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Job summary

Main area
Strategy Team
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8b
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Part time hours considered (30 minimum))
Job ref
193-8351971CORB8bPART
Employer
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Royal Berkshire Hospital
Town
Reading
Salary
£66,582 - £77,368 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
04/11/2026 23:59
Interview date
19/11/2026

Employer heading

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust logo

Head of Place-Based Partnerships

NHS AfC: Band 8b

At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust we put our patients at the heart of every element of health and care that we provide. The Trust works together as a community to deliver its vision which is “Working together to provide outstanding care for our community.”

Royal Berkshire Hospital are pleased to announce that following our CQC inspection we have been rated ‘Good’ with inspectors reporting that we have made significant improvements.  The Trust’s overall rating has also improved to ‘good’.  

We are Compassionate in our thoughts, words and actions

We are Aspirational and have a true desire to be dynamic and to innovate

We are Resourceful and responsible in the way we work and live

We are Excellent in our development, fairness and sharing best practice

At the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, we value candidates who bring their unique personalities, skills, and experiences to the Trust. When completing your application, we encourage you to highlight your individual achievements and strengths, showing us how they align with the requirements outlined in the job description and person specification. While we recognise that some applicants may use AI tools during the process, please be mindful that AI-generated responses can often lack the personal detail and relevance needed to demonstrate your suitability for the role. AI generated content is discouraged by the Trust and may diminish the candidates chances of success.

Amazing things happen at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust; delivered by amazing people so why don’t you come and join us.  We offer a range of learning and development for all employees may you be clinical or non-clinical.  

Please note: all vacancies automatically close when 50 applications have been received.

Job overview

Due to the promotion of our current post-holder, an exciting and rare opportunity has arisen to join the Strategy and Partnerships Team at Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust.

As our Head of Place-Based Partnerships, you will play a pivotal role in driving collaboration across Berkshire West, working with partners across the NHS, local government, voluntary sector and wider community to deliver meaningful improvements for patients, populations and staff.

This is a high-profile leadership role at the heart of system working, offering the opportunity to influence strategic priorities, develop innovative partnerships and help shape the future of integrated health and care services across the region.

If you are looking for a role where you can influence at scale, work with inspiring partners and help shape the future of healthcare across Berkshire West, we would love to hear from you.

Interview date: Thursday 19 November 2026.

 

Main duties of the job

Please see the full Job Description for the main duties of the role. 

The successful candidate will:

  • Lead the Trust's approach to place-based partnership working, driving delivery of our strategic priorities in collaboration with colleagues and partners across Berkshire West.

  • Develop and deliver ambitious cross-organisational programmes that improve population health outcomes, tackle health inequalities and support the delivery of the Trust's Strategy, Strategic Transformation Programmes and Berkshire West Integrated Care Partnership priorities.

  • Build and strengthen influential relationships across organisational boundaries, providing visible leadership and becoming a trusted partner within the wider health and care system.

  • Champion collaboration and innovation, bringing people together around shared goals and translating strategic ambition into tangible outcomes for local communities.

Working for our organisation

Diversity makes us interesting… Inclusion is what will make us outstanding.

Inequality exists and the journey to eliminate it is not easy. Every step we take will be a purposeful step forward to deliver a truly inclusive culture where all our people are enabled to deliver outstanding care, where background is no barrier, and where everyone can be their authentic self and we truly represent our patient community.

We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where possible. All applicants who have a disability and meet the minimum criteria for the post can opt for a guaranteed interview.

We support flexible working wherever possible, with requests considered on an individual basis taking into account service requirements, operational needs and the requirements of the role.

Our primary method of communication will be via email. However, if you would prefer to be contacted through a different method, please inform the recruitment team.

If you need additional help with your application please get in touch by calling the recruitment team on 0118 322 6997 or 0118 322 5342.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the full Job Description  document attached for the main duties of the role.                      

Person specification

Education, qualifications & training

Essential criteria
  • • Educated to degree level or equivalent.
  • • Senior level experience acquired through training to Masters (postgraduate) level or equivalent experience
Desirable criteria
  • • Postgraduate qualification to be in public sector leadership, system transformation, or health management.
  • • Professional Programme/Project Management qualification (e.g., PRINCE2, MSP).

Experience

Essential criteria
  • • Proven experience working across health and care sectors to deliver integrated programmes and place-based solutions and implement policy across whole organisations and across organisational boundaries.
  • • Experience leading transformation programmes or system change in partnership settings.
  • • Experience engaging with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to shape and deliver strategic priorities.
  • • Experience using data and population health insights to drive transformation and reduce inequalities.
  • • Experience of involving service users, residents or communities in design and decision-making.

Skills, knowledge & abilities

Essential criteria
  • • Understanding of Integrated Care Systems (ICS), Place-Based Partnerships (PBP), and relevant national NHS policies.
  • • Excellent interpersonal skills – able to influence, negotiate, and communicate (written and oral) across diverse audiences and stakeholders.
  • • Skilled in stakeholder engagement, co-production, and relationship-building across organisational boundaries.
  • • Respects diversity, values the contributions of others, and demonstrates cultural competence in multi-agency settings.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Apprenticeships logoNo smoking policyCare quality commission - GoodArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Florence Nightingale FoundationNational Preceptorship for Nursing Quality Mark 2024

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Application numbers

This vacancy will automatically close when 50 applications have been received.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Rebecca Cullen
Job title
Associate Director for Strategy and Performance
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
via Email above
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