Care Group Operational Director

NHS; Port Talbot; Hybrid; GBP 114,000 - 132,000; Full time

Job summary

Swansea Bay University Health Board is inviting applications for the post of Care Group Operational Director (Band 9). The role oversees multiple care groups, translating strategic priorities into operational delivery to improve patient care, staff experience, and service performance.

This is a full-time post with significant leadership responsibility. The successful candidate will drive transformation across Surgery and Cancer Centre care groups, ensuring sustainable, high-quality services and

Qualifications

• Extensive knowledge of NHS structures, governance and national policy drivers.
• Deep understanding of workforce, operational, and service group delivery in a complex hospital setting.
• Advanced knowledge of quality improvement methodologies and service redesign.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for all services within the Care Group portfolio.
• Lead culture of continuous improvement with compassionate leadership and psychological safety.
• Oversee workforce leadership, recruitment, appraisal, and performance management for diverse teams.
• Participate in the Gold On-Call rota and deputise for the Executive Director as required.

Skills

Strategic planning

Workforce leadership

Performance management

Quality improvement

Financial planning

Digital transformation

Change management

Education

Postgraduate qualification in healthcare leadership

PRINCE2/Lean/Six Sigma training

Job description

Employer Swansea Bay University Health Board Employer type NHS Site Swansea Bay University Health Board Headquarters Town Port Talbot Salary £114,475 - £131,732 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 05/11/2026 23:59

Welcome toSwansea BayUniversity Health Board. We welcome applications from people who share our values: caring for each other, working together and always improving.

Swansea BayUniversity Health Board reserve the right to close this vacancy after 24 hours if a large number of suitable applications are received. Therefore we encourage early applications to ensure consideration for this post.

Prior consideration for this vacancy will be given to staff currently awaiting redeployment and we therefore reserve the right to withdraw this advert at any stage.

Applications may be submitted in Welsh. Applications submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

Job overview

Care Group Operational Director (Band 9)

Posts Available:

• Surgery Care Group
• Cancer Centre and Clinical Services Care Group

Swansea Bay University Health Board is implementing a clinically led Care Group model, bringing services together around patient pathways to improve outcomes, experience and sustainability.

As a Care Group Operational Director, you will be a key member of the Care Group triumvirate, working alongside clinical and professional leaders to deliver high-quality, safe and effective services. You will translate strategic priorities into operational delivery, ensuring excellent patient care, staff experience and service performance.

The role includes responsibility for operational performance, workforce planning, resource management and service improvement across the Care Group. We are seeking collaborative and influential leaders who can manage competing priorities, optimise service delivery and support clinically led decision‑making.

This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of healthcare across Swansea Bay and contribute to a significant organisational transformation programme.

Applicants should indicate their top three Care Group preferences within their application and review the accompanying Care Group Structure Document for further information.

Full-time (37.5 hours per week)

Interview dates: 2-4 December 2026.

Main duties of the job

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for all services within the Care Group portfolio, ensuring they are safe, high‑quality, efficient, and aligned with the health needs of the population. They will lead service transformation and sustainability programmes, including the development and implementation of medium‑term and annual strategic and operational plans, ensuring services remain responsive, effective, and continually improving.
• Lead and champion a culture of continuous improvement, through compassionate leadership, inclusion, and psychological safety. Play a pivotal part in shaping and sustaining a positive, values‑driven organisational culture that supports staff wellbeing, engagement, and high performance across the Care Group.
• Provide expert professional, strategic, and operational leadership, ensuring that services deliver high‑quality, patient‑centred care and that the needs of patients, families, and the wider community are prioritised. Holding comprehensive responsibility for workforce leadership, including alignment with legislation and service standards, and exercising full line management responsibility. This includes undertaking the full range of workforce functions such as recruitment, appraisal, performance management, disciplinary and grievance processes for several diverse teams.
• Participates in the Gold On-Call rota, and deputising for the Executive Director as required.

Working for our organisation

We believe staff are our best asset and we want you to be happy and confident about starting your career here in Swansea Bay University Health Board.

As one of the biggest healthcare groups in the UK we can offer a wealth of professional training and development opportunities in an innovative, forward-thinking organisation.

You might be a nurse ordoctor, maybe you specialise in a health science/therapy or can offer skills in one of our support services - we have a job for you.

