Executive Director of Corporate and Governance | NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board

Posting date:	22 January 2026
Salary:	Not specified
Additional salary information:	£131,180 - £171,292 per annum
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	22 February 2026
Location:	Warrington, WA1 1QY
Company:	NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	7757288/493-ICB-7729236-A

Summary

The Executive Director of Corporate and Governance is a senior leader within the Integrated Care Board (ICB), providing strategic leadership for all corporate functions and ensuring robust governance, compliance, and organisational resilience. The postholder will drive cultural and organisational transformation, embed inclusive leadership, and deliver measurable improvements in governance, workforce sustainability, and patient engagement. They will also lead digital and data governance within corporate services, ensure financial stewardship, and champion innovation to support the NHS Long Term Plan and Marmot principles.

The postholder will play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering the workforce strategy that underpins the ICB’s strategic commissioning objectives. This includes ensuring that the health and care workforce is equipped, supported, and aligned to meet the evolving needs of the population and the ambitions of integrated care.

Any NHS Cheshire and Merseyside employee who is currently At Risk of Redundancy will receive preference for this vacancy.

Please note: This role will be subject to the Annual Fit and Proper Persons Test in line with NHS requirements.

Key responsibilities

Portfolio responsibilities may vary and adapt over time to respond to the needs and strategic priorities of the ICB/ICS. However, the postholder is expected to fulfil the following key functions:
• Strategic Leadership & Corporate Governance
• Workforce and People Leadership
• Corporate Affairs & Communications
• Patient Experience and Engagement
• Matrix and System Working
• Estates and Sustainability
• Data Protection
• Governance and Delivery Oversight
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside serves a population of over 2.7 million people across nine localities, working with 16 NHS provider organisations, 51 Primary Care Networks, local authorities and voluntary sector partners.

We are proud of Cheshire and Merseyside's record of collaborative working and there are countless examples of brilliant care, but there are also examples of variation in service which only serve to exacerbate health inequalities.

Our vision is for everyone in Cheshire and Merseyside to have a great start in life and get the support they need to stay healthy and live longer.

We will do this by working together, as equal partners, to support seamless, person-centred care and tackle health inequalities by improving the lives of the poorest fastest.





Our values are rooted in the NHS Constitution, and we strive to create a compassionate, collaborative and innovative culture where staff can thrive and make a real difference to local communities.

Key responsibilities

Portfolio responsibilities may vary and adapt over time to respond to the needs and strategic priorities of the ICB/ICS. However, the postholder is expected to fulfil the following key functions:
• Strategic Leadership & Corporate Governance

Support the CEO, Chair, and senior leadership team in developing and implementing the ICB’s vision, values, and strategy

Provide advice on matters of probity, legal compliance, and business conduct.

Act as the ICB's governance lead with oversight of company secretary, ensuring compliance with statutory obligations and best practice.

Ensure assurance in corporate governance systems including Board and Committee effectiveness, risk management and regulatory requirements.

Lead the strategic resource planning and allocation aligned with NHS priorities and local system needs.

Provide Board assurance through robust systems and processes, including regulatory requirements (e.g., CQC Well-Led assessment, annual report).

Act as Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO) and commission legal advice for the ICB.

Support delivery of the ICB/ICS financial plan through the identification and implementation of cost saving initiatives.

Ensure integrity, transparency, and accountability in all ICB activities aligned with Nolan Principles and Model ICB Blueprint.

Provide executive oversight of business support functions including procurement, administration, and corporate business continuity planning.

Drive efficiency and resilience in corporate operations through continuous improvement initiatives.
• Workforce and People Leadership

Foster a compassionate, inclusive, and values-driven culture across the organisation.

Support workforce integration across NHS providers, local government, VCSE and academic partners.

Lead and develop high-performing teams, ensuring clarity of roles, accountability, and professional growth.
• Corporate Affairs & Communications

Oversee internal and external communications, corporate identity, and public affairs ensuring transparency and consistency of messaging.

Lead strategic stakeholder engagement including NHS England, local authorities, MPs, Healthwatch, the wider public and media.

Ensure transparent, two-way communication enabling public voice in ICB priorities and transformation programmes.

Lead on Freedom of Information, information governance, and reputational risk management.

Ensure effective branding, public relations, and crisis communication protocols.

Act as a strategic advisor on corporate affairs, ensuring alignment with public sector values and reputational priorities.
• Patient Experience and Engagement

Ensure robust systems for capturing and responding to patient feedback, complaints, and PALS input.

Embed patient voice, lived experience, and involvement in all ICB decision-making.

Align engagement approaches with statutory duties and integrated care models.
• Matrix and System Working

Promote a culture of system-wide collaboration and shared ownership through matrix working.

Build strong relationships with system leaders, local authority partners, Healthwatch, provider collaboratives and trade unions.

Lead complex transformation initiatives, effectively managing change across the ICB/ICS.

