Head of People Services Transformation - OH & Wellbeing

Our Organisation

We share the core values set out in the NHS Constitution, which all colleagues are expected to demonstrate.

We support you to work in a way that is best for the NHS, our patients and you and your colleagues. Talk to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement, whether that’s a job share, part time, hybrid working or another flexible pattern.

Job overview

The NHS Transforming People Services (TPS) programme sits at the heart of delivering the NHS 10 Year Health Plan — creating a workforce that is empowered, flexible and digitally enabled to meet the evolving needs of patients and communities. The ambition contained within the 10 Year Health Plan is to deliver a Digital 1st Strategy which will enable staff to access People services anytime and anyplace, to book annual leave, or onboard to a new organisation digitally, with virtual assistants to improve both staff and manager experience. This ambition will be delivered through the Transforming people Services Programme.

Being part of this programme is more than a transformation role; it is an opportunity to redefine how people services are delivered across the NHS and directly influence the experience of one of the largest workforces in the world.

As the Head of People Services Transformation Occupational Health and Wellbeing services, you will join one of the NHS’s most ambitious and high-profile transformation programmes, working at the centre of a nationally significant agenda to modernise people services for the future. You will help design and deliver innovative, user-centric and digitally enabled services that improve staff experience, enable people professionals to focus on matters to the business whilst achieving increased operational efficiency and productivity, support better outcomes for staff, patients and communities across the country.

Advert

You will play a key role in bringing together operational expertise, policy, service design and digital capability to redesign how people services are experienced and delivered across the NHS.

We are looking for ambitious, collaborative and delivery-focused service design experts who thrive in complexity and are passionate about improving public services. The ideal candidate will bring:

• Leadership leading complex transformation, service improvement or workforce redesign programmes within large or complex organisations
• Strong understanding of HR, workforce or people services, with experience designing user-centred and digitally enabled service models
• Experience of bringing together experts and customers to develop a service or function

Working within the Service Design Team, you will collaborate with specialists and customers from across the NHS to shape future operating models and redesign how people services work at scale. This is a rare opportunity to influence strategic decisions, lead meaningful change and see the direct impact of your work across the health system.

Most importantly, you will be part of a team delivering change that improves the experience of the NHS workforce and supporting better outcomes for patients and communities nationwide.

Working for our organisation

NHS England has a wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers. These are focused on supporting the wider NHS to deliver high quality care, as well as doing those things that are best done once for the whole NHS.

Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms — enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.

In March 2025, the Government announced that NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will increasingly merge functions, ultimately leading to NHS England being fully integrated into the department.

If you currently work within the NHS and if successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.

Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in our offices.

Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.

We cannot offer visa sponsorship for any vacancies.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Significant senior-level experience designing or transforming Occupational health, workforce wellbeing or culture change services within complex healthcare or public sector environments
• Strong understanding of organisational development, staff wellbeing, leadership development and workforce engagement, with the ability to design integrated services that improve culture, retention, resilience and employee experience
• Proven ability to lead large-scale transformation and collaborate across HR, operational, digital and senior leadership teams to deliver innovative, evidence-based people services that support healthier, high-performing organisations
• Proven ability to collaborate across medical workforce, HR, operational, digital and transformation teams to deliver nationally consistent, user-centred services that support workforce sustainability towards high-quality patient care
• Proven experience designing or delivering, operating model redesign or large-scale people change programmes
• Strong understanding of HR processes, service delivery models and workforce transformation within complex organisations
• Experience building user-centred services, translating operational needs and policy requirements into practical and scalable service solutions
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with the ability to build credibility across senior leaders, HR teams, digital partners and operational services
• Experience leading complex workshops, service design activity and collaborative problem-solving across multiple stakeholders
• Strong programme delivery and strategic planning capability, with the ability to manage priorities, risks and dependencies in a fast-paced environment

You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.

Secondments

Applicants from within the NHS will be offered on a secondment basis only, agreement should be obtained from their employer prior to submitting the application.

Our commitments to you

We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better patient outcomes.

We strive to ensure our people feel trusted, valued and empowered. When you join us, we want you to grow and excel, and we offer many opportunities for you to do that.

We welcome your talent and enthusiasm irrespective of age, disability, neuro-divergence, sex, gender identity and gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances.

We ensure all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process. This includes considering reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability and/or who are neuro-divergent.

We welcome applications from disabled candidates. If you meet all the essential criteria, you will be guaranteed an interview.

Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate how you meet the requirements of the role. While we appreciate you may have had some support with your application (for example, using AI technology or guidance from a trusted individual), it’s important all the information you provide in it reflects your own knowledge, skills and experience and we trust that you apply on that basis.

If you’re applying for this role on a secondment basis, please get agreement from your current line manager before you apply.

We don’t accept applications via recruitment agencies, and we cannot offer visa sponsorship for any vacancies.

To comply with the HM Government Functional Standard GovS 007, and specifically the Personnel Security Standards 2024, individuals employed or contracted by NHS England may be required to undergo a Baseline Personnel Security Standards check, dependent on the role.

NHS Business Services Authority is responsible for processing your application; our privacy can be accessed directly on the application page when you select to apply.

If you are appointed to a post, your information will also be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

If you have a query about your application, please contact the recruitment team: [email protected] or 0300 330 1369.

NHS England