Joint Chief People Officer

Arrowe Park Hospital, Clatterbridge Hospital and St Catherine's Health Centre

NHS VSM - Depending on experience

Full Time

CIPD Member

1 April 2026

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Job overview

Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust & Wirral Community Trust seek an exceptional Joint Chief People Officer to lead one of the most important transformations in our organisations’ history.

Healthcare is changing rapidly, demand is rising, workforce models must evolve & the NHS must adapt to deliver high-quality, compassionate care in new & innovative ways. At Wirral, we are about to embark on a significant integration program & believe that meaningful transformation starts with our people.

This role offers a rare opportunity to reimagine how a major NHS organisation supports, develops & empowers its workforce. As Chief People Officer & a key member of the Trust Board, you will lead a bold & ambitious people agenda that underpins organisational transformation, service redesign & cultural renewal.

You will not simply lead HR. You will shape the future workforce of the Trusts.

This is a pivotal executive role with responsibility for building a modern, agile & inclusive workforce capable of delivering outstanding care for our communities.

Working alongside the Chief Executive & executive colleagues, you will lead a step-change in how we attract, develop & support our people. You will champion a culture where innovation, collaboration & continuous improvement thrive.

You will also play a critical role across the Cheshire & Merseyside Integrated Care System, helping to develop system-wide workforce solutions & partnerships that support sustainable healthcare.

Main duties of the job

The Joint Chief People Officer (CPO) is a non-voting member of the Board of Directors in Wirral University Teaching Hospital (WUTH) and Wirral Community Health and Care Trust (WCHC), sharing corporate responsibility for the strategic direction of the two Trusts and the delivery of the strategic plans and objectives. The CPO is responsible for developing and delivering the joint People Strategy across the two Trusts and ensuring that it meets the requirements of the NHS People Plan, Long Term Workforce Plan, NHS People Promise and supports objectives of the Boards.

The post holder will provide leadership and direction to the Boards on all People and organisational development matters, playing a vital role in shaping an integrated People Strategy that makes a real difference to staff and patients.

The People Directorate will provide integrated, effective, and efficient People services to support the business of the two Trusts. The CPO is the executive lead for workforce Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion.

As the most senior lead for the People agenda, the post-holder will role-model the shared values of both Trusts, and drive a culture of compassion, inclusion, and civility through a range of initiatives and in all the practices of the People Directorate. 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

  • Provide professional and strategic leadership to the People Directorate functions, aligning, streamlining, and transforming services to ensure delivery of the highest level of professional standards and making a clear and visible difference to staff employed across the two Trusts.
  • Working closely with Executive colleagues, the post holder will take adynamic approach to workforce transformation and planning. The post holder will provide innovative and effective solutions to workforce challenges, ensuring a sustainable workforce plan that enables the Trusts to provide the best and safest patient care.
  • The CPO will build strong relationships with education and training partners to develop a workforce that can adapt to, and adopt new ways of working, to provide care that is more integrated, data-driven, and digitally optimised - with a focus on the delivery of high-quality patient care.
  • The CPO will lead on workforce integration, ensuring that workforce planning, workforce transformation, Organisational Design, and cultural development are a key part of integration delivery.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Relevant degree or equivalent
  • Relevant post-graduate qualification or equivalent
  • Fellowship of the Chartered Institute of personnel and development (CIPD)
  • Board level experience in NHS healthcare organisations or large, complex organisation
  • Experience of developing and delivering high quality and transformative HR and OD strategies
  • Substantial experience of successfully leading organisation-wide transformation
  • Experience of successfully delivering performance improvement and efficiencies through workforce transformation
  • Evidence of motivating, setting direction whilst communicating vision and leading change through others
  • Evidence of continuous professional development

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria
  • Track record in shaping a values-based leadership culture and leading change across a complex organisation
  • Highly developed emotional intelligence excellent and versatile communication skills
  • Excellent change management skills and professional expertise
  • Detailed understanding of employment legislation, best HR practices and workforce planning
  • Demonstrable understanding of current and future drivers for people management and people development underpinned by an evidenced based approach
  • Strong track record in developing workforce transformation in a large multi-disciplinary organisation to drive organisational effectiveness including workforce efficiency, planning and productivity
  • Ability to develop working partnerships and alliances an ability to establish processes that provide assurance to the integrated Board and executive colleagues
  • Demonstrable operational, strategic, and business focus

Additional support document Joint Chief People Officer

Wirral University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (WUTH) is not only the largest employer in Wirral but is also one of the largest and busiest acute Trusts in the North West of England.

Providing a comprehensive range of high quality acute care services, our 5871 strong workforce serves a population of approximately 400,000 people across Wirral, Ellesmere Port, Neston, North Wales and the wider North West footprint.

We operate from two main sites:

• Arrowe Park Hospital, Upton – delivering a full range of emergency (adults and children) and acute services for adults in the main hospital building. The Wirral Women’s and Children’s Hospital provides Maternity, Neonatal, Gynaecology, Children’s inpatient, day case and outpatient units.

• Clatterbridge Hospital, Bebington – undertaking planned surgical services, dermatology services, breast care and specialist stroke and neuro rehabilitation services.

We also provide a range of outpatient services from community locations:

• St Catherine’s Health Centre, Birkenhead – providing x-ray, community paediatric services, paediatric audiology and a range of outpatient clinics

• Victoria Central Health Centre, Wallasey – providing x-ray, some outpatient services and antenatal clinics

• Other locations – a range of outpatient services are provided from GP practices, schools and children’s centres.

We are also a tertiary centre providing specialist services to a wider population in Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales.

As a teaching hospital of the University of Liverpool and University of Chester, we are also renowned as a leader in the region for high quality education and training for a wide range of staff including doctors, nurses and other clinicians.

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