Associate Director of Culture & Colleague Experience

The Associate Director of Culture & Colleague Experience is a highly influential senior leader, responsible for setting the strategic direction and leading the delivery of the Trust’s culture, engagement, inclusion, organisational development (OD) and colleague experience agenda across the Hospital Group.

Reporting directly to the Director of People and acting as their deputy across the culture, OD and colleague experience portfolio the post holder plays a critical role in shaping organisational identity, enabling high-performing teams, and ensuring the Group is a great place to work and a great place to receive care.

As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team, the post holder provides authoritative advice to the Board, Executive Directors and system partners on complex cultural, behavioural and organisational issues. They lead the design and delivery of innovative, evidence-based strategies that enhance staff experience, strengthen leadership capability, and drive cultural transformation aligned to the Trust’s long-term strategic ambitions and the NHS People Promise.

Strategic Leadership & Culture

• Provide visionary leadership for the Group’s Culture & Colleague Experience plan, ensuring it is ambitious, evidence-based and fully aligned with Group clinical strategy, workforce plans and national NHS workforce commitments.
• Act as the Group’s most senior expert on culture, behavioural change and colleague experience, shaping the long-term cultural identity of the organisation and influencing how leaders, teams and services operate across all sites.
• Lead a multi-year, Group-wide cultural transformation programme grounded in OD principles, behavioural science, systems thinking and compassionate leadership, ensuring cultural change is sustainable, measurable and embedded across all hospitals.
• Provide strategic counsel to the TMTs, GEM, Board and senior leaders on cultural risks, organisational climate, leadership behaviours and workforce implications of major change.
• Deputise for the Director of People at Trust Management Team, Group Executive, Board and system-level forums, representing the Group’s cultural agenda with authority, credibility and strategic insight.
• Ensure culture and colleague experience priorities are embedded into Group-wide business planning, quality improvement, workforce transformation, leadership development and organisational design.
• Shape the Group’s narrative on culture, values and behaviours, ensuring consistent messaging and alignment across all hospitals and services.