Lead the corporate services that enable exceptional hospice care and help shape the future of Katharine House Hospice as our Director of Corporate Services.
Who we are
Katharine House Hospice provides free specialist palliative and end-of-life care to people across Stafford and the surrounding communities, supporting patients and families to live as fully as possible when facing life-limiting illness.
Behind every aspect of that care is a wide range of corporate services that ensure the organisation can operate safely, sustainably and effectively. We are now seeking an exceptional Director of Corporate Services to lead these functions as a key member of our Executive Team.
Reporting to the Chief Executive, you will provide strategic leadership across a broad portfolio including finance, people and organisational development, volunteering, digital and data, estates and facilities, governance, procurement, health and safety, information governance and business continuity.
This is far more than a traditional corporate services role. It is a genuine executive leadership opportunity, with responsibility for shaping organisational strategy, strengthening long-term sustainability and creating the conditions that enable outstanding care to flourish.
Joining Katharine House Hospice at an exciting point in our development, you will help build leadership capability across the organisation, modernise systems and processes, improve organisational effectiveness and support the continued delivery of our strategic ambitions.
About the role
As Director of Corporate Services, you will provide executive leadership for the functions that underpin every aspect of the hospice’s work, ensuring the organisation remains financially sustainable, well governed and equipped to meet future challenges.
Working closely with the Chief Executive and Executive Team, you will contribute to organisational strategy while leading a broad portfolio of professional services that support both clinical and non-clinical teams.
You will lead experienced Heads of Department across finance, people, digital, estates and business support, helping them build confidence, capability and resilience while fostering greater collaboration across functions.
The role will also play a central part in strengthening financial planning, organisational performance and governance, while driving improvements in digital maturity, data, systems and organisational processes to ensure the hospice continues to evolve in response to changing demands.
This is an opportunity to influence every part of the organisation, helping create an environment where colleagues can thrive and where patients and families continue to receive exceptional care.
Who we are looking for
We are seeking a collaborative and strategic senior leader with experience in leading broad corporate functions within a complex organisation.
Your professional background may be in finance or people and organisational development, but you will bring the commercial awareness, financial literacy and executive leadership required to oversee a diverse portfolio of services.
You will be an experienced people leader with a genuine commitment to developing others, building confident leadership teams and creating an inclusive, high-performing culture. Comfortable working across multiple disciplines, you will enjoy bringing people together, improving ways of working and helping organisations navigate change with clarity and purpose.
Alongside strong strategic and operational capability, you will bring sound judgement, excellent relationship-building skills and the ability to balance long- term planning with day-to-day delivery.
Above all, you will share the hospice’s commitment to compassionate care, community partnership, and bring a genuine commitment to the organisation’s mission and values.
To view the role description and person specification, please go to the ‘How to Apply’ tab above, fill in your details and download the candidate pack.
For further information or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:
Lucy Mavers | lucy@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07947 935068
Clare Connor | clare@peridotpartners.co.uk | 0161 408 0703
Welcome from the Chief Executive
Dear candidate,
Thank you for your interest in joining Katharine House Hospice as our new Director of Corporate Services.
I recently had the privilege of becoming Chief Executive after serving as the Hospice’s Director of Care. That experience has given me a close understanding of our services, our people and the deep affection in which Katharine House is held by the communities we serve. It has also given me a clear view of our potential and the leadership we need for the next stage of our development.
Since 1989, Katharine House has provided specialist palliative and end-of-life care to people across Stafford and the surrounding communities. Our services are delivered in the Hospice, in people’s homes and across the community, supported by approximately 250 colleagues and 300 volunteers.
Alongside our care services, we operate significant fundraising, retail and lottery activities. These form an essential part of our organisation and help ensure our care remains free for patients and families.
We have much to be proud of. Our people are compassionate, committed and deeply connected to our purpose. We have strong community support, an engaged Board of Trustees and valued relationships across the local health and care system. Our services are well regarded, our culture is patient-centred and learning-focused, and we have continued to develop despite the pressures facing the wider hospice and charitable sectors.
We are equally clear that standing still is not an option.
Demand, funding, regulation, technology and the wider health and care system are changing. We must continue to demonstrate our impact, use our resources responsibly, modernise our systems and develop services that are clinically excellent, operationally resilient and financially sustainable.
We want to preserve the humanity, compassion and community connection that make Katharine House special, while having the courage to challenge established ways of working when change is needed.
The Director of Corporate Services is a newly shaped executive appointment with a broad and important remit spanning finance, people and organisational development, volunteering, digital and data, estates, facilities, health and safety, governance, compliance and business support.
Corporate Services should not be a remote collection of support functions. At its best, it creates the conditions in which excellent care, effective fundraising, successful retail operations and a positive staff and volunteer experience can flourish.
We are therefore looking for a leader who can develop capable Heads of Department, strengthen financial and organisational planning, modernise systems and processes and build an enabling, responsive and professionally confident Corporate Services culture.
We are looking for someone with integrity, sound judgement, emotional intelligence and the confidence to lead through others. You must be able to combine compassion with accountability, ambition with humility and pace with thoughtful decision-making.
You will be expected to contribute beyond your own portfolio to the strategy, culture, performance and long-term sustainability of the whole Hospice.
