South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust
Head of Occupational Health
Closing date is 07 April 2026
Head of Occupational Health and Wellbeing Services
We are seeking a dynamic, values-led Head of Occupational Health and wellbeing services(OH&WB) to lead our multi-Trust regional OH&WB service across SouthWest Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
You will provide overall operational leadership (with a deputy as clinical lead) to deliver safe, effective, high-quality and financially sustainable OH&WB service at scale. This senior role blends strategic service planning, operational delivery, governance and assurance, commercial leadership (SLAs/contracts) and multi-disciplinary team leadership to ensure a seamless, end‐to‐end service for our workforce and external customers.
The role will form part of the People directorate leadership team (PDLT) and will work closely with HR and OD colleagues to ensure that we support our staff.
At the time of advertising, this role does meet the minimum requirements set by UK Visas and Immigration to sponsor candidates to work in the UK. We look forward to receiving your application.
All employees of the Trust are strongly encouraged to have their up-to-date flu vaccination to protect staff and patients.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will lead and develop high quality, safe and financially sustainable services. The role will provide strategic and operational leadership, oversee governance, performance and commercial standards and contracts, and ensure compliance with national standards.
You should have experience in leading and managing occupational services.
We are also recruiting for a Deputy Head of Occupational Health (clinical lead) to support.
For an informal discussion about the role please contact Christine Brereton, Interim Chief People Officer.
Closing date for the role is Tuesday 7th April 2026.
Interviews for the role will take place week commencing 13th April to be confirmed.
About us
We are a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental health and learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and are the lead for the West Yorkshire secure provider collaborative.
Our mission is to help people reach their potential and live well in their communities; we do this by providing high-quality care in the right place at the right time. We employ staff in both clinical and non-clinical services who work hard to make a difference to the lives of service users, families and carers.
We encourage and welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, we value diversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities.
Being a foundation Trust means we're accountable to our members, who can have a say in how we run. Around 14,300 local people (including staff) are members of our Trust.
Join us and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improving the mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet and help each year.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expect all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment.
We reserve the right to close the vacancy before the advertised closing date if necessary, so please apply as soon as possible.
Job responsibilities
JOB SUMMARY
The post holder will oversee the delivery of Occupational Health and Wellbeing (OH&WB) services across West Yorkshire Mental Health and Learning Disability Trusts and other extensive external contracts. The post-holder will be responsible for the overall operational and clinical (supported by the deputy who will be the clinical lead) leadership of the Occupational Health & Wellbeing Service (OHB Service) across Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) and South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SWYPFT), FT Bradford District Care NHS and other external contracts.
This will include strategic service planning, policy development and ensuring highly complex decision making for the running of the service. The post-holder will ensure robust governance and delivery of a high quality, safe and effective OH&WB Service in accordance with the agreed service strategy across all localities; including significant external contracts.
The postholder will oversee the delivery of the contracts both internally and externally against agreed service level agreements and within defined budgets. The postholder, with support from a clinical deputy, will ensure oversight and leadership of the occupational health function.
The postholder will:
* Lead and develop safe, effective, high quality OH&WB Services within agreed resources and achieve agreed performance standards and service level agreements across West Yorkshire.
* Build and retain an innovative, dynamic, high performing team supporting the delivery of an excellent evidence based service to continually improve the service offer.
* Be responsible for the overall operational framework and internal operational policies to ensure a seamless end‐to‐end process of all service elements with no duplication.
* To undertake active participation in the extended Executive Management Team.
* To be a member of the People Directorate leadership team to advocate and support OH services ensuring that it forms part of the People Directorate and offers joined up services internally.
* Work in an autonomous manner as required and interpret professional guidelines, Service and Trust policies and exercise full responsibility for the professional governance of OH&WB provision.
* Working with the CPO, DCPO and ADELOD, the post-holder will ensure that annual plans for OH&WB are identified taking into account any identified cost improvements.
* Overall leadership for the management of the team, supported by a deputy clinical lead, ensure the management of a large multi-disciplinary team including: Occupational Health Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Specialist Physiotherapists, Musculoskeletal Specialist Advisors, Health and Wellbeing Practitioners, Staff Counsellors and Administrators. The Post-holder will have line management responsibility for the contracted Occupational Health Physician.
