Job summary
East London NHS Foundation Trustis seeking an outstanding and values-driven Executive leader to join us as our new Chief Quality Officer. We want someone who is passionate about continuous quality improvement, meaningful co-production, and reducing health inequalities, and who can provide visible, credible leadership across a diverse organisation
Our trust strategy 2021-26 commits us to improving quality of life for all. This means improving the overall health of the communities we serve, alongside delivering the highest quality care, excellent staff experience, and good value for money. As the first Marmot Trust in the country, we actively look to work "beyond the hospital walls" to make our bit of the world a fairer place to live and work, and to support our populations to thrive. To do so, we are reliant on our organisational treasures - these are quality improvement, people participation, clinical and care professional leadership, our kind and caring staff, and our commitment to inclusivity.
Whilst we are currently working to refresh our trust strategy for the next five years, our mission and our organisational treasures will remain at the heart of everything we do. The Chief Quality Officer will be front and centre in helping us to do so.
Main duties of the job
The Opportunity
The Chief Quality Officer (CQO) role is central to our ability to meet these challenges and deliver on our vision. The portfolio spans a broad range of functions that shape how we design and deliver care and how we use data and insight to improve outcomes.
The role includes:
o Co-leading strategy and planning
o Oversight of quality, safety and performance
o Leadership of data, analytics and intelligence
o Embedding a quality management system (QMS) that reduces unwarranted variation, supports intelligent use of data, applies consistent improvement methodologies and ensures quality is systematically designed into everything we do
This is a role for a leader who can build on strong foundations, sustain momentum, and take quality and improvement to the next level across services, places and systems.
Like the wider NHS, we are operating in a time of significant challenge across the NHS. Rising demand, workforce pressures, financial constraints and persistent health inequalities are reshaping the landscape of health and care. Despite this, ELFT has a strong track record of innovation and delivery, including the development of integrated models of care in partnership with local authorities, voluntary sector organisations and system partners. We are well positioned to build on this success, improve population health outcomes and continue to play a leading role within our Integrated Care Systems.
About us
ELFT provides a wide range of community and inpatient services for children, young people, adults of working age, older adults and forensic services across two Integrated Care Systems and six-placed based systems, serving diverse populations across the City of London andthe London Boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Luton, Bedford and Central Bedfordshire. For some specialised services we commission and provide across north central and east London and beyond.
We are proud to be a high- performing, clinically led and service user driven Trust with a strong culture of continuous improvement and a deep commitment to delivering high quality, equitable care. As the first NHS Marmot Trust, we are proud to act as an anchor institution - tackling the wider determinants of health and championing inclusion across Bedfordshire, Luton and East London.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Join Us
This is an opportunity to join a Trust that is passionate about making a real difference. If you share our values and are ready to lead with compassion, hope, honour and humility, we would love to hear from you.
For more information about this outstanding opportunity, please email us at peter.mason@odgers.com
We warmly welcome applications from members of our vibrant and diverse communities who bring an understanding of some of the challenges faced by our local populations, and who are committed to developing a truly inclusive culture. This is an exciting time to be part of our journey.
For detailed role profile please see the attached Job description and Person spec & the Candidate Pack
Advert closing date - 31st January 2026
Interviews week commencing - 23rdFebruary 2026
Job description
Job responsibilities
Join Us
This is an opportunity to join a Trust that is passionate about making a real difference. If you share our values and are ready to lead with compassion, hope, honour and humility, we would love to hear from you.
For more information about this outstanding opportunity, please email us at peter.mason@odgers.com
We warmly welcome applications from members of our vibrant and diverse communities who bring an understanding of some of the challenges faced by our local populations, and who are committed to developing a truly inclusive culture. This is an exciting time to be part of our journey.
For detailed role profile please see the attached Job description and Person spec & the Candidate Pack
Advert closing date - 31st January 2026
Interviews week commencing - 23rdFebruary 2026
Person Specification
Clinical or operational experience
Essential
- Experience in a senior clinical / care professional or operational role within healthcare, and ideally in an NHS Trust
Desirable
- Research position / affiliation
Academic achievement
Essential
Desirable
- Masters degree or further academic qualifications in a related field
- Published research or quality work, of national or international significance; experience in peer-review process
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- Expertise in quality improvement techniques and their application in varied clinical settings, aligned to ELFT's method and approach (model for improvement)
- Improvement advisor, certified through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement
- Experience of improving organisational performance through implementing a systematic approach to quality improvement
- Experience of design and delivery of large-scale quality improvement programmes, that have achieved demonstrable results in large, complex organisations/systems
- Extensive experience of teaching, designing educational and learning programmes, and coaching
- Experience in working with executive teams and Boards
- Knowledge of the NHS performance frameworks and approach. Experience of applying improvement methods to performance topics
- Knowledge of the NHS performance frameworks and approach. Experience of applying improvement methods to performance topics
Management knowledge and experience
Essential
- Experience of senior management in a clinical organisation
- Budget management
Person Specification
Clinical or operational experience
Essential
- Experience in a senior clinical / care professional or operational role within healthcare, and ideally in an NHS Trust
Desirable
- Research position / affiliation
Academic achievement
Essential
Desirable
- Masters degree or further academic qualifications in a related field
- Published research or quality work, of national or international significance; experience in peer-review process
Knowledge and experience
Essential
- Expertise in quality improvement techniques and their application in varied clinical settings, aligned to ELFT's method and approach (model for improvement)
- Improvement advisor, certified through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement
- Experience of improving organisational performance through implementing a systematic approach to quality improvement
- Experience of design and delivery of large-scale quality improvement programmes, that have achieved demonstrable results in large, complex organisations/systems
- Extensive experience of teaching, designing educational and learning programmes, and coaching
- Experience in working with executive teams and Boards
- Knowledge of the NHS performance frameworks and approach. Experience of applying improvement methods to performance topics
- Knowledge of the NHS performance frameworks and approach. Experience of applying improvement methods to performance topics
Management knowledge and experience
Essential
- Experience of senior management in a clinical organisation
- Budget management
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
