Interim Head of Edinburgh Hospice Transformation

Marie Curie seeks an interim head to lead change across Edinburgh Hospice and Lothian community services on a six-month fixed-term basis. The work centres on a cultural, workforce and people review, then a co-produced action plan and help with priority people issues. Full time, it requires on-site presence at the hospice at least four days a week, plus visibility across community services. Hospice experience is welcome but not essential, provided candidates show substantial senior leadership in a complex, people-intensive setting.

What the job involves

• Maintain a visible, compassionate and inclusive presence across the hospice and community services
• Work with the existing leadership team to identify strengths, challenges and priorities
• Lead a structured cultural, workforce and people review using staff insight, workforce data and stakeholder feedback
• Co-produce a focused action plan with outcomes, milestones, owners and progress measures
• Work with leaders and People/HR Advisory colleagues to resolve workforce, employee relations, recruitment, retention, wellbeing and attendance issues fairly and promptly
• Build leadership capability, role clarity, accountability, staff voice and joint working across all staff groups
• Give clear assurance on progress, risks and dependencies, and deliver a structured handover at the end of the assignment

What's required Qualifications

• Degree-level qualification or equivalent senior professional experience
• Professional experience in organisational development, people leadership, workforce transformation or a related field
• Evidence of continuing professional development on culture, leadership, workforce and organisational change

Experience

• Substantial senior leadership in a complex, people-intensive organisation
• Track record of delivering culture, workforce or people improvement through change, with measurable progress
• Using staff insight, workforce data and stakeholder feedback to identify strengths and agree priorities
• Co-producing and delivering practical action plans on people, leadership and workforce
• Working in partnership with People teams, staff representatives, senior leaders and external partners on sensitive matters
• Leading teams through uncertainty and change while keeping trust, pace and shared accountability

Skills & knowledge

• Providing clear, constructive assurance to executive and senior teams on progress, risks and outcomes
• Establishing credibility quickly, creating psychological safety and engaging with different perspectives
• Sound judgement in sensitive people matters
• Strong programme leadership, turning evidence into measurable action
• Clear, confident and sensitive communication, including with executive and senior leadership teams
• Resilience and adaptability, maintaining pace and focus in an evolving environment

Nice to have

• Postgraduate leadership, organisational development, human resources, change or management qualification
• Experience in a clinical, health, care or hospice setting
• Significant success in cultural change, organisational development or workforce transformation in another complex service environment

What's offered

• 25 days annual leave plus 10 public holidays (pro rata)
• Parental and sick leave policy
• Continuing professional development and industry-leading training programmes
• Season ticket loan
• Defined contribution pension, including Marie Curie Group Personal Pension Scheme
• Life assurance for all employees
• 15% staff discount in Marie Curie shops
• Loan schemes for bikes, computers and satellite navigation systems