* Supporting the deputy and clinical team for ensuring triaging Occupational Health referrals to the appropriate MDT clinicians, workflow management to ensure minimal waiting times for all Occupational Health service elements and workforce planning within the OH&WB service.
* Actively engage, coordinate with research and development activities as required relating to the wide range of Occupational Health Service provision in order to ensure the service is a regional centre of excellence.
* To advise the Chief People Officer and wider executive team of any highly confidential and complex health and wellbeing matters relating to senior personnel as appropriate.
For full details of the role please see the supporting documents attached.
We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms. We strongly discourage this and will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form.
Person Specification Qualifications
* Masters level qualification or can demonstrate equivalent level of knowledge and competency achieved through experiential learning/experience.
* Relevant management qualification or can demonstrate equivalent level of knowledge and competency acquired through experience and training.
* Registration with NMC.
Physical Attributes
* Ability to undertake the duties and demands of the post. A satisfactory sickness record over the previous 2 years (subject to the need to act with fairness and equality of opportunity, particularly where the sickness is related to a disability and/or pregnancy).
Training
* Evidence of continual personal and professional development relevant to the post / speciality.
Experience
* Evidence of extensive successful senior management experience working at a strategic level.
* Evidence of successfully managing a team focussed on delivering service level agreements with performance driven outcomes.
* Experience of managing a health and wellbeing function and/or occupational health.
* Evidence of extensive and successful internal / external partnership working and networking.
* Extensive experience of managing and resolving conflicts involving a wide range of stakeholders.
* Strong performance management experience of teams and individuals.
* Leading strategy and service development / implementation.
* Governance and risk arrangements and dealing with complex complaints.
* Substantial and successful financial and resource management to achieve budget and resource targets.
* Proven track record of successfully delivering significant change within complex clinical environments.
* Substantial and successful record of delivering challenging objectives and achieving targets and delivering performance improvements.
* Evidence of managing a clinical area/clinical experience.
* Commercial experience.
Special Knowledge/Skills
* Knowledge and experience of a wide range of management disciplines, including finance, people management, commissioning, risk management, performance management, service improvement, clinical governance, change management and project management.
* Demonstrate extensive, highly skilled, detailed and expertise knowledge of Occupational Health and/or health and wellbeing speciality.
* Ability to make judgements and decisions leading to resolution through effective negotiation / problem solving.
* Strong analytical skills, literacy, numeracy and IT skills with the ability to produce a range of documents / presentations for a wide variety of audiences.
* Experienced in developing information systems and processes to measure success of the service provision and ensuring the service is fit for purpose.
* Personal resilience and ability to prioritise work in a complex and demanding environment and meet challenging deadlines through effective time / workload management.
* Sound working knowledge and understanding of developing and presenting effective business cases.
* Sound working knowledge of national strategies and initiatives, evidence based practice.
* Evidence of credibility with nursing, medical and AHP staff and able to work in the OH speciality within scope of practice.
* Track record of effective leadership skills and the ability to drive and motivate teams in a high pressured environment.
* Act as a role model, catalyst for change, standard setter, coach and motivator with a clear strategic vision.
* Political astuteness.
* Ability to plan strategically and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly.
* Ability to work in a complex system.
* Ability to manage high levels of ambiguity and complex issues.
Personal Attributes
* Strong, inclusive leadership style.
* Ability to work under significant pressure and to demanding timescales.
* Commitment to team working with the ability to take personal responsibility for difficult highly complex decision making.
* Excellent communication and influencing skills and requiring a high level of sensitivity and diplomacy.
* Ability to influence and negotiate.
* Excellent inclusive leadership skills.
* Ability to meet deadlines.
* Strong personal presence.
* Able to demonstrate values-based leadership.
* High levels of resilience and ability to manage multiple highly complex demands of a senior role.
* Highly professional role model.
* Ability to make highly autonomous decisions for highly complex issues.
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.
South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust
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