Job summary
Working Full time: 37.5 hours per week
The post holder will support and facilitate a range of staff experience and engagement activities, with a focus on Staff Engagement as a key element of the COCH People Strategy. This role will have whole organisational impact and application, and whilst the focus is on our own staff it will also require engagement with external stakeholders and forums to understand best practice in engagement and to support system change.
The postholder will be influential in ensuring COCH culture and behaviours reflect the national priorities of both the NHS People Plan, and the NHS People Promise and will understand the impact of these imperatives on patient care. As the postholder you will actively support the Trusts commitment to building a workforce which is valued who diversity reflects the communities that we serve.
Working closely with the Head of Staff Experience & OD, OD Manager and providing cross cover to the Staff Experience & OD Facilitator (Inclusion) the post holder will support the improvement of the employee experience throughout the employee lifecycle and make COCH a great place to work. The role will involve both on site and remote working and a key part of your role will be to engage with colleagues through regular drop in sessions, roadshows and listening events as appropriate
Main duties of the job
As a member of the Staff Experience and OD team, you will promote a culture of organisational development and learning across the Trust by providing expert advice and support for improvement projects, ensuring alignment with national and local best practice, regulations, and Trust objectives.
You will play a vital role in delivering the COCH People Strategy, fostering a compassionate and inclusive workplace where staff feel valued, supported, and engaged, directly enhancing employee and patient experiences.
Key responsibilities include managing the annual NHS Staff Survey and quarterly People Pulse survey processes, from communications to distribution and result analysis.
You will facilitate staff engagement activities and networking, coordinate engagement-related development programmes, and work with external providers as needed.
Additionally, you will produce monthly data reports using ESR and Trust data, support leadership with engagement data for collaborative initiatives, and champion tools and methodologies that build an inclusive, continuously improving culture throughout the Trust.
About us
The Trust's services are provided from three locations: o The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 473 general and acute beds. o Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 60 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility. o Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population. The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust employs 5,964 staff (headcount) to provide care and treatment to a population of over 400,000 people living in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System. Due to its location on the border with North Wales, the Trust also works closely with the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust treats patients from England and some parts of Wales. During 2024/2025, there were approximately 643,000 patient attendances (inpatient, A&E, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery
Job description
Job responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?
Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.
The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.
If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies which is payable to the DBS Service.Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costswill be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.
The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application.
Job description
Job responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. An applicant guide to help and support you through your recruitment journey can be accessed at the bottom of this page.
If you have a disability that meets the definition set out in the Equality Act 2010, and you can show that you meet the essential criteria described in the person specification for an available position, please answer YES to the question: Do you wish to be considered under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme?
Please inform the team if you have any special support needs to be considered as part of the interview and selection processes.
The trust offers a Guaranteed Interview Scheme to any armed forces community applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.
If a DBS is required for your role, you are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee applies which is payable to the DBS Service.Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costswill be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants requiring sponsorship may wish to determine the likelihood of obtaining sponsorship for this position by assessing themselves against the criteria on the gov.uk website - https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.
The Trust will not sponsor where the starting salary does not meet immigration rules
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level, or equivalent experience in a people professional or engagement related role
Desirable
- OD Qualification
- Knowledge of current professional Organisational Development / Staff Experience topics
- Training Qualification - PTTLS/PGCE
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge and experience of delivering staff engagement activity and projects with proven outcomes.
- Experience of excellent and effective communication with staff at all levels; engaging and listening to views.
- Demonstrable understanding of an inclusive culture in a complex organisation
- Established knowledge and experiences of best practice in employee engagement activity
- Experience and knowledge of interpreting national policies and procedures.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level, or equivalent experience in a people professional or engagement related role
Desirable
- OD Qualification
- Knowledge of current professional Organisational Development / Staff Experience topics
- Training Qualification - PTTLS/PGCE
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge and experience of delivering staff engagement activity and projects with proven outcomes.
- Experience of excellent and effective communication with staff at all levels; engaging and listening to views.
- Demonstrable understanding of an inclusive culture in a complex organisation
- Established knowledge and experiences of best practice in employee engagement activity
- Experience and knowledge of interpreting national policies and procedures.
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
