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Job summary

Main area
Executive Director
Grade
VSM - Chief Quality Officer
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
363-CP7186284
Employer
East London NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Robert Dolan House
Town
London
Salary
per annum inc HCA
Closing
13/10/2025 23:59

Employer heading

East London NHS Foundation Trust logo

Chief Quality Officer

VSM - Chief Quality Officer

ELFT has long been recognised as a centre of excellence for mental and health care, innovation and improvement. So it is a very exciting time for you to come and work for us. Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Job overview

CQO Job Advert (September 2025)

ELFT is a vibrant, values-led community united by a deep commitment to delivering high-quality, equitable care for all. 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, East London and Luton.

We are seeking a Chief Quality Officer who will be at the heart of our mission and who is passionate about continuous quality improvement and driven to make a difference for our diverse communities. You will be a credible and strategic leader grounded in clinical or care experience ideally within mental health, learning disability or community settings. You will bring a deep understanding of what quality means for people who use our services and for staff, alongside the strategic insight to drive improvement at scale. We are looking for a Chief Quality Officer who brings professional credibility through clinical or care experience ideally gained in mental health, learning disability or community settings. You will combine a deep understanding of quality from the perspective of people who use services and staff, with the strategic insight to shape improvement at scale. With curiosity, compassion and a forward-looking approach, you will inspire and connect colleagues, partners and communities working together to continually improve experiences, outcomes and equity of care.

Main duties of the job

About the Role

As CQO, you will:

  • Lead our quality agenda embedding planning, assurance, control and improvement across all services
  • Shape the future of care delivery driving innovation, improvement and person-centred care
  • Be a voting member of the Trust Board and executive team sharing accountability for performance, financial sustainability and the delivery of our strategic vision
  • Champion our values modelling kindness, inclusion and mutual respect at every level
  • Inspire and engage building capability and capacity for improvement across the Trust and with our partners
  • Drive transformation working with system partners to redesign care pathways, improve access and deliver better outcomes in line with the NHS 10 Year Plan.

Working for our organisation

Why ELFT?

  • Clinically led, service user driven and managerial supported: Our culture is shaped by clinicians, service users and carers working together to drive continuous improvement
  • Bold in the face of challenge: We are navigating a time of significant change - rising demand, workforce pressures, financial constraints and persistent health inequalities. We see these not as barriers but as opportunities to innovate and transform
  • A place to grow and belong: We invest in our people, prioritising health, wellbeing and development. We want you to thrive, lead and inspire.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

What We’re Looking For

  • Clinical or care professional credibility - ideally from a mental health, learning disability, community or background
  • Strategic insight - a forward-thinking approach to continuous quality improvement and performance
  • Proven leadership - experience of leading large-scale improvement programmes and influencing at Board level
  • Expertise in quality management - including quality planning, assurance and improvement with a strong grasp of data and analytics
  • Commitment to equity and inclusion - bringing lived experience and insight into the challenges our populations face
  • Excellent interpersonal skills - the ability to inspire, engage and build trusted relationships across the system.

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 purpose, compassion and ambition, we would love to hear from you.

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Lorraine Sunduza, Chief Executive by emailing [email protected] or Dr Amar Shah, Chief Quality Officer by emailing [email protected] 

 

 

Person specification

Clinical or operational experience

Essential criteria
  • Experience in a senior clinical / care professional or operational role within healthcare, and ideally in an NHS Trust
Desirable criteria
  • Research position / affiliation

Academic achievement

Essential criteria
  • Degree Level Education
Desirable criteria
  • 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 criteria
  • 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 criteria
  • Experience of senior management in a clinical organisation
  • Budget management

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Capital Nurse, LondonCommitted to being an Inclusive EmployerApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveHSJ Best places to workArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)Mindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerCare quality commission - OutstandingStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

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.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Lorraine Sunduza
Job title
CEO
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
02076554042
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