Chief Medical Officer
Job Description
Job summary
The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is a member of the Trust Board and Executive Team and plays a pivotal role in the collective leadership of Sheffield Children's NHSFoundation Trust.
Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, the CMO provides strategic clinical leadership to ensure the delivery of safe, kind and outstanding care for every child,young person and family. The postholder will champion the Trust's purpose ofcreating a healthier future for children and young people and lead the medicalcontribution to the delivery of the Caring Together 2030 Strategy.
As the Trust's senior medical leader, the CMO will provide visible leadership acrossthe Trust, aligned with our values of compassion, accountability, respect andexcellence. Working in close partnership with the Chief Nurse and Executivecolleagues, the postholder will lead the Trust's quality, safety and clinicalgovernance agenda while ensuring clinical excellence remains at the heart of allstrategic and operational decisions.
Main duties of the job
In line with the Caring Together 2030 Strategy, the CMO will be instrumental in delivering the Trust's ambitions to reimagine services, tackle health inequalities, expand digitally enabled models of care, strengthen research and innovation, and develop Sheffield Children's as a national and international leader in children's health.
The postholder will act as the Trust's Responsible Officer for medical revalidationand as Caldicott Guardian, ensuring the highest standards of professional practice,information governance and clinical accountability.
The CMO will provide professional leadership for the medical workforce, psychologists and healthcare scientists creating an inclusive and empoweringenvironment where colleagues can thrive, develop and contribute fully to improvingoutcomes for children and young people.
About us
Sheffield Children's is an NHS Trust dedicated to integrated healthcare for children and young people providing both physical and mental health care. We call it integrated care, but it simply means all the support a child needs is connected, with our hospital and community teams working as one.
Our whole-child approach means we support children not just in a moment of need, but throughout their entire health and care journey, be that in hospital, school or at home, with kindness, expertise, and unwavering commitment.
Over the past 150 years, we have continued to improve children's health locally, nationally and around the world. We do this through outstanding clinical care, ground-breaking research and a steadfast commitment to addressing health inequalities.
In 2026, we launched our five year plan, Caring Together 2030, which sets out how we will continue to make a meaningful difference to children's health. It focuses on the three shifts in the 10 year plan and our drive to strengthening inclusion, supporting our colleagues and driving innovation.
As a marker of our ambition for the future, this year we will open a new building called The Spark, which will be home to the National Centre for Child Health Technology. This exciting development will bring world-first innovation, research and training to Sheffield, helping us improve care for children and strengthen our role as a leader in child health.
Job responsibilities
In order to apply, please submit a comprehensive CV along with a covering letter which sets out your interest in the role and encapsulates the aspects of your experience relevant to the required criteria. Please include current salary details and the names and addresses of threereferees.
Referees will not be approached until the final stages and not without prior permission fromcandidates.
If you are unable to apply online, please email: [email protected]
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Medical Practitioner with current GMC registration and licence to practise
- Inclusion on the GMC Specialist Register
- Higher professional qualification relevant to specialty practice
- Evidence of significant continuing professional development
- Formal leadership and management development at senior level
Experience
Essential
- Substantial experience as a Consultant clinician with a strong record of clinical excellence
- Experience within children's healthcare, specialist services or integrated provider organisations
- Significant executive or senior clinical leadership experience operating at Board level or equivalent within a complex healthcare organisation
- Experience of leading quality improvement, patient safety and clinical governance programmes
- Experience of leading large-scale service transformation and organisational change
- Experience of working across organisational boundaries and developing effective partnerships
- Experience of leading through influence and engaging clinicians in improvement and change
- Experience of workforce leadership, talent development and succession planning
- Experience of managing complex professional, operational and organisational challenge
- Experience of delivering improvement within financially constrained environments
Desirable
- Experience of working within research-intensive organisations
- Experience of leading digital transformation programmes
- Experience of working with universities, academic institutions and industry partners
- Experience of regional or national leadership roles
Knowledge and Understanding
Essential
- Deep understanding of NHS governance, regulation, quality and performance frameworks
- Comprehensive understanding of children's health services, population health and health inequalities
- Strong understanding of medical workforce issues, professional regulation and revalidation
- Understanding of research, innovation and technology adoption within healthcare
- Knowledge of digital health, genomics, artificial intelligence and emerging healthcare technologies
- Understanding of NHS financial and operational challenges and opportunities
Leadership
Essential
- Inspirational and compassionate leader with a strong commitment to the Trust's purpose and values
- Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into delivery
- Highly developed influencing and relationship-building skills
- Ability to lead through complexity, ambiguity and change
- Demonstrates political awareness and sound judgement
- Commitment to inclusive leadership and creating a culture of belonging
- Visible, authentic and approachable leadership style
- Ability to inspire confidence across a wide range of stakeholders
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Demonstrates the Trust's CARE values of Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Excellence
- Personal integrity and credibility
- Resilience, adaptability and emotional intelligence
- Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
- Commitment to collaboration and partnership working
- Passion for improving outcomes for children and young people
- Commitment to innovation, learning and continuous improvement
- Strong advocate for digital transformation and the future of children's healthcare
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details
Employer name
Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TH
United Kingdom
