Head of Operations

Royal College of Nursing; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & wellbeing programme

Hybrid working

Annual leave up to 32 days + holidays

Job summary

Royal College of Nursing is seeking a Head of Operations for the West Midlands Region in Birmingham. The role combines strategic leadership with hands-on people management to deliver exceptional member support, advocacy and union services across the region.

You will lead Senior Officers, drive recruitment and engagement, promote inclusive leadership, and work across departments to ensure high quality service. Hybrid working, 35 hours per week, permanent, with a salary in the advertised range.

Qualifications

• Experience in operational leadership within healthcare.
• Understanding of equality, diversity and fair workplace practice.
• Commitment to trade union values and protecting workers’ rights.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop Senior RCN Officers and oversee reps and activists.
• Champion integrated working across departments to ensure a seamless service for members.
• Ensure exceptional member advice, support and representation across the region.
• Drive recruitment, retention and engagement of members and activists in the West Midlands.

Job description

Head of Operations, RCN England, West Midlands Region

Birmingham Office with hybrid working, 35 hours, Permanent

Salary range £84,489 - £94,857 per annum

There is more to the RCN than you might think. We’re a professional organisation and trade union with a membership of over half a million nurses, midwives, nursing support workers and students. We support their practice, represent them, lobby on their behalf, and develop them. We exist to make a positive difference to the working lives of our members and ultimately to standards in patient care.

Our employees are drawn from many walks of life – we are nurses, marketers and communicators, administrators, IT professionals, policy and finance experts, lawyers… together we are so much more. We couldn’t do what we do without our people.

Our people are our greatest asset, and we want people who can contribute to our purpose in line with our values.

The role

As our Head of Operations for the West Midlands Region, you’ll bring energy, positivity and strong leadership to support and guide our local team. You’ll champion truly integrated working across the professional and trade union elements of the RCN, collaborating closely with colleagues across departments to ensure a seamless and high‑quality service for members.

As a core member of the Regional Management Team, you’ll play a vital role in shaping and delivering the region’s services. You’ll ensure that members receive exceptional advice, support and representation, while modelling inclusive leadership and driving our commitment to challenge discrimination wherever it occurs.

You’ll lead and develop our Senior RCN Officers and oversee the work and growth of our reps and activists. Working with fellow regional leaders, you’ll help drive member and activist recruitment, retention and engagement across the West Midlands.

Every day will bring new opportunities to support, coach and strengthen your team. While championing the needs of our existing members, you’ll also recognise the potential of new ones—bringing fresh ideas, insight and innovation to help us grow and extend our reach.

The person

As an experienced operational leader, you’ll bring a solid understanding of contemporary nursing and the wider health and social care landscape. You’ll also have a strong grasp of best practice in employment matters, including equality, diversity, human rights and fair workplace practice.

Central to your success will be your ability to build effective professional relationships and foster genuine collaboration across teams and departments.

A commitment to trade union values and to protecting and advancing workers’ rights is essential. Equally important is your personal dedication to promoting and embedding equity, diversity and inclusion in everything you do.

At the Royal College of Nursing, we achieve our best when we think bigger, better and brighter. Bring that mindset, and together we’ll make anything possible.

What we offer you

We expect you to look after our members. And we expect you to be rewarded for it. We offer an impressive range of benefits, a broad range of learning development opportunities and an award-winning health and wellbeing programme. We offer annual leave up to 32 days plus bank holidays and three additional days for the Christmas break plus generous maternity, adoption, paternity, and shared parental leave packages.

*We offer a competitive pay structure with annual pay progression until you reach the top of the salary scale. We normally offer new employees the first point of the salary range, although you may be able to negotiate a higher starting salary depending on your skills, experience and current salary.

We’re a diverse organisation, and we recognise that people work best in different ways. Many of our colleagues benefit from flexible working arrangements that help them deliver great results while maintaining a healthy work–life balance.

Our hybrid working model allows you to work from home for up to 60% of your time. The remaining 40% will be spent working in person—whether at the Regional Office, other RCN locations, or out in the region with our members and key stakeholders.

Equal opportunities for everyone

Equity, diversity and inclusion are a priority for us and we aim to foster an inclusive environment so our people can bring their authentic selves to work. This is integral to our mission to enable you to support our members and ensure their voice is heard by all UK governments to get the best outcomes for them and their patients.

As proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme we actively encourage applications from people with disabilities.

Recruitment Timeline

• Closing Date: 21 September 2026 at 11:59


• Shortlisting: 24 September 2026


• Assessment & Interview in Birmingham: 5 October 2026

If we receive many applications after a week of advertising, we may close this vacancy earlier.

Contact details

For more information or for an informal discussion about the role please contact the Regional Admin team on 0121 4504 300, to book a call with Sarah Dodsworth, Regional Director. Or email [e-mail] to request a call. For more information about the recruitment and selection process please contact [e-mail]