to share learning, influence practice and promote innovation.

About us

It takes all types of people to deliver the kind of service that saves and improves lives. At NHS Blood and Transplant, youll join a team of more than 6,000 people who are making a genuine difference to communities, families, friends, relatives and more across the UK. We play a unique and special role in the NHS by helping people do something extraordinary- donate blood, blood products, organs, tissues, or stem cells to save someone in need. Our three core values are what set us apart. They guide and inspire everything we do. By being caring, expertly meeting the needs of our patients and our people, and accepting nothing less than the best quality, we can do extraordinary work and help our people to do something extraordinary in their career, too. Three small words, one big difference - Caring, Expert and Quality. Together we'll save and improve more lives than ever. You will join us on our journey to create an inclusive workplace and aim to reflect the diverse communities we work with, and we positively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.

Details

• Date posted: 30 September 2026
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 8c
• Salary: £79,504 to £91,609 a year
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full-time
• Reference number: 009497
• Job locations: Bristol Filton, Bristol, United Kingdom, BS34 7QH, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

What we offer:

• Hybrid working arrangements – because NHSBT works nationally, we’re able to offer hybrid working options that give you more flexibility to balance work with life.
• Flexible working options – we promote flexible working where the role allows. We’re happy to discuss what flexibility might look like for you.
• Generous annual leave - 27 days annual leave (pro rata for part-time) plus Bank Holidays, increasing to 29 days after 5 years’ service and to 33 days after 10 years.
• Inclusive pension scheme - the NHS Pension Scheme is a defined benefit scheme (not dependent on investment returns). Further details and outline of benefits can be found at: http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/information-about-nhs-pensions‎
• Supportive learning culture - we’ve fostered a culture of continuous learning where colleagues are well-led, engaged, and encouraged to grow. We support you in reaching your full potential, both in your current role and future career. Our Thrive program embodies our commitment to learning and development, offering a wide range of activities to support your personal and professional growth. It’s open to everyone at NHSBT, ensuring you have the resources to succeed and shine in your role.
• Health and wellbeing support – we offer confidential services including occupational health, employee assistance programme, and wellbeing resources. Our support is available to all colleagues and we endeavour to provide tailored workplace adjustments where possible.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applications from disabled candidates. We will talk with you to explore any adjustments that may help you during the recruitment process.

You can find more information about accessibility, our culture, and how we support applicants on the NHSBT Careers website:

• Read about our application process
• Learn more about our culture at NHSBT

To learn more, please see the job description and person specification. These can be accessed via the link below, or by clicking ‘Apply’ if you are viewing this advert on another site.