Job Title: Deputy Group Chief Governance Officer
Location: Shrewsbury (hybrid 2 days from home)
Job Type: Temporary
Duration of booking:Expected to last 3 months with possible extension
Proposed start date: ASAP
Pay Rates: Up to£532 per day Umbrella or £450 per hour PAYE inclusive of holiday pay
Hours / Working Days: 37.5 hours per week / Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm
Sector: Healthcare
Based: Office / Hospital
Job Summary
The Deputy Group Chief Governance Officer provides strategic leadership across two statutory NHS organisations operating under a joint Group model. Acting as a key deputy to the Group Chief Governance Officer, the post holder leads an integrated governance framework to support decision-making, accountability, risk management, and regulatory compliance while maintaining the individual statutory responsibilities of each organisation.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
Strategic & Corporate Leadership
- Deputise for the Group Chief Governance Officer across both trust organisations and system partnerships.
- Provide expert governance and regulatory advice to the Board, Committees, Executive Directors, and Non-Executive Directors.
- Lead corporate governance frameworks, including standing orders, constitutions, schemes of delegation, and business cycles.
- Coordinate Board effectiveness reviews, Non-Executive Director recruitment, and executive/board development programmes.
Risk Management & Assurance
- Lead the Group’s risk management strategy, maintaining Board Assurance Frameworks (BAFs) and Corporate Risk Registers.
- Oversee systems for identifying, escalating, and mitigating operational and strategic risks across the Trust.
- Ensure high-quality assurance reporting to regulators and governing boards.
Information Governance & Data Protection
- Provide strategic direction for Information Governance (IG), UK GDPR compliance, data protection, and cyber security requirements.
- Act as Deputy Senior Information Risk Owner (DSIRO) and handle delegated SIRO duties.
- Oversee Information Asset Management, records management, and response strategies for significant IG incidents.
Freedom to Speak Up (FTSU) & Culture
- Serve as senior leader/sponsor for FTSU and the broader raising concerns agenda across both acute and community settings.
- Promote a culture of psychological safety, transparency, inclusion, and organisational learning.
- Maintain oversight of thematic reporting and national standard compliance for FTSU.
Transformation, Police Investigation & Operational Oversight
- Provide senior leadership to the Independent Review Team in relation to ongoing confidential police investigations involving the Trust (Operation Lincoln).
- Lead governance workstreams related to Group development, organizational integration, and joint collaborative ventures.
- Manage direct governance teams across acute and community care environments, supporting staff development and culture.
Qualifications
- Chartered Governance Institute Qualifying Programme qualification and/or Master’s level qualification.
- Evidence of continuous professional development.
Knowledge, Experience & Behaviours
- Significant senior leadership experience within governance, risk, corporate affairs, assurance, or a related function within the NHS.
- Demonstrable experience of advising Boards, Committees, Chairs, and Executive Directors on governance, risk, and regulatory matters.
- Experience of developing, implementing, and improving governance and assurance frameworks.
- Experience of leading teams and delivering complex programmes of work through others.
- Experience of working across organisational boundaries and building effective partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.
- Strong understanding of NHS governance, accountability, and regulatory frameworks.
- Knowledge of risk management, Board Assurance Frameworks, and organisational assurance processes.
- Knowledge of information governance, data protection, and information risk management principles.
- Understanding of Freedom to Speak Up principles and the importance of fostering a culture of openness and learning.
- Ability to provide strategic leadership, influence decision-making, and deliver results in a complex and evolving environment.
- Highly developed communication, influencing, and negotiation skills.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex information and provide clear advice and sound recommendations.
- Demonstrates sound judgement, personal credibility, and the highest standards of integrity.
- Resilient, collaborative, and able to lead through ambiguity and change.
Skills & Other Requirements
- Outstanding leadership and people management skills.
- Ability to provide credible strategic advice and constructive challenge to Boards and Executive teams.
- Ability to interpret and communicate highly complex governance, legal, regulatory, and organisational issues.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent report-writing and presentation skills.
- Ability to develop effective relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
- Strong influencing and negotiation skills.
- Ability to exercise sound judgement and discretion when handling highly sensitive matters.
- Ability to lead across organisational boundaries and through matrix arrangements.
- Ability to travel across all Trust sites.
- Participation in on-call arrangements.
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