Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an existing and enthusiastic NELFT senior leader to step into a Deputy Director role for the next 12 months.
The successful applicant will be an experienced Assistant Director who is able to work strategically across Childrens, Adults and community health services as needed.
They will be bringing additional senior leadership capacity to the Senior Leadership Team, supporting the Integrated Care Director. You will be strategically minded, able to lead and manage significant change at pace, engage and involve a range of stakeholders and be able to deputise for the ICD as the face and voice of Redbridge in internal and external discussions.
They will lead the teams and approaches to refocusing our business processes, our transformation and rolling out the digital agenda locally, with support from corporate colleagues. You will need to be a self starter, skilled in navigating complexity, and able to juggle multiple priorities. This is an excellent opportunity to expand your portfolio and progress your career development. You will be stepping into a refreshed Senior leadership team with energy, focus and a great sense of partnership working and peer support.
Main duties of the job
The Deputy Director will lead and support transformation
programs across the Directorate, ensuring services are responsive to evolving needs and aligned with the Trust’s strategic objectives. This includes the development, implementation and evaluation of new service models, policies and pathways that promote innovation, efficiency,
and improved patient outcomes.
•To formally deputise for the Integrated Care/Partnership/Service Director, both externally and internally on all aspects of the directorate.
• To build effective partnerships with ICBs, Local Authorities, Acute Care Trusts, and other Public Sector/Voluntary Sector providers in both your own portfolio and other directorate portfolios (supporting ADs).
• To ensure that communication with partners is effective and enables a cohesive systemwide environment to foster positive patient outcomes from both a health and social care perspective.
• To communicate effectively within NELFT to ensure that Directors and above are appraised of key operational issues.
Working for our organisation
Our Values 2025 - 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have coproduced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.
They are:
We are kind.
We are respectful.
We work together with our communities.
These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).
High Cost Area Supplement – Outer London
This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,714 to a maximum of £5,941 per annum (pro rata for part time).
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1. To formally deputise for the Integrated Care/Partnership/Service Director, both externally.
2. To build effective partnerships with ICBs, Local Authorities, Acute Care Trusts, and other Public Sector/Voluntary Sector providers in both your own portfolio and other directorate portfolios (supporting ADs).
3. To ensure that communication with partners is effective and enables a cohesive systemwide environment to foster positive patient outcomes from both a health and social care perspective
4. To communicate effectively within NELFT to ensure that Directors and above are appraised of key operational issues.
5. To effectively communicate with direct reports and all staff to cascade decisions, operating procedures, policies and learning, to ensure effective and safe services.
6. To communicate escalations promptly, in order to ensure the Trust’s reaction is responsive, considered and with an awareness of the effect on the Trust’s reputation.
7. To set and review objectives, in the context of strategic developments, within the Services.
8. To work in partnership with patients and carers working towards the highest standards.
9. To establish effective means of service co-ordination of services to ensure care is delivered in the least restrictive and disruptive manner possible.
10. To hold budgetary responsibility and accountability relating to all service areas within the remit of the post.
11. To effectively report against targets and provide insights into the performance of the Directorate.
12. To develop effective patient centred decision-making processes.
13. To address the need to enhance the role, status, training, support, and career development of staff.
14. To ensure effective and appropriate leadership and management expertise.
15. To promote ways in which services can project a more positive and socially inclusive view of health and social care.
16. As Deputy Director to engage fully across all areas of business focusing on improving the physical and mental health of al serving populations.
17. To maintain compliance against any Section 75/sub-contract arrangements.
18. To ensure a culture where staff, patients, the public and carers are involved in the decision-making processes of services and in the wider context of NELFT is maintained.
19. To participate in all discussions and decision-making processes that relate to the strategic plans, liaising closely with, and ensuring these augments with those of other areas within the NELFT family.
20. To promote patient and public involvement in all areas of responsibilities.
Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer to this when completing your application.
We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Please apply as soon as possible as some posts close early to limit the number of applications.
Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.
Use of AI
Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.
Person specification
Essential
Essential criteria
21. Experience of working at Senior Managerial level/Assistant Director
Desirable criteria
22. Professional Qualification
23. Ability to build alliances and secure ownership of proposals across organisational boundaries
Required
Essential criteria
24. Track record of significant achievement in directing and managing the delivery and improvement of services within an organisation of comparable size, scale and complexity
Desirable criteria
25. Excellent understanding of commissioning and the impact on providers
Benefits
We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:
26. A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
27. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
28. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
29. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.