Chief Executive Officer

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Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is the only acute hospital provider in the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS), which is a system of health and care partners working together for our local population.

Within Mid and South Essex there are 149 GP practices, operating from over 200 sites, forming 27 Primary Care Networks and one Ambulance Trust. There are also three main community and mental health service providers who work together through a community collaborative.

We collaborate with other valuable partners, including three Healthwatch organisations, nine voluntary and community sector organisations and three top tier local authorities, with seven district, borough and city councils, as well as our local universities.

Job overview

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is at a pivotal point in its journey. Serving a population of around 1.2 million people and employing more than 17,000 colleagues across three main acute hospital sites and a range of community and specialist services, the Trust plays a central role in improving health outcomes and reducing inequalities across mid and south Essex.

Like many large NHS providers, the Trust operates in a demanding national and local context, with sustained operational pressure and rising expectations. At the same time, there is a clear ambition to move beyond recovery and towards renewal: delivering consistently high-quality, equitable and compassionate care; strengthening leadership and accountability at every level; and creating an environment in which staff feel supported, valued and able to do their best work.

Main duties of the job

We are now seeking an exceptional Chief Executive to lead the Trust through this next phase. This is a complex and highly visible leadership role, operating at scale. It requires calm judgement, resilience and the ability to maintain grip on day-to-day performance, alongside the capacity to set a clear direction and build confidence in the future. For the right leader, it offers a rare opportunity to make a meaningful and lasting difference to services, culture and outcomes for a large and diverse population.

The Trust has a ten-year strategy, developed with staff and partners, which places patients first, prioritises equity of access, strengthens local and integrated services, and invests in people, learning and improvement. This is supported by a developing operating framework, including the Organising for Success Operating Model (OFSOM) and the One Team Improvement Plan (OTIP), which together describe how the organisation is strengthening leadership, governance, quality improvement and operational grip across its sites and services.

As Chief Executive, you will be responsible for leading this next stage of development: embedding the intent of this approach while bringing your own judgement, experience and leadership to how it is refined, sustained and owned over time. You will ensure that strategy, operating model and culture are aligned, and that improvement is driven consistently and transparently across the organisation.

Working for our organisation

Our ambition is to deliver excellent local and specialist services, to improve the health and well being of our patients, and provide a vibrant place for staff to develop, innovate and build careers.

We aim to make the most of our skills and experiences so we can become the best we can be. As one organisation we will recruit the finest and retain more specialist staff due to more employment opportunities across our Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Working in close partnership with the Chair and Board, you will act as Accounting Officer and hold executive accountability for performance, quality, finance and workforce. You will lead a large and experienced Executive team, setting clear expectations, fostering collective accountability, and creating the conditions for learning, improvement and innovation. You will support devolved clinical and operational leadership, strengthen ownership of performance and quality at every level, and ensure the Trust continues to build a robust quality learning system informed by evidence and data.

We are looking for a leader with substantial senior executive experience in a complex healthcare organisation. You will bring credibility with regulators and system partners, strong operational and financial acumen, and a track record of leading transformation while maintaining grip on delivery. You will be collaborative by instinct, inclusive in your leadership, and deeply committed to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Above all, we are seeking a Chief Executive who understands that sustainable improvement is achieved with and through people. You will be visible, approachable and values-led, creating the conditions in which staff feel supported, challenged and empowered to deliver excellent, compassionate and respectful care.

This is a significant leadership opportunity, working alongside a newly appointed Chair, an engaged Board and Council of Governors, and committed system partners, to shape the future of healthcare across mid and south Essex.

We are committed to increasing the diversity of our Board to better reflect the communities we serve and therefore particularly welcome applications from candidates from groups currently under-represented at Board level.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Educated to Massters level or with equivalent professional qualifications is essential
• Evidence of relevant continuous professional development

Experience

Essential criteria

• Extensive knowledge and experience of the national, regional and local health and social care systems
• Evidence of leading large, complex organisations through periods of challenge, recovery and/or heightened regulatory scrutiny, with demonstrable delivery of sustained improvement in quality, performance and financial outcomes.

Please be aware as per the new Immigration guidelines we cannot sponsor candidates with a salary (full time or pro Rata) under the current minimum threshold.

Please note, the selection processes at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right skills and values, please be advised that the use of AI in applications are monitored. We remain vigilant against candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn't accurately reflect their skills, and you will be required to declare on your application if AI has been used before submitting your application.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• JD&PS (PDF, 344.3KB)
• Privacy Policy (PDF, 441.0KB)
• Behaviours Framework (JPG, 298.0KB)
• Applicant MS Teams Checklist (PDF, 560.5KB)
• Trust marketing brochure (PDF, 2.1MB)
• Application Form (DOC, 233.0KB)