Associate Director People & Organisational Development - Band 8d (AFC)

Posting date:	19 February 2026
Salary:	£91,342.00 to £105,337.00 per year
Additional salary information:	£91342.00 - £105337.00 a year
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	01 March 2026
Location:	Chelmsford, CM1 1QH
Company:	NHS Jobs
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	D9708-MSE479

Summary

ROLE PURPOSE / SUMMARY The Greater Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) will be a new organisation formed through the consolidation of three ICB areas in response to the NHSs ambition to deliver a more streamlined, strategic and cost-effective model of health commissioning. The ICB will oversee the commissioning of care for the approximately 2 million people who live in Greater Essex, including Essex, Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea. Operating within a reduced running cost envelope and aligned to the new requirements of ICBs in England, the Greater Essex ICB will focus on improving population health outcomes, health equity and smarter resource allocation. This post will be part of the Corporate Services Directorate. By working together across team boundaries, streamlining processes, adopting new approaches and embracing new technology the directorate will deliver the highest quality corporate services for the ICB, creating the conditions for its success. This role will lead the People and Organisational Development team for the Essex ICB, ensuring that the term effectively achieves its objectives and delivers its responsibilities. The Associate Director People and OD will provide strategic leadership for all aspects of workforce planning, organisational development, and employee engagement. This role ensures the organisation has the capability, culture, and capacity to deliver its strategic objectives while fostering an inclusive and high-performing environment. The postholder will lead the development and implementation of the People Strategy, aligning workforce priorities with organisational goals. They will act as a key advisor to the Executive Team on matters relating to talent management, organisational design, and cultural transformation, ensuring that people initiatives support long-term sustainability. A core responsibility is to design and deliver organisational development interventions that enhance leadership capability, improve team effectiveness, and embed a culture of continuous improvement. This includes leading change management programmes and supporting system-wide transformation initiatives. The role will oversee strategic workforce planning, ensuring the organisation has the right skills in the right place at the right time. The postholder will use workforce analytics to informdecision-making, identify trends, and develop evidence-based solutions to workforcechallenges. The Associate Director People and OD will champion initiatives that promote employeeengagement, wellbeing, and inclusion. They will lead staff surveys, develop engagementstrategies, and ensure that feedback informs organisational priorities, creating a positive andsupportive working environment. The postholder will ensure all HR and OD policies comply with legislation and reflect bestpractice. They will provide expert advice on complex employee relations issues, maintainconstructive relationships with trade unions, and uphold high standards of governance andaccountability. The role will drive leadership development programmes and succession planning strategies tobuild a diverse pipeline of future leaders. This includes implementing performancemanagement frameworks and supporting managers to lead effectively in a changingenvironment. Finally, the Associate Director People and OD will represent the organisation at regional andnational workforce forums, influencing policy and sharing best practice. They will workcollaboratively with partners across the health and care system to deliver integrated workforcesolutions that improve population health outcome. As the ICB transitions to become a leaner, more focused strategic commissioningorganisation the post holder will be expected to support the Executive Director of CorporateServices in delivering on the three fundamental shifts set out in the NHS 10-year plan: From Treatment to Prevention: Embedding preventative, personalised and population based approaches to commissioning. From Hospital to Community: Championing care model redesign that supports community and neighbourhood health. From Analogue to Digital: Enabling clinically driven transformation through digital innovation, data analytics and evidence based improvement. KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES To deliver on the job description set out above, the job holder will be expected to deliver on therequirements set out below: Policy and service development Develop and implement policy and / or service developments related to Human Resources and Organisational Development. Taking high-level policy commitments from NHS strategies, including the ICB strategy and the 10 Year Health Plan, and turning them into programmes that will deliver improved outcomes and sustainable services for the local population Development and oversight of relevant ICB policies Use research and innovation to inform service improvements or performance management Strategy and analysis Use of complex health data sets, including those relating to performance across activity, finance and quality to inform decision making Turning analysis into useful insights that can inform decision making Present highly complex data, information and insights, including qualitative and quantitative data, through clear and simple written and verbal briefings Use of Population Health Management methodologies and tools to inform projects and programmes that will improve outcomes for patients and sustainability of health services Planning and organisation Develop project and / or programme plans to drive delivery of complex programmes relating to People, Employee Relations or Organisational Development. Manage delivery against agreed project / programme plan, ensuring appropriate governance, risk management, escalations and reporting Develop and oversee annual business plan for People & OD team Communications and Partnerships Work collaboratively, modelling inclusive, respectful and compassionate leadership Listen effectively to a broad range of perspectives, including staff, patients and the public, to inform decision making Manage complex and contentious situations with stakeholders Build strong, trust-based relationships across the ICB, with NHS providers, local government, VCFSE partners and communities as needed Effective engagement with patients and the public as required Work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams to enable the collective ownership and delivery of complex programmes that are seeking to improve outcomes, reduce inequalities and deliver a sustainable health and care system Sharing complex and challenging information which may relate to service performance or staffing Manage conflict, find compromise and build consensus where needed to drive progress in delivery Financial and resource management Responsible for management of budget for the Governance and Risk Team including budget setting and accountability for delivering against agreed budget Ensures effective commissioning of relevant services Team management and capability building Develop and lead the Governance and Risk team of 8 people, including overseeing recruitment, onboarding, development and performance management of team members Support staff through ICB transition, including the development of teams to deliver on new ICB portfolios as agreed through transition Support the effective transition of relevant functions to new portfolios within or beyond the ICB to support the new NHS operating model, in line with the requirements of the Model ICB Blueprint Work collaboratively with system partners to facilitate transitional arrangements Maintain a focus on quality, safety and affordability during transition Act as Information Asset Owner (IAO) where nominated to do so by the Executive or senior leadership team, taking responsibility for the management of information assets created and utilised by the team Other Use initiative and work autonomously to deliver on requirements of the role Primarily desk-based work that requires use of visual display units, focused concentration and frequent participation in on-line or in person meetings Able to use software required to develop report, including ability to deliver high quality documents through Microsoft suite (word, power point, excel). Flexibility and evolving responsibilities As the ICB continues to evolve, all senior leader portfolios may be subject to change to reflectthe needs of the organization, the health and care system and national policy direction. Thismay include adjustments to areas of responsibility or realignment of reporting structures. KEY RELATIONSHIPS The post holder will need to build constructive relationships with partners from across the healthand care system. Key relationships will be with: ICB senior leadership SIRO NHS Providers NHSEI regional partners NHSEI national teams