Associate Director of Operations

NHS; Chelmsford; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in Chelmsford is looking for an experienced Associate Director of Operations to lead children's and family services across Essex. This role involves overseeing a £50 million contract, managing a large team of approximately 800 colleagues, and ensuring high-quality service delivery. Strong leadership, financial acumen, and experience in multi-agency environments are essential. The position offers competitive NHS Agenda for Change Band 8d salary and a range of benefits, making it a rewarding opportunity to advance within the sector.

Benefits

NHS Agenda for Change Band 8d salary

Discounts on everyday purchases

Access to wages as you earn

Wellbeing support services

Professional development opportunities

Innovative culture with funding for new ideas

Qualifications

• Substantial senior leadership experience within children's services or related fields.
• Experience working with multiple commissioners and managing competing priorities.
• Proven track record of leading large multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior operational leadership across a large portfolio.
• Ensure high-quality service delivery within safeguarding frameworks.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders, commissioners, and partners.

Skills

Senior leadership experience in children's services

Strong financial acumen

Excellent communication skills

Experience managing complex budgets

Emotional intelligence

Education

Educated to masters level in Leadership or related field

Coaching or Mentoring Qualification

Job description

At HCRG Care Group, we believe great outcomes for children, young people and families are built on strong leadership, trusted partnerships and high-quality care. Were looking for an experienced operational leader to join us as Associate Director of Operations for Essex Childrens and Family Services, at an exciting stage of growth.

Youll lead one of our largest portfolios a £50 million, multi-commissioner contract delivering a wide range of childrens and family wellbeing services across Essex. Working closely with senior colleagues and partners such as Barnardos, youll help ensure services are responsive, effective and rooted in local needs.

This is a varied, people-centred role, balancing strategic work with commissioners and hands‑on support for leaders overseeing around 800 colleagues across early help, family support, health visiting, school nursing and more. While hybrid, regular time on‑site across Essex is key to building strong relationships and maintaining a visible, supportive leadership presence.

If youre a senior leader with experience in childrens, family, community or social care services and enjoy working in complex, multi‑agency environments, this is a rewarding opportunity to make a real difference for families across Essex.

If youre a senior leader with experience across childrens, family, community or social care service, this is a meaningful opportunity to make a real difference for children and families across Essex.

Main duties of the job

As an Associate Director of Operations for Essex Childrens and Family Services, you will:

• Provide senior operational leadership across a large and diverse childrens and family wellbeing portfolio, ensuring safe, high‑quality and responsive service delivery.
• Strategically overseeing the delivery of a £50 million multi‑commissioner contract with 12 separate budget lines and ensuring strong financial stewardship, robust forecasting and effective resource allocation.
• Work closely with our strategic delivery partners including Barnardos, to lead integrated approaches that improve outcomes for children, young people and families across Essex.
• Build strong, trusted relationships with multiple commissioners, system partners, local authority leaders, safeguarding boards and community stakeholders.
• Provide visible strategic leadership to a workforce of approximately 800 colleagues, empowering and inspiring senior managers and frontline teams to deliver high performance and continuous improvement.
• Ensure all services operate effectively within multi‑agency safeguarding frameworks, promoting a strong culture of safety, accountability and professional curiosity.
• Lead the development and delivery of performance recovery plans where required, ensuring services remain compliant with contractual, regulatory and quality standards.
• Act as a senior ambassador for HCRG Care Group within Essex, contributing to system‑wide priorities and representing the organisation at key strategic forums.

About us

About the Company

We change lives by transforming health and care.

Established in 2006, we are one of the UKs leading independent providers of community health and care services, working with health and care commissioners and communities to transform services with a focus on experience, efficiency and improved outcomes. We deliver and transform adult and children community health services, primary care services including urgent care, sexual health, dermatology and MSK services as well as adult social care and wellbeing services. Across England, we support communities of many millions and directly help more than half a million people each year - guided by our simple values: we care, we think, we do.

Were committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from a broad, diverse range of people who want to join our team. Were a Disability Confident Committed company, so we work to provide facilities, work environment adjustments and technical solutions to be as inclusive of everyone.

While it doesn't happen often, sometimes a role is very popular, and well need to close it earlier than the date we've shown here. If you're keen to join our team, wed love to hear from you so please apply as soon as you can.

To find out more about HCRG Care Group, please visit https://www.hcrgcaregroup.com/about-us-2

Job responsibilities

As an Associate Director of Operations for Essex Children's and Family Services, you'll be part of our valued leadership team at HCRG Care Group.

You will feel valued in this senior leadership role within HCRG Care Group, receiving access to exclusive rewards and benefits including:

• NHS Agenda for Change Band 8d salary with group pension
• Membership of My Reward Hub, giving you discounts on everyday purchases, plus cashback and voucher offers for treats and essentials
• Access to your wages as you earn them, helping cover life's emergencies and avoid overdraft fees or high‑interest borrowing
• Online and in‑person wellbeing support, including mental health services, activity challenges, financial wellbeing tools, coaching and counselling
• Access to e‑learning, bespoke career pathways and opportunities for professional development through our Outstanding Learning Enterprise team
• An open, just culture where you're encouraged to contribute ideas that help us deliver our purpose of changing lives through transforming health and care - backed by ringfenced innovation funding each year
• The pride of working for an organisation committed to the highest clinical and quality standards, with the majority of our rated services holding Good or Outstanding ratings from the Care Quality Commission

Person Requirements

To succeed in this role, you will bring:

• Substantial senior leadership experience within children's services, family wellbeing, social care, community health or a related multi‑agency environment, with the credibility to operate confidently across a complex system.
• Experience working with multiple commissioners and navigating competing priorities, performance frameworks and governance requirements.
• Strong financial acumen, with experience managing multiple complex budgets and contributing to or leading performance recovery plans within large, complex services.
• A proven track record of leading large multidisciplinary teams of ideally 150 500 colleagues through senior managers and service leads.
• A deep understanding of multi‑agency safeguarding frameworks, statutory responsibilities and best practice in the delivery of children's and family services.
• Experience of service redesign, transformation or improvement programmes that have delivered measurable impact.
• The ability to build strong relationships at all levels, from commissioners and system partners to frontline teams, using excellent communication, negotiation and influencing skills.
• High levels of emotional intelligence, resilience and autonomy, with the ability to make sound decisions in a fast‑paced environment with competing demands.
• A values‑driven leadership approach, aligned to our organisational values of We Care, We Think and We Do, and a passion for improving outcomes for children, young people and families.
• Educated to masters level or equivalent in Leadership, Commissioning, Management or related specialist field.
• Coaching or Mentoring Qualification
• Involvement in Business development, tendering or supporting contract growth
• Knowledge of population health, systems level transformation and integrated care models
• Awareness of emerging trends impacting children's' services and the wider public service landscape

Person Specification

General Requirements

• Click Apply for this job above to view the Job Description on our career site
• Click Apply for this job above to view the Job Description on our career site

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

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.