University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust is seeking an exceptional Chief of Staff to the Chief Executive Officer to join the Trust in a pivotal senior leadership role.
Reporting directly to the CEO, the Chief of Staff will maximise the effectiveness, efficiency and productivity of the Chief Executive Office, enabling the CEO to fulfil commitments to the Trust Board and key stakeholders. This is a highly strategic and facilitative post, requiring sound judgement, discretion and the ability to operate confidently at Executive and Board level.
The postholder will act as a trusted advisor and confidante to the CEO. Key responsibilities include preparing high-quality written papers and briefings for the CEO; reviewing papers on behalf of the CEO and ensuring follow-up of actions; managing the CEO's inbox and priorities; providing corporate leadership and managing the CEO's budget.
You will be an experienced leader with excellent communication, organisational and interpersonal skills, and the ability to handle highly sensitive matters with professionalism and discretion.
To arrange an informal discussion with Neil Macdonald, Chief Executive, please contact Zoe Duke at zoe.duke@nhs.net
Key dates:
Interview: Thursday 21 May 2026
Main duties of the job
This postholder will serve as a confidante to the CEO and assist other executive board members in various ways. This will include giving direct feedback to the CEO on areas such as communications, presentations and strategies for the effective management of the Executive team and Chief Executive's office.
The preparation of written papers for the CEO to be presented to the Board.
To read all papers on behalf of the CEO and prepare written briefings in advance plus any follow up of required actions.
The management of the CEO inbox and direction of relevant tasks and priorities on behalf of the CEO to the Executive team.
Provide leadership to the corporate office at the Trust ensuring that the management systems and governance is in place to support the relevant Executives and CEO.
Management of the CEO budget.
About us
We are a people business - where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment manager for this post who will put you in touch with the recruitment team. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.
Job responsibilities
Key accountabilities:
The postholder will have a close working relationship with the Company Secretary and Associate Director of Communications and Partnerships. This position encompasses four primary accountabilities:
Preparation for, and facilitation of, CEO: the Chief of Staff, Chief Executive Office is accountable for the support structure that enables the delivery of the work and priorities of the Chief Executive Officer.
Independent leadership of special CEO-initiated projects: these range from written reports to be authored by the CEO to convening leaders on various topics. While most CEO-initiated projects will be led by the Executive team some confidential or time-sensitive issues will need to reside within the office of the CEO.
Development of draft communication on behalf of the CEO: communications range from the CEO update at Board meetings, to follow-up correspondence related to the CEOs various meetings, to various speaking engagements involving external audiences.
Proactive identification of issues that could impact the successful execution of the CEOs commitments: this responsibility involves elevating those issues about which the CEO should be aware and framing/positioning ideas to resolve the problem/mitigate the risk.
Person Specification
Knowledge and Experience
* Demonstrable Senior level experience supporting Executive / Board leadership; experience managing complex and confidential information; demonstrable experience leading complex projects
* NHS or public sector demonstrable experience; system level working
Qualifications
* Degree level education or equivalent demonstrable experience in a similar role.
* Postgraduate or professional qualification
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.
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