Chief Executive Officer in Bedford

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is entering a new phase. Located in one of the UK's most dynamic regions, we serve a growing and diverse population across Bedfordshire and Luton. As a high‑performing, self‑standing Trust with a strong culture and ambitious plans, we are seeking an exceptional Chief Executive to lead us forward. You will join a Trust with solid foundations. Since the 2020 merger, we have aligned clinical and management practices across both hospitals and invested in culture, infrastructure, digital development and service improvement. Our THRIVE values guide everything we do, and we expect leaders to model them every day.

We seek a visible, values‑driven leader with strategic clarity and the ability to unite people behind shared goals. You will champion high‑quality patient care, drive improvement, ensure services are safe and sustainable, and support innovation and staff development. Working within a complex and evolving system, you will shape local health and care and help improve outcomes for communities. You will collaborate with the Central East integrated care system, the ICB, local authorities, partners and the voluntary sector. If you are a senior leader with a strong healthcare track record and a commitment to inclusive, values‑led leadership, we welcome your application.

Main duties of the job:

• The Chief Executive will provide visible, values‑led leadership to Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, acting as a proactive and accessible system leader locally, regionally and nationally.
• They will direct the Trust, deliver Board‑agreed strategic objectives and shape wider health and care priorities across Bedfordshire.
• They will hold overall responsibility for Trust management and performance, ensuring statutory duties are met, delivering clinical and non‑clinical targets, driving improvement and providing safe, high‑quality services within available resources.
• The Chief Executive will lead external relationships, building strong partnerships with the Central East ICB, three place sub‑systems, Bedfordshire and Luton councils, neighbouring providers, primary care, the voluntary sector, service users and communities.

About us:

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics‑led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high‑performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high‑quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology.

Our Values:

We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience – we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trust’s core values. We achieve this by using values‑based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.

Job responsibilities:

• Providing leadership and setting the trust’s culture.
• Creating a vision and formulating strategies and delivery plans.
• Championing and delivering quality standards, quality improvement and effective patient care.
• Establishing a high performing and well‑led organisation.

Person Specification:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent.
• Evidence of relevant continuous professional development.
• Demonstrable track record of leadership and the proven ability to lead transformational change in a large and complex health or social care organisation.
• Significant experience of successfully leading an organisation operating in a highly regulated environment.
• Experience of building, developing and leading a high performing senior leadership team.