Head of Governance & Committee Effectiveness

Role overview

This position is a senior governance role focused on strengthening how the Trust Board’s sub-committees are run and supported. The post-holder will build and sustain a central, high-quality service for committee administration and assurance, working with the Director of Corporate Governance, executive and non-executive committee leads, and other internal stakeholders.

The role acts as the operational centre of the governance function, helping shift committee support from a reactive approach to a more structured and resilient model. It will support the move toward a single governance hub for all Board sub-committees, with a strong emphasis on assurance, effective information flow to the Board, and long-term embedding of improvements required under the 2026 Care Quality Commission (CQC) Well-led Action Plan.

What the role will do

You will take ownership of the full lifecycle of Board sub-committees, including scheduling, coordination, and alignment with strategic priorities. The goal is to ensure each committee operates as an assurance-focused body rather than simply a reporting channel for operational updates.

A major early priority is to deliver the governance actions required by the regulator’s Well-led recovery plan and to make sure these changes are sustained so the organisation remains continuously ready for inspection. The role will also improve how corporate data is gathered and triangulated for reporting, strengthen action tracking so institutional knowledge is retained, and provide wider support to the Director of Corporate Governance as their responsibilities grow and legislation changes affect accountability expectations.

Working style and environment

The successful candidate will join a small but high-performing Corporate Governance team that plays a central role in supporting the organisation. Although the team is lean, it is described as highly committed and consistently effective in delivering for both internal and external stakeholders.

Candidate profile

This role calls for an experienced governance specialist who has supported or advised Board-level committees in complex public-sector or healthcare settings. In addition to technical ability in building and maintaining tracking and assurance systems, the role requires strong emotional intelligence, diplomacy, and the confidence to influence others. You should also be able to introduce standard reporting timelines across different directorates and work effectively with a wide range of senior stakeholders.

Contact for informal enquiries

For an informal discussion, contact George Chalkias, Director of Corporate Governance, at George.Chalkias@slam.nhs.uk or 07710058820.