Associate Director of Operations

North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust; Carlisle; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting an Associate Director of Operations to lead and develop operational delivery across clinical services, ensuring safe, patient-centered care and strong performance across multi-site services.

Reporting to the Executive Chief Operating Officer, you will lead general managers, drive service transformation, manage budgets, and work with partners across Integrated Care Boards to deliver system-wide improvements.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership and management experience in a complex healthcare setting.

Responsibilities

• Lead general managers and clinical teams to deliver safe, effective, and timely patient care.
• Drive performance governance and financial discipline within a constrained environment.
• Oversee large departmental budgets and drive efficiency across multi-site operations.
• Lead digital initiatives, pathway redesign, and service standardisation across the trust.

Job description

Go back North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust

Associate Director of Operations

The closing date is 26 September 2026

Associate Director of Operations B8d - 1 x 37.5 hour post available.

The post holder will be a highly motivated and effective manager with exceptional leadership and influencing skills. The post holder will have the ability to enthuse, motivate and involve teams to work towards and achieve the objectives as set out by the Executive Chief Operating Officer and the Trust Board.

The individual will work closely with the Executive Chief Operating Officer, the Deputy Chief Operating officer and the Clinical Collaboratives to deliver a range of key outcomes.

The role is instrumental in leading and maintaining an operational leadership structure that is cohesive with the integrated model of service delivery in the North Cumbria system.

Interviews to be held on Monday 5th October 2026

Main duties of the job

Reporting to the Executive Chief Operating Officer the post holder will provide leadership and management for all Clinical Services. The post holder will have responsibility providing strong and effective leadership, which includes:

Operational Leadership: Lead general managers and clinical teams to deliver safe, effective, and timely patient care.

Performance & Governance: Manage capacity, demand, clinical risks, and key national performance standards.

Financial Management: Oversee large departmental budgets, drive efficiency, and ensure financial discipline within a constrained environment.

Service Transformation: Lead digital innovation, pathway redesign, and service standardisation across multi-site operations.

Partnership Working: Collaborate with executive leads, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), and primary or private care partners.

About us

At NCIC, we have an ambition to deliver outstanding healthcare services to the population of North Cumbria. The Trust is committed to creating a centre of excellence in providing rural and remote healthcare and provides a wide range of community and acute services throughout our county.

Our 5 key principles demonstrate our belief in the delivery of 'safe, high quality care every time':

Being a clinically led organisation

Quality and safety at the heart of our Trust

A positive patient experience every time

A great place to work

Managing our money well

As an organisation we are serious about supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our local community and are very much focused on being an inclusive and compassionate place to work.

Across the North East and North Cumbria we are working together to deliver our ambition to be the greenest region in England by 2030. All staff are expected to support sustainability.

Job responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification for further information regarding the role and the essential and desirable criteria required to be met by applicants.

CERTIFICATE OF SPONSORSHIP

Please note, due to changes implemented by the Government to the UK immigration policy, individuals who require a Health and Care Visa or a Skilled Worker Visa may no longer be eligible for sponsorship where the UKVI salary threshold is not met or if the occupation is not included in the updated Immigration Salary List (ISL). Applicants must check their eligibility to be employed in any role they are interested in applying for, prior to completing an application for employment.Any applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will not be progressed. For further information visit theUK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

If you are applying under the Disability Confident Scheme or Armed Forces Covenant and you meet all the essential criteria for a post, you will be guaranteed an interview.

Relocation assistance may be available for successful applicants moving to the region for certain posts. Please see our Policy for eligible vacancies.

Disclosure and Barring Service:

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

The cost of the DBS must be met by the successful candidate(s) through salary deduction. DBS charges are as follows if applicable to the post:

Standard Check: £21.50 + Administration cost of £6.50 = £28.00 Deducted from salary over a 4 month period or a one-off payment.