Managing Director | Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust

Reporting to the newly appointed Group Chief Executive – Matthew Shaw and operating as a key member of the Executive Team, the Managing Director will provide constant and visible leadership across the Epsom site.

Accountability

• Patient safety and clinical quality
• Operational performance, including urgent and emergency care standards
• Financial stewardship and sustainability
• Workforce engagement and culture

Working closely with the Site Chief Operating Officer, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Nursing Officer, you will foster a cohesive, inclusive, and high‑performing leadership team. You will ensure services are well‑governed, resilient and responsive – delivering robust operational grip alongside a culture that enables innovation and continuous improvement. This is a role that requires balance. You will manage immediate operational demands – including performance delivery and service resilience – while driving longer‑term transformation and system integration.

Key Priorities

• Delivering national and local performance standards
• Embedding Group strategy at site level
• Strengthening financial sustainability and productivity
• Advancing integrated care and population health
• Building trusted relationships with primary care, community services, local authorities, and Place‑based partners

You will ensure that ESTH thrives as part of a strong and coherent Group, while retaining its local identity and commitment to its community. Within the Group context, ESTH has a distinctive and vital role. Serving its local community with a strong identity and proud history, the site is central to delivering high‑quality, safe and accessible care closer to home. The Trust has deep roots within its community and strong relationships with partners across Surrey and South West London. A key part of the role will be ensuring that ESTH voice is clearly represented within the Group, while translating Group strategy into meaningful local delivery that improves services for patients and supports staff.

StG, ESTH University Hospitals and Health Group cares for a population of four million people in SW London and North East Surrey. Our sites include St George's Hospital, one of 11 major trauma centres in the UK and the largest healthcare provider and major teaching hospital in the area; St Helier Hospital, home to the SW Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit and Queen Mary's Hospital for Children; and Epsom Hospital, home to the SW London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC). After years of collaboration, our two Trusts became a hospitals group in 2021. While remaining as two separate Trusts, being a hospitals group will help us to collaborate more closely on research, and the development, education, and training of our 17,000‑strong workforce.

At Gesh we are committed to supporting flexible working arrangements. Applicants are encouraged to discuss any flexibility they may need during the recruitment process. We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace that reflects the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and experiences. We recognise that candidates may not meet every criterion; if you believe you can bring the leadership, expertise and values needed for this role, we encourage you to apply. All appointments are subject to the NHS Fit and Proper Persons requirements.

Qualifications and Experience

• Senior leadership experience at board or equivalent level within an NHS Trust or similarly complex organisation
• Proven track record of operational performance delivery
• Experience leading transformation at scale
• Financial and governance credibility
• Strong system partnership skills
• Ability to lead through complexity with clarity and resilience

You will be a collaborator who can comfortably operate in a matrix reporting environment within a Group structure. Above all, you will model the values of the NHS and our Group. You will be a team player, champion inclusion and inspire confidence through authenticity and clear communication. You will understand that operational excellence and compassionate leadership go hand in hand – that strong governance underpins innovation – and that sustainable improvement is achieved through collaboration, learning and continuous improvement.

This is an important moment for our Group and for Epsom & St Helier (ESTH) and we are seeking an exceptional leader to join us as Managing Director. The Group was formed to strengthen the quality, sustainability and resilience of acute hospital and community services for a population of more than 2.5 million people across South West London and Surrey. By bringing together the capabilities, talent and clinical excellence of St George's and Epsom and St Helier, we are shaping a model that delivers better patient outcomes, improved staff experience and long‑term sustainability. Gesh is entering a critical and defining phase of its development. Set against one of the most challenging operating environments the NHS has faced in recent history, the Group has developed an ambitious five‑year plan (2026/27‑2030/31) which seeks to fundamentally reshape how care is delivered, how services are organised and how the organisation achieves long‑term financial and operational sustainability.