There are also apprenticeships, work placements and volunteering roles available.

We are an inclusive employer and welcome applications from everyone whatever their sex; religion or belief; race; age; sexual orientation; gender identity or, whether they are pregnant or have recently been on maternity leave, married or are in a civil partnership; or, whether they are disabled.

Our values - Caring For Each Other, Working Together and Always Improving, show thatour commitment to equality is at the heart of everything we do.

If you want excellent career and training opportunities while living on the doorstep of some of Europe's most spectacular scenery, with all the benefits of a thriving and cosmopolitan city - look no further.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents.

The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.

Person specification

Qualifications & Knowledge

• Extensive knowledge of NHS structures, strategic planning frameworks, governance processes, and national policy drivers
• In‑depth understanding of workforce, operational, or service group delivery within a complex healthcare environment.
• Highly developed knowledge of quality improvement methodologies and service redesign approaches.
• Comprehensive understanding of financial planning, risk management, performance management and resource allocation.
• Working knowledge of digital transformation, data governance, and the use of business intelligence tools. (e.g., ILM, MBA, Coaching Accreditation).
• Formal training in change management methodologies (e.g., PRINCE2, Lean, Six Sigma).
• Postgraduate qualification in healthcare leadership, quality improvement

Experience

• Significant experience operating at a senior management or leadership level within a large, complex organisation. Demonstrable track record of leading strategic programmes, delivering organisational change and achieving measurable service improvement outcomes.
• Experience managing high-performing teams, including coaching, performance management and talent development. Proven experience influencing senior stakeholders, clinicians, executives and external partners.
• Experience developing complex business cases, strategic reports, risk assessments and Board‑level papers. Experience interpreting, analysing and presenting complex data to inform decision‑making. Demonstrable experience managing large budgets, resources and operational plans.

Aptitude and abilities

• Exceptional analytical, conceptual and critical-thinking skills. Highly developed strategic communication skills (written, verbal, presentational and interpersonal). Proficiency in the full Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint).
• Ability to evaluate complex issues, assess risk and propose clear, evidence-based recommendations to influence and negotiate at executive and senior clinical level.
• Able to manage multiple priorities under pressure, maintaining high performance standards. Advanced ability to interpret data, identify trends, and apply insights to redesign services or improve quality.
• Ability to lead and motivate multidisciplinary teams through uncertainty and change, strong organisational and planning skills, including delivery of long‑term strategic programmes.
• Demonstrate compassionate, inclusive, and values‑driven leadership aligned to NHS Wales values
• Proven ability to constructively challenge practices and drive continuous improvement.
• Welsh Language Skills are desirable levels 1 to 5 in understanding, speaking, reading, and writing in Welsh.

Other

• Ability to travel within geographical area.
• Able to work hours flexibly.

Swansea Bay University Health Board is committed to supporting its staff and processes to fully embrace the need for bilingualism thereby enhancing service users experience. In our commitment to increase the number of staff able to communicate in Welsh with patients and professionals, we would particularly welcome applications from Welsh speakers.

Equality remains at the centre of the Health Boards policy‑making, service delivery and employment practices. We value the diversity of our staff and welcome applications from people from protected groups under the Equality Act 2010, this specifically includes age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/reassignment, race, religion, disability, pregnancy and maternity and marriage and civil partnership.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and applications are welcomed from persons with disabilities. A disability will not prejudice your application. If you are unable to submit your application in the requested format because of a disability please contact the Recruitment Team, who will agree a more suitable way for you to apply. All disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria listed in the Person Specification will be invited to interview.

To work in the UK, all candidates who are not UK or Republic of Ireland (RoI) nationals require sponsorship to obtain either a Health and Care visa or Skilled Worker visa, unless you have permission to work via another route. Non UK / RoI candidates wishing to apply should self‑assess the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship by visiting Work in the UK . If you are eligible for the Health and Care visa, application costs are lower and you do not need to pay the annual Immigration Health Surcharge.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name Jon Scott Job title Chief Operating Officer Email address [e-mail] Additional information

Applicants interested in learning more about the role are encouraged to contact the Organised for Success Programme Team via [e-mail].

The Programme Team is managing all enquiries on behalf of the Executive Team and will coordinate requests for informal discussions with the appropriate Executive Lead(s). This approach ensures a fair, consistent and managed process for all prospective applicants.