South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) is one of the largest providers of mental health and learning disability services in the country, recognised nationally and internationally for clinical excellence, research, and innovation. Our Trust sits at the cutting edge of mental health care, translating research into practice and shaping the future of the field. At the same time, we are grounded in the realities of delivering care for diverse and complex communities, navigating challenges such as workforce pressures, financial constraints, and rising demand, while remaining steadfast in our commitment to compassion, equitable, and outstanding care.

We are seeking a Chief Executive to lead SLaM with vision, courage, kindness, and operational excellence. This is a pivotal role during a time of growth and transformation, where balancing strategic ambition with operational rigour is essential. The successful candidate will drive improvement across quality, access, and outcomes, strengthen organisational performance while sustaining innovation, and building strong, collaborative partnerships across the NHS, local authorities, VCS organisations and communities. This is an opportunity to shape the Trust’s future, champion clinical leadership, and foster a culture in which staff feel supported, empowered, and able to deliver their best work.

We are looking for an accomplished, authentic, and compassionate leader with extensive senior leadership experience in large, complex health or social care organisations. The ideal candidate will have a proven record of delivering transformation, improving performance at scale, and nurturing high-performing teams and positive organisational culture. Strategic yet operationally astute, courageous yet collaborative, they will inspire confidence across the Trust and system, turn vision into action, and demonstrate a deep commitment to equity, inclusion, and reducing health and racial inequalities. This is a role for a leader who can navigate complexity, balance ambition with delivery, and guide one of the NHS’s most influential mental health trusts into its next chapter.

Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to SLaM on this appointment. For further information about the role, including details about how to apply, please visit www.saxbam.com/appointments using reference AADASC. Alternatively, email Belinda.beck@saxbam.com. Applications should be received by midday on Monday 9 February.