Head of Operations - Adult Mental Health Pathway

NHS; Baildon; On-site; GBP 76,000 - 89,000; Full time

Job summary

A reputable healthcare organization in England is seeking a Senior Leader to oversee the Adult Mental Health Pathway. Responsible for ensuring effective services, you will collaborate across departments to promote quality improvement and operational efficiency. Candidates should have significant experience in service management, relevant qualifications, and a passion for healthcare delivery. The position offers a full-time, permanent role with a competitive salary package.

Benefits

Increased mileage rates for > 3500

Health and wellbeing support packages

Development and learning opportunities

Qualifications

• Significant experience of operational service management at a senior level.
• Experience in community or inpatient services management.
• Expertise in leading the provision of clinical services.

Responsibilities

• Develop and monitor quality and performance across services.
• Escalate issues for timely delivery of objectives.
• Manage risk strategies and ensure compliance.

Skills

Operational service management

Leading clinical services

Managing service budgets

Education

Relevant health or social care post graduate qualification

Masters Level or equivalent experience

Management qualification or equivalent experience

Job description

Job Summary

The successful postholder will support the Deputy Director to deliver the Trust's Strategy and Operational Plan. You will be accountable for the operational management and oversight of the Adult Mental Health Pathway within the Mental Health Care Group. This includes:

• Adult Community Mental Health Services
• Adult Acute Community Mental Health Services
• Adult Mental Health Inpatient Services

You will be responsible for ensuring effective and efficient use of allocated resources to provide services organised around the needs of service users and our local communities.

This is a senior leadership role and the postholder will work in collaboration with the Heads of Professions and Corporate Business Partners to ensure effective performance of teams, high quality governance, workforce planning, emergency planning and ongoing business development. You will promote a culture of innovation, involvement and quality improvement.

Main Duties of the Job

• Develop, implement and monitor quality and performance across services.
• Ensure issues are escalated appropriately where required, for support and action to ensure timely delivery of objectives.
• Identify and implement innovative solutions to address key Care Group issues.
• Lead on the delivery of actions that realise benefits in terms of sustainability and productivity.
• Implement corporate operational policies and provide daily, weekly and monthly reports to the senior leadership team and teams across the care group to provide assurance of compliance.
• Ensure services are provided in a safe and well governed way, ensuring risk management strategies are implemented and monitored including risk register maintenance and management of incidents.

About Us

Everything we do is underpinned by our core values:

• We Care – We act with respect and empathy, and always value difference
• We Listen – We understand people's views and respond to their individual needs
• We Deliver – We develop and provide excellent services and support our partners

We will consider a variety of flexible working arrