Executive Director of People Services and Organisational Development

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Executive Director to lead our People Services and Organisational Development (POD) team at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board; the largest NHS Health Board in Wales and the largest employer in North Wales, with a turnover of £2.1bn.

Overview

You will share collective responsibility with all other Executive Directors for all aspects of the Health Board’s performance. This includes strategic direction, leadership, corporate policy-making and the development and delivery of the Board’s objectives. Committed to delivering outstanding healthcare, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our workforce of 21,000 staff and driving positive cultural change across the organisation. We are driving our ambition to become an outstanding, patient-led Health Board where dedicated staff provide high quality, compassionate care. Acting as ambassador of the Health Board nationally, you will contribute to the broader health and organisational agenda of NHS Wales and the Welsh Government.

Main duties of the job

• Strategic Leadership: Lead the development and implementation of a comprehensive People Strategy aligned with the health board's goals and objectives, ensuring it serves the needs of clinical and non-clinical divisions and works in partnership with staff and staff representatives.
• Organisational Development: Drive initiatives to enhance organisational effectiveness, foster a culture of continuous improvement, and promote employee engagement. Develop leadership capacity and capability at every level to support performance and an engaged, motivated, flexible workforce.
• Talent Management: Develop innovative recruitment strategies to attract top talent and establish robust succession planning processes to identify and develop future leaders.
• Employee Wellbeing: Champion employee wellbeing initiatives, ensuring a supportive and healthy work environment for all staff.
• Collaboration and Partnerships: Collaborate with unions, staff representatives and external partners to build consensus and support for improvements. Engage with the local community to build trust and demonstrate the health board's commitment to positive change.

Working for our organisation

BCUHB is the largest health organisation in Wales, providing primary, community, mental health and acute services for a population of around 700,000 people across North Wales. Our mission is to improve health and well-being through high-quality, compassionate care. We operate in partnership with public and third sector organisations and maintain strong links with universities in North Wales to support clinical education and a learning culture.

North Wales offers diverse living environments with coastline, national parks and outdoor recreation, and Welsh language is an important part of our culture.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

• Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (FCIPD).
• Master’s degree or equivalent senior-level experience in a relevant field.
• Evidence of continual professional development and recent management and leadership development.

Knowledge & Experience

• Experience at Director level in a people-centred organisation. NHS senior-level experience is desirable but not essential.
• Experience across HR functions including employee relations, organisational development, workforce planning, reward, learning and development.
• Experience leading significant change and transformation programmes across organisations.
• Experience in strategic planning and delivering service improvements and efficiencies.
• Experience delivering cultural change programmes underpinned by values and behavioural frameworks.
• Proven experience working or contributing at Board level.
• Understanding or awareness of the political context for Health and Social Care in Wales is beneficial but not essential.

Skills and Attributes

• The ability to inspire, innovate, and motivate to lead and manage change.
• Excellent verbal and written communication with stakeholders at all levels.
• Strategic thinking with strong analytical, reasoning and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage conflicting priorities and make effective, timely decisions.
• Empathetic, discreet and personable with all staff, trade unions and stakeholders.
• High standards of integrity and alignment with the Health Board values.
• Resilient, confident and able to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Commitment to openness, diversity and inclusion.
• Welsh language skills are desirable; incidental Welsh will be expected.