As Chief Executive, I want to build an Executive Team characterised by trust, openness and collective responsibility. I will provide clarity, share issues early, support colleagues publicly and challenge constructively in private. In return, I expect our Directors to take ownership, speak honestly, work across organisational boundaries and remain relentlessly focused on the people and communities we exist to serve.
This is a demanding role, but it offers rare breadth, proximity to impact and the opportunity to shape the future of a deeply valued organisation.
If you are excited by that responsibility and believe your leadership could help Katharine House thrive, I would be delighted to hear from you.
Dave Fletcher
Chief Executive
Katharine House Hospice
About Katharine House Hospice
Founded in 1989, Katharine House Hospice provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care to people across Stafford and the surrounding communities, supporting patients and families to live as fully as possible when facing life-limiting illness. Care is delivered within the Hospice, in people’s homes and across the community, ensuring individuals can access expert support in the setting that best meets their needs.
Today, Katharine House Hospice is a complex organisation with a dedicated workforce of approximately 250 staff and 300 volunteers. Together, they deliver a wide range of specialist services, including inpatient care, Community Palliative Care Nurse Specialists, Hospice at Home, outpatient and wellbeing services, lymphoedema, family and carer support, counselling, therapies and a 24/7 palliative care advice line.
Alongside our clinical services, Katharine House Hospice is supported by substantial fundraising, retail and lottery operations, all of which play a vital role in enabling our work. The Katharine House group has an annual income of more than £9 million, with nearly £4 million required each year to provide our specialist care services. Like hospices across the UK, we rely on the continued generosity of our local community, whose support ensures our care remains free of charge for everyone who needs it.
Katharine House Hospice is widely respected for the quality, compassion and dignity of the care it provides and continues to play a vital role within the local health and care system. Through strong partnerships with the NHS, neighbouring hospices and our local communities, we remain committed to developing our services, responding to changing needs and ensuring the long-term sustainability of our organisation.
Learn more about us
- Our website
- Our audited financial statements
- Our Care Strategy 2025–2029
- Our 2025/26 Quality Account
- Our organisational structure
Accessibility information
Katharine House Hospice is committed to an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. We welcome applications from people with a wide range of backgrounds and will make reasonable adjustments at any stage of the process to ensure candidates are not disadvantaged. Candidates are encouraged to discuss any access requirements with Peridot Partners, and all requests will be handled sensitively and confidentially.
We understand that different members of the community have different access needs and have made some modifications to the way we do business to accommodate people from diverse communities and abilities. We offer the following amenities
- Step-free access to the building, all key meeting rooms and bathrooms, and an accessible workstation
- Accessibility dogs are welcome
- Interviews can be held in meeting rooms that support hearing loops
- Papers and materials can be presented in different formats
- Working patterns and locations can be adjusted
To arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:
Lucy Mavers | lucy@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07947 935068
Clare Connor | clare@peridotpartners.co.uk | 0161 408 0703
Thank you for your interest in this role. Please download the Role Description and Person Specification.
To formally apply, please submit a CV and supporting statement (ideally maximum 2 sides of A4 each) that clearly outlines your suitability for the role against the criteria provided in the person specification, including your interest and motivation in applying for this position.
Please include your home address, contact email and mobile.
Please ensure that your application is emailed to response@peridotpartners.co.uk, inserting “Application: Katharine House Hospice—Director of Corporate Services” into the subject field. You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt within 2-3 days. If you do not receive an acknowledgement, please contact our admin team.
For further information about the role or to arrange a confidential discussion, please contact our advising consultants at Peridot Partners:
Lucy Mavers | lucy@peridotpartners.co.uk | 07947 935068
Clare Connor | clare@peridotpartners.co.uk | 0161 408 0703
As a sector-leading executive search consultancy, we know the importance of creating recruitment processes that are fair, inclusive and free from bias. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a process that values differences.
If you require any job information in an alternative format (e.g. large print), please contact the lead consultant. Please also let us know if you would like to submit your application in an alternative format.
Applicants with disabilities are welcome to contact us in confidence at any stage of the recruitment process to discuss any reasonable adjustments or support that may be required to ensure fair and equal participation.
Recruitment selection processes are based on evidence of competence stated in the person specification and in relation to our values.
Timetable
Closing date: 9 a.m. Tuesday 18th August 2026
Candidates informed of outcome: Friday 21st August 2026
First stage interviews (virtual): Monday 24th and Tuesday 25th August 2026
Second stage interviews (in person): Tuesday 1st September
Equal Opportunities Monitoring
Peridot and Katharine House Hospice are committed to promoting equality and diversity. To help us raise awareness and support a culture that is diverse and recognises and develops the potential of all, we need to appreciate the profile of candidates who apply for positions. We will send you an equality monitoring survey at the point of receiving your application and at the time of placement. This ensures that our processes remain inclusive and equitable throughout, and provides us with important data to help us showcase our impact.
The information will be treated confidentially and anonymously and will help us to support our commitment to fair recruitment practice. All information provided will be held in the strictest confidence and will not be shared with anyone, in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 launched on 25 May 2018.
The information provided does not form part of the decision-making process and will not affect your application. Learn more about why we collect this data here.
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