Occupations and Terms of Reference › Chief human resources officer (CHRO)
Universal terms of reference · POS-009 · version 1.0 · status: draft · next review 2027-10-27
Chief human resources officer (CHRO)
To make sure the organisation has the right people, with the right skills and conduct, and that people are recruited fairly, developed, supported and treated with respect.
Each part of this page links to the related trainings, competencies and policies. The links are the same for every facility, so an organisation can see at a glance what a role requires and what it is trained in.
Job description
Job summary. You lead people and workforce across the organisation. You plan the workforce, lead fair recruitment, training and development, staff wellbeing, employment policies and HR compliance, so that the organisation keeps a skilled and motivated team.
Reports to: Chief executive officer.
Leads or supervises: HR, recruitment, training, staff development, occupational health and payroll teams.
What you do on a typical day
- Review vacancies, turnover and sickness absence with service leads.
- Approve recruitment plans and selection panels for senior posts.
- Review training completion and overdue mandatory training.
- Handle complex employee relations cases with line managers.
- Lead workforce planning with the CNO, CMO and COO.
- Report workforce indicators to the CEO and board each quarter.
Working conditions and demands
- Handles confidential employee information.
- Needs to balance business needs with fair employment practice.
- Accountable for employment law compliance.
What good looks like
- Vacancies are filled on time with fair, transparent selection.
- Mandatory training is current for almost all staff.
- Turnover and sickness absence are understood and reduced where possible.
- Staff say they are treated with respect and can raise concerns safely.
Place in the organogram
Reporting line, from the top: see the organogram on the Occupations page. The lines above and below this role are listed in section 3.
1. Golden rules
These rules apply in every setting.
- Every decision that affects patient safety is made on evidence and recorded.
- Patient safety and quality come before financial targets; no trade-off that puts patients at risk is accepted.
- Every staff member can raise a concern without fear of reprisal, and every concern is answered.
- Legal, licensing and accreditation duties are known, owned and reviewed.
- Finances, people and information are managed openly and within the law.
- Mandatory training and policies apply to the executive as much as to frontline staff.
2. Identification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position code | POS-009 |
| ISCO-08 | 1212 (skill level 4) |
| ESCO | to map |
| Department | Governance |
| Facility types | Hospital, Ambulatory, Transport, Medevac, Fitness, Aesthetic |
3. Reporting line and working relationships
Reports to: POS-003. Supervises: POS-163, POS-165, POS-166, POS-168, POS-032, POS-160.
| Works with | Nature of the relationship |
|---|---|
| Chief nursing officer | Nursing workforce planning and competence. |
| Chief medical officer | Medical workforce, licensing and revalidation. |
| Chief operating officer | Workforce for operations and rotas. |
| Chief financial officer | Pay, budget and workforce costs. |
4. Key accountabilities
| Domain | Accountability | Evidence of delivery | Checked | Linked competencies | Linked trainings | Linked policies | Standards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workforce plan | Makes sure the organisation has a workforce plan that meets service needs. | Workforce plan approved; vacancy and turnover reported quarterly | Quarterly | C-02 | T-08 | POL-EQUAL | 2 |
| Recruitment and fairness | Makes sure recruitment is fair, safe and compliant, including background and licence checks. | All appointments have complete pre-employment checks | Monthly | C-01 · C-02 | T-08 | POL-EQUAL · POL-SAFEG | 2 |
| Training and competence | Makes sure mandatory training and competence assessments are current for all staff. | Mandatory training compliance reported monthly | Monthly | C-03 | T-08 | POL-SAFEG | 2 |
| Employee relations and speaking up | Makes sure concerns and grievances are handled fairly, confidentially and without reprisal. | Cases handled within policy timeframe; no reprisal substantiated | Quarterly | C-04 | T-08 | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL | 2 |
5. Decision rights
| The post holder decides | Consults or escalates |
|---|---|
| HR policies within the board-approved framework | Dismissal of senior staff or legal claims (CEO and legal counsel) |
| Recruitment decisions for posts within the approved establishment | Changes to the workforce establishment or pay structure (CEO and board) |
| Employee relations outcomes within policy | Safeguarding concerns involving staff (safeguarding lead and CEO) |
6. Qualifications and experience
| ID | Qualification | Mandatory | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q-01 | Degree in human resource management, psychology or a related field | Yes | Lifetime |
| Q-02 | Professional HR qualification (CIPD, SHRM or national equivalent) | Yes | Lifetime |
| Q-03 | Employment law or health workforce qualification | No | Lifetime |
| ID | Experience | Minimum years | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-01 | Senior HR leadership, including workforce planning and employee relations | 8 | Yes |
7. Training requirements
Recommended common practice. Each facility adapts the list to its national law. Essential items apply in every setting; recommended items apply where resources allow.
