Chief Executive

North East London NHS Foundation Trust

London and Essex

  • Location London and Essex
  • Sector Health
  • Client North East London NHS Foundation Trust
  • Job Type Permanent
  • Salary/Remuneration Competitive
  • Reference GSe132090
  • Closing Date Tuesday 26th May 2026

An exceptional leader to shape the future of community and mental health care.

North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) provides community, mental health, learning disability and autism services to a diverse population of nearly five million people across North East London and Essex. With an annual income of c.£610m and more than 7504 colleagues (6742wte) , NELFT is one of the largest providers of community and mental health services in the country.

Following a significant period of rebuilding and progress, we are now seeking an outstanding Chief Executive to lead the Trust into its next phase.

The Opportunity

This is a demanding and deeply rewarding leadership role, at a pivotal moment for NELFT and for the wider NHS. Demand for community and mental health services continues to grow, inequalities remain profound, and the operating environment is increasingly constrained. At the same time, there is a real opportunity to reshape care around neighbourhoods, prevention and partnership, and to demonstrate the impact that strong, relational, communitybased services can deliver at scale. As Chief Executive, you will be accountable for the quality, safety, experience and outcomes of services across mental health, learning disability and autism, and community physical health. You will provide visible, valuesdriven leadership, sustaining a just, compassionate and inclusive culture, while maintaining strong operational and performance grip in highly pressured environments. Working with a committed Board and Executive team, you will deliver financial sustainability and productivity improvement without losing sight of quality, equity or workforce wellbeing. Central to the role is leading NELFT’s ambition to become a relational organisation, embedding relational principles not only in care delivery but in leadership, decisionmaking and partnership working—and acting as a credible system leader within Integrated Care Systems and across places, building trustbased relationships with partners and communities.

You will work closely with a committed and stable Board, supporting effective governance, transparency and accountability, and ensuring that lived experience and staff voice are central to how the Trust is led.

The Person

We are looking for a leader who brings:

  • Significant senior executive leadership experience in a large, complex NHS or publicsector organisation
  • A strong track record of operational delivery, quality improvement and performance leadership under sustained pressure
  • Credibility with clinicians, staff, governors, regulators and system partners
  • A demonstrable commitment to tackling inequality, advancing inclusion and antiracism, and embedding coproduction in strategy and delivery
  • Experience of working across systems and places, with the confidence and political acumen to lead through partnership rather than hierarchy
  • An authentic, compassionate and relational leadership style, able to build trust, create psychological safety and develop leadership capacity at every level

Candidates may be existing Chief Executives or very senior directors operating at system level and ready for their first CEO role.

Why Join NELFT?

NELFT has made significant progress in strengthening leadership, governance and culture, and is cleareyed about the challenges that remain. The Trust has a strong sense of purpose, a deep commitment to coproduction and lived experience, and an ambition to lead the development of neighbourhoodbased, relational care at scale.

For a leader motivated by improving outcomes, reducing inequalities and shaping the future of community and mental health services, this is a rare and compelling opportunity.


To arrange a discussion in confidence, please contact our retained recruitment partners at GatenbySanderson:

 

Joanna Riley, Principal Researcher

E: joanna.riley@gatenbysanderson.com

T: +44 (0) 7807 624 332

 

Julia St Clare, Senior Consultant and Research Lead

E: julia.stclare@gatenbysanderson.com 

T: +44 (0) 7807 631 564

 

Melanie Shearer, Partner

E: melanie.shearer@gatenbysanderson.com

T: +44 (0) 7785 616 548

 

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Documents

  1. Fit and Proper Person Declaration - New.docx