North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Director of Strategy and Partnerships

Attractive Salary

Location: Bolton

About us

Rated ‘Good’ by the CQC and Ofsted, North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust provides 24 hour, 365 days a year Urgent and Emergency Care to those in need of immediate medical treatment, and where necessary, transport to the most appropriate receiving hospital/centre. As the geographically largest Ambulance Service in the UK, our 8,000 staff and volunteers in over 300 different roles serve a population of more than 7.5 million people across Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Cheshire, and part of Derbyshire. Each year we receive approximately 1.4 million 999 calls, respond to just under 1 million emergency incidents, and make more than 1.4 million patient transport journeys for those who require non-emergency transport to and from healthcare appointments. We also deliver the NHS 111 service across the region for people who need medical help or advice, handling around 1.7 million calls every year.

The opportunity

This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of our Trust as the Director of Strategy and Partnerships. We are looking for a bold and visionary leader to develop and drive a brand-new strategy in the forthcoming year, ensuring we stay ahead of the curve in an ever-evolving healthcare landscape. This is a key leadership role covering strategic planning, transformation, communications, and partnership building, giving you the platform to influence not only our Trust’s direction but also the wider system. You will play a pivotal role in aligning our ambitions with the priorities of the three ICBs, forging strong collaborations, and ensuring our services deliver the best possible outcomes for service users, carers, our workforce, and the broader community. Additionally, you will oversee trust-wide portfolios, programmes, and projects, ensuring they align with our strategic goals. Reporting directly to our newly appointed Chief Executive, Salman Desai, you will be a key leader at Trust, collaborative, and system levels – ensuring that we strengthen relationships, drive innovation, and play a central role in shaping decisions that impact healthcare delivery.

You will be an energetic and innovative strategic leader, with experience at or close to Board level, who has the drive to develop the organisational strategy and partnership arrangements, and the practical delivery skills to translate vision into reality, working collaboratively with our staff, partners and patients. You should have a track record of improving patient services by developing strategic partnerships and leading through others to deliver the strategic ambitions of the organisation. Above all else, we are seeking an individual whose personal values mirror our own and whose priorities are firmly focussed on developing and delivering outstanding services that are accessible to all.   

To learn more about us and this exceptional role, please visit our dedicated microsite. For a confidential discussion, and details of how to apply, please contact our search partners Mohamed Ebrahim, Emily Smith, or Emma Pickup at Gatenby Sanderson on 07471037135 or mohamed.ebrahim@gatenbysanderson.com.

Closing date for applications: 9am 17th March 2025

Final interviews: 23^rd and 24^th April 2025