| ID | Training | Tier | When | Validity | Linked policies | Linked competencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-01 | Facility induction | essential | at_entry | Once | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL · POL-DATA | – |
| T-02 | Safeguarding adults | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-03 | Safeguarding children | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-04 | Data protection and confidentiality | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-DATA | – |
| T-05 | Incident reporting and open disclosure | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-INC | – |
| T-06 | Governance, accountability and assurance | recommended | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | – | – |
| T-07 | Emergency and major incident command | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-INC | – |
| T-08 | Speaking up, inclusion and equality leadership | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL | C-01 · C-02 · C-03 · C-04 · C-05 |
8. Health, fitness and language
| ID | Requirement | Frequency | Tier | Minimum in low-resource settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-03 | Fitness-to-work assessment at entry and after serious illness or injury | Every 12 months | recommended | Fitness check at entry |
| Language | Level | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| Official language of the country of practice | professional | Yes |
| English | working | Yes |
9. Competencies by level
| ID | Competency | Foundation | Practitioner | Expert | Assessed by | Revalidate | Linked trainings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Employment law and HR policy | Applies HR policy correctly | Advises managers on HR policy | Designs HR policy and ensures compliance | HR audit | Every 12 months | T-08 |
| C-02 | Workforce planning and recruitment | Supports recruitment | Plans workforce for a service | Designs the organisational workforce plan | Workforce review | Every 12 months | T-08 |
| C-03 | Training, education and competence | Keeps own development current | Plans training for a team | Designs the organisational training and competence system | Training audit | Every 12 months | T-08 |
| C-04 | Employee relations and speaking up | Handles concerns respectfully | Handles complex employee cases | Leads culture of respect and fair treatment | Case review | Every 12 months | T-08 |
| C-05 | Leading HR and organisational change | Works in a team | Leads an HR team | Leads organisational change in people practice | 360 feedback | Every 24 months | T-08 |
10. Performance evaluation
- Probation: 6 months, with a sign-off review (recommended value).
- Appraisal: every 12 months against the competencies and indicators below.
| ID | Indicator | Target | Data source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI-01 | Mandatory training compliance | 100% | training records | Monthly |
| PI-02 | Staff turnover | set by facility | HR data | Quarterly |
| PI-03 | Vacancy time to fill | set by facility | recruitment data | Quarterly |
| PI-04 | Pre-employment checks complete before start | 100% | HR file audit | Quarterly |
11. Career ladder and promotion
| Level | Role | Minimum experience to move on | Qualifications | Competency minimums | Trainings required | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive | Chief human resources officer (CHRO) | 8 years (recommended) | Q-01, Q-02 | C-01 expert, C-04 expert | T-08 | Executive appointment and performance review |
12. Policies the post holder follows
Each policy is a standard template that the facility adopts and adapts. Templates are maintained centrally, so every facility works from the same version.
POL-SAFEG · Safeguarding adults and children
Purpose: Protect patients from abuse, neglect and harm, and make sure every concern is recognised and acted on.
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
- Recognise signs of abuse and neglect and record them factually.
- Report every concern to the designated safeguarding lead the same shift.
- Do not investigate alone.
- Share information only as the safeguarding procedure allows.
POL-DATA · Data protection and confidentiality
Purpose: Keep patient and staff information private, secure and used only for care and legal purposes.
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
- Access only the records needed for your work.
- Keep records secure; do not leave screens or paper unattended.
- Do not share information without a lawful basis.
- Report any breach to the data protection officer within 24 hours.
Linked trainings: T-10 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-WHISTLE · Speaking up (whistleblowing)
Purpose: Let staff raise patient safety or conduct concerns without fear of reprisal.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Raise a concern with your line manager or the named speaking-up officer.
- If that route fails, escalate to the board or the national regulator.
- Retaliation against anyone who speaks up is a disciplinary offence.
- Concerns are recorded, investigated and the outcome given to the person raising them.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-EQUAL · Equality, diversity and inclusion
Purpose: Give every patient and colleague fair access, respectful treatment and reasonable adjustments.
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
- Treat every person with dignity regardless of background.
- Make reasonable adjustments, including interpreters, for language and disability.
- Report discrimination through the speaking-up route.
- Monitor access and outcomes by group.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 24 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-INC · Incident reporting and open disclosure
Purpose: Report and learn from incidents and near misses, and tell patients honestly when things go wrong.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Report every incident and near miss the same shift.
- Give the patient and family an honest account and an apology where appropriate (open disclosure).
- Take immediate action to protect others.
- Learn: contribute to the review and follow the agreed actions.
13. Standards that name this role
14. Record history
| Date | Change | Approved by |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | Draft record, batch 1 of the position build | Awaiting approval |