Support alignment of local approaches and workforce priorities into a harmonised corporate model that promotes consistency, equity, and organisational resilience.

Build strong relationships with HRDs, Directors of People, and OD leads across the ICS to deliver a unified workforce offer.

Act as a connector between national NHS bodies and local delivery teams, translating policy into action.
• Estates and Sustainability

Develop and implement an estates strategy aligned to ICB priorities and NHS sustainability goals.

Oversee property management, compliance with health and safety standards, and statutory requirements.

Manage relationships with NHS Property Services and local authorities to support estate rationalisation and optimisation.

Drive delivery of NHS Green Plan objectives through estates management and operational practices.

Lead carbon reduction initiatives and promote sustainable approaches in estate planning and utilisation.
• Data Protection

Ensure compliance with Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR requirements, including privacy impact assessments.

Oversee processes for managing data breaches and reporting obligations.

Act as organisational lead for data protection or ensure appropriate Data Protection Officer function is in place.
• Governance and Delivery Oversight

Ensure transparency and compliance in strategic decision-making and programme delivery.

Ensure transparency, accountability and good governance in all ICB activities, aligned with the Model ICB Blueprint, Nolan Principles and constitutional standards.

Oversee performance, risk and assurance frameworks for integrated delivery models, ensuring compliance and public confidence.

Support delivery of the ICB/ICS financial plan through the identification and implementation of cost saving opportunities.

Ensure transparency, accountability and good governance in all ICB activities, aligned with the Model ICB Blueprint, Nolan Principles and constitutional standards.

Provide assurance on programme delivery, risk management, and performance across health and care partnerships.

Monitor delivery against strategic objectives, ensuring alignment with ICS priorities and regulatory requirements.

Lead reporting and evaluation processes to demonstrate impact, value for money, and continuous improvement.

Provide assurance to the ICB Board on the progress and impact of transformation programmes.

Ensure compliance with statutory duties, national frameworks, and robust risk management.

Key Deliverables Aligned to NHS Priorities

Strategic Priority

Key Deliverables

Culture, Leadership & OD

· Champion compassionate, inclusive, and values-based leadership.

· Lead system-wide organisational development programmes.

· Embed psychological safety, wellbeing, and staff engagement as cultural norms.

· Promote Freedom to Speak Up and EDI initiatives across the ICB.

Driving community and patient engagement in redesign

· Embed lived experience in policy, lead public and stakeholder engagement, and ensure transparent, statutory-aligned communication.

· Deliver measurable improvements in patient feedback systems, complaints handling, and PALS responsiveness.

Ensuring governance, leadership and culture underpin transformation

· Lead governance and Board operations to ensure compliance, transparency, and a values-driven culture

· Provide Board assurance on workforce risks, staffing levels, and safe care standards.

· Ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory workforce requirements.

· Maintain oversight of workforce-related performance metrics across the ICB.

· Ensure compliance with Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR, including privacy impact assessments and breach management.

· Deliver robust corporate business continuity planning and procurement efficiency improvements.

Facilitating system coherence and collaboration

· Drive system-wide collaboration by aligning local models, leading matrix working, and building strategic partnerships to ensure consistency and resilience.

· Work with local authorities, providers, and VCSE to deliver integrated workforce solutions.

· Ensure staff voice and Trade Union partnerships shape strategy.

· Build collaborative workforce models with academic and education partners.

· Lead targeted programmes to reduce health inequalities and report progress against agreed metrics.

Estates & Sustainability

· Develop and implement an estates strategy aligned to ICB priorities and NHS Green Plan objectives.

· Deliver measurable carbon reduction targets and sustainability improvements across estate operations.

· Ensure compliance with health and safety standards and statutory requirements for property management.

Emergency Planning & Resilience Response (EPRR)

· Provide executive assurance for emergency preparedness and resilience, fulfilling Accountable Emergency Officer duties.

The main duties and responsibilities described above are not exhaustive and the post holder can expect to take on other responsibilities or specific tasks as required.

Further, over time it is likely the remit and requirements of the role will evolve, and the post holder will be expected to adjust their working approach and style to accommodate these. As a new post within the organisation, to reflect the above, it is expected that this job description would be reviewed regularly, by agreement.

Key relationships

The post holder will have regular contact with a wide range of staff at all levels within the ICB/S, with senior and other representatives of local stakeholders, as well as with patients and their representatives.

Some of the key direct relationships include:
• Cheshire and Merseyside ICB/S executive teams
• Cheshire and Merseyside ICB leadership teams
• NHSE Regional Teams
• Senior leaders across Cheshire and Merseyside, NHS, local authorities and other third sector organisations, including:

o Local Authority Directors of Adult Social Care and Public Health

o Provider Collaborative and Locality Partnership Leaders

o Trade Union and Staff-Side Representatives

o Healthwatch and VCSE Leadership

o Communication leads across system partners


This advert closes on Thursday 5 Feb 2026