Director of Operations

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare trust in Nottingham is seeking a passionate leader to manage services and ensure high-quality patient care across multiple hospitals. This role demands extensive experience in healthcare at a senior level, including strategic planning and budget management. The ideal candidate must demonstrate exceptional leadership skills, a commitment to quality improvement, and the ability to drive change within the NHS. You will be leading a dedicated team to deliver excellence in patient services.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Access to continuous training and development

Pension scheme

Qualifications

• Significant experience within the Healthcare sector at senior management level.
• Proven track record of achieving challenging healthcare targets.
• Ability to critically analyze complex financial and clinical data.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all services within the Care Group across multiple hospital sites.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of the Trust's vision.
• Ensure quality improvement initiatives are evidence-based.

Skills

Operational Leadership

Financial Management

Excellent Communication

Problem Solving

Project Management

Education

Doctorate or equivalent level

Management qualification or equivalent experience

Job description

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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. Operational Leadership and Management

Lead and manage all services within the Care Group, ensuring efficient, high-quality patient care across multiple hospital sites.

Oversee the achievement of performance, quality, finance, and workforce KPIs.

Work closely with clinical and non-clinical teams to improve productivity, efficiency, and clinical quality.

2. Strategic Planning & Business Development

Contribute to the development and implementation of the Trust's vision and strategic priorities.

Lead the development of strategic and annual operating plans for Care Group services.

Formulate business cases for service and capital development, and lead capital expenditure plans.

3. Performance & Financial Management

Achieve and sustain all waiting time targets and patient standards.

Deliver a balanced budget, address underperformance, and ensure effective management of financial resources.

Develop a culture of performance management and improvement, holding others accountable for targets.

4. People Management & Leadership

Provide inspirational leadership, fostering a culture of openness, innovation, and improvement.

Maximise staff engagement, manage staffing levels, and ensure appropriate training and development.

Take full line management responsibility, including handling sickness, absence, grievances, and disciplinary issues.

5. Quality Improvement

Identify and implement benchmarking opportunities for improved productivity and clinical quality.

Ensure quality improvement initiatives are evidence-based and robustly evaluated.

6. Collaboration & Partnership

Work collaboratively with other Care Groups, clinicians, and external partners to improve patient pathways and service delivery.

Engage with commissioners, local authorities, health regulators, and other NHS Trusts.

7. Governance, Safety & Compliance

Ensure adherence to infection control, safeguarding, information governance, and health and safety standards.

Participate in governance activities to uphold the highest standards of care and business conduct.

Support the investigation of complaints and incidents, and chair hearings as appropriate.

8. Trust-wide Initiatives

Lead Trust-wide projects and participate in the Silver on-call rota.

Contribute to the overall improvement of patient care across Nottinghamshire and beyond.

Person specification

Training and Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Professional knowledge acquired through degree, supplemented by specialist training to doctorate or equivalent level, management qualification or equivalent experience.

Experience

Essential criteria

• Significant experience within the Healthcare sector at very senior manager level including responsibility for strategic planning and budgetary control for group of complex clinical care pathways
• Proven track record of achieving challenging healthcare targets

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge and experience of support services in general and the multi-professional teams within the Specialist Clinical Services portfolio

Analytical and Judgement Skills

Essential criteria

• Innovative thinker with the ability to cut through barriers to change with experience of leading and delivering significant programmes of change within an NHS setting
• Excellent problem‑solving skills including ability to critically analyse highly complex financial and clinical data sets and able to make appropriate judgements, using team

Communication

Essential criteria

• Excellent communications skills, written and oral with proven negotiating skills and ability to communicate in an emotive atmosphere
• Ability to build successful teams, influence and motivate staff
• Ability to work collaboratively with partner organisations with sensitivity to clinical and political demands

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

• Job Description (PDF, 305.2KB)
• Person Specification (PDF, 165.9KB)
• Key Information for Applicants (PDF, 63.6KB)
• Mindful Employer (PDF, 242.5KB)
• Equality and Diversity (PDF, 122.3KB)
• Equal Opportunities (PDF, 57.4KB)
• Disability Confidence Scheme (PDF, 51.0KB)
• Rehabilitation of Ex Offenders (PDF, 106.0KB)
• Application Process Booklet (PDF, 24.8MB)