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Chief People Officer | The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust

The next Chief People Officer will build on strong foundations and lead the next phase of the people agenda for the Trust. Reporting to the Chief Executive, Dame Cally Palmer CBE, and as a full member of the Executive Team and Trust Board, the CPO will lead the development and delivery of workforce strategy across The Royal Marsden. The role carries responsibility for workforce planning, organisational development, leadership and talent, equality, diversity and inclusion, employee relations, reward, workforce systems and analytics, and education and professional development. The CPO will be a trusted adviser to the Chair, Chief Executive and Board, and a credible, values-led partner to clinical, research and operational leaders at every level of the organisation.

We are seeking an exceptional executive leader with significant board or executive-level experience of successful people leadership in a large, complex organisation. Candidates will bring a demonstrable track record of shaping and delivering workforce strategy in environments of transformation and change, deep experience of building high-performing people functions, and the credibility to operate at the top table of one of the NHS's most respected specialist trusts. Above all, we are looking for a leader who is strategic, intellectually curious and personally values-driven, with a track record of delivering excellence and impact, a genuine commitment to inclusion, and the resilience and judgement to lead through complexity.

This is a rare opportunity to shape the workforce agenda at one of the world's leading cancer centres, at a moment of real consequence for the Trust and the patients it serves.

The Royal Marsden is one of the world's leading specialist cancer centres and the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe. Together with our academic partner, The Institute of Cancer Research, we are the UK's only National Institute for Health and Care Research Biomedical Research Centre dedicated solely to cancer. Rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, we are recognised globally for the impact of our research on patient care and are honoured to count Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales as our Joint Patrons.

The Trust is entering an exciting period of growth. Patient referrals have increased by around 30% over the past five years, our partnership with the ICR continues to strengthen, and major investment is transforming our estate, digital infrastructure and clinical services. The Oak Cancer Centre, our Epic-based Digital Health Record, Connect, and plans to expand our Chelsea site are shaping the future of cancer care. As host of RM Partners West London Cancer Alliance, we also play a leading role in improving cancer services across the region.

At the heart of our success are our 5,500 colleagues. Their expertise, innovation and compassion translate scientific discovery into better outcomes for patients in the UK and around the world. We are committed to providing an inclusive, supportive and modern workplace where everyone feels valued, heard and empowered to deliver exceptional care.

For further information on this role, please see the attached candidate information pack

• Lead the development, delivery and continuous refresh of the Trust's workforce and organisationaldevelopment strategy, anchored in the Five-Year People Plan 2025-2030 and aligned to the Five-YearClinical Strategy and the joint research strategy with the ICR
• Represent The Royal Marsden externally at regional, national and international levels on workforce matters.
• Provide executive leadership of the Trust's equality, diversity and inclusion agenda as it relates to the
• workforce, including the Workforce Race Equality Standard, Workforce Disability Equality Standard and
• gender equality
• Continue to modernise the people function's operating model, systems and processes, with a strong focus
• on user experience for managers and colleagues

This advert closes on Tuesday 11 Aug 2026

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Chief People Officer | The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation TrustCompany: The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Salary: VSM Hours: Full-time Location: Chelsea, SW3 6JJ Job type: Permanent Posting date: 22 Jul 2026 Closing date: 21 Aug 2026 Apply for this jobSummary

The next Chief People Officer will build on strong foundations and lead the next phase of the people agenda for the Trust. Reporting to the Chief Executive, Dame Cally Palmer CBE, and as a full member of the Executive Team and Trust Board, the CPO will lead the development and delivery of workforce strategy across The Royal Marsden. The role carries responsibility for workforce planning, organisational development, leadership and talent, equality, diversity and inclusion, employee relations, reward, workforce systems and analytics, and education and professional development. The CPO will be a trusted adviser to the Chair, Chief Executive and Board, and a credible, values-led partner to clinical, research and operational leaders at every level of the organisation.

We are seeking an exceptional executive leader with significant board or executive-level experience of successful people leadership in a large, complex organisation. Candidates will bring a demonstrable track record of shaping and delivering workforce strategy in environments of transformation and change, deep experience of building high-performing people functions, and the credibility to operate at the top table of one of the NHS's most respected specialist trusts. Above all, we are looking for a leader who is strategic, intellectually curious and personally values-driven, with a track record of delivering excellence and impact, a genuine commitment to inclusion, and the resilience and judgement to lead through complexity.

This is a rare opportunity to shape the workforce agenda at one of the world's leading cancer centres, at a moment of real consequence for the Trust and the patients it serves.

The Royal Marsden is one of the world's leading specialist cancer centres and the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe. Together with our academic partner, The Institute of Cancer Research, we are the UK's only National Institute for Health and Care Research Biomedical Research Centre dedicated solely to cancer. Rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission, we are recognised globally for the impact of our research on patient care and are honoured to count Their Royal Highnesses The Prince and Princess of Wales as our Joint Patrons.

The Trust is entering an exciting period of growth. Patient referrals have increased by around 30% over the past five years, our partnership with the ICR continues to strengthen, and major investment is transforming our estate, digital infrastructure and clinical services. The Oak Cancer Centre, our Epic-based Digital Health Record, Connect, and plans to expand our Chelsea site are shaping the future of cancer care. As host of RM Partners West London Cancer Alliance, we also play a leading role in improving cancer services across the region.

At the heart of our success are our 5,500 colleagues. Their expertise, innovation and compassion translate scientific discovery into better outcomes for patients in the UK and around the world. We are committed to providing an inclusive, supportive and modern workplace where everyone feels valued, heard and empowered to deliver exceptional care.

For further information on this role, please see the attached candidate information pack

• Lead the development, delivery and continuous refresh of the Trust's workforce and organisationaldevelopment strategy, anchored in the Five-Year People Plan 2025-2030 and aligned to the Five-YearClinical Strategy and the joint research strategy with the ICR
• Represent The Royal Marsden externally at regional, national and international levels on workforce matters.
• Provide executive leadership of the Trust's equality, diversity and inclusion agenda as it relates to the
• workforce, including the Workforce Race Equality Standard, Workforce Disability Equality Standard and
• gender equality
• Continue to modernise the people function's operating model, systems and processes, with a strong focus
• on user experience for managers and colleagues

This advert closes on Tuesday 11 Aug 2026

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