University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW)
Head of Corporate Governance
The closing date is 22 June 2026
Join us at a pivotal moment in our organisation's history, as we form one of the largest NHS Trusts in the UK.
We are seeking an experienced governance professional to lead the delivery of high-quality governance and assurance across the organisation, providing expert advice to Boards, Committees and the Council of Governors while ensuring compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements.
About you:
* A senior governance professional with substantial experience operating at Board and executive level within a large, complex organisation.
* Strong knowledge of corporate governance frameworks, statutory requirements, regulatory obligations and governance best practice.
* Proven ability to provide expert advice and constructive challenge to senior leaders, executives and Board members.
* Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the confidence to build effective relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels.
* Highly analytical, with the ability to interpret complex information, identify key risks and provide clear, pragmatic recommendations.
* Experienced in navigating organisational complexity and driving improvements to governance processes and frameworks.
* A strategic thinker who can balance attention to detail with a broader organisational perspective.
Experience from the NHS is welcomed but not essential. We are particularly interested in hearing from candidates with governance leadership experience within complex public sector environments such as local government, central government, defence, regulatory bodies, higher education, or other large-scale organisations.
Please note, this vacancy may close before the 22nd June.
Main duties of the job
As Head of Corporate Governance, you will lead the Corporate Governance function across the organisation, helping colleagues across the Group and its sovereign Trusts to build governance arrangements that are effective, consistent and continuously improving. Your work will support clear decision‑making, strong accountability and the delivery of high‑quality patient care.
You will play a central role in shaping how governance operates across a newly merged organisation, influencing strategic decision‑making and ensuring governance, risk, assurance and organisational performance are aligned.
What you'll be doing
* Leading the Corporate Governance function and Company Secretary services across the organisation.
* Developing and embedding a new governance framework for the merged organisation.
* Providing expert, authoritative governance advice across the organisation, working closely with the Group Director of Corporate Governance.
* Leading the operational delivery and continuous development of the Group's corporate governance framework, ensuring alignment with the Group operating model, strategic objectives, statutory and regulatory requirements.
* Developing and implementing corporate governance policies, processes and assurance arrangements in line with recognised NHS governance standards.
* Leading the implementation of governance self‑assessment processes aligned to the Insightful Board Provider Board Framework and supporting the Board in meeting Provider Capability Assessment requirement.
This is a unique opportunity to take on a senior leadership role at a defining moment in our organisation's history.
If you are an ambitious governance professional looking for a role with genuine strategic impact, scale and visibility, we would welcome your application.
About us
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England. UHBW has been rated by the CQC as 'Good' overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston and beyond. As a forward‑thinking multi‑award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world‑leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone's throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them.
Education & Qualifications
* Educated to postgraduate level or equivalent relevant experience working at a senior level as a corporate governance professional, plus significant broad‑based experience as set out below.
* Qualified as a Chartered Company Secretary, actively working towards chartered status, or extensive employment experience in a company secretary role.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
* Extensive understanding of corporate governance principles and the requirements for NHS organisations set out in the Code of Governance for NHS providers.
* Extensive understanding of health regulation and legislation.
* Ability to assimilate and analyse a wide range of highly complex information quickly and make recommendations.
* Understanding of regulatory and compliance frameworks, ideally within the NHS.
Experience
* Substantial experience of leading a corporate governance function in a large and complex organisation, ideally in an NHS, regulatory or other public sector setting.
* Substantial experience of staff management, budget management, project management and performance management gained over an extended period of time.
* Proven experience of working directly with Board members and senior executives in a corporate governance role and of providing high quality and well‑evidenced corporate governance advice particularly to the Chair and Chief Executive and Committee Chairs.
* Experience of developing new governance frameworks and models and/or analysing and assessing governance models or frameworks.
* Experience of project and information management.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Address
Working across Bristol NHS Group Hospital Operating Units with hybrid working in line with organisational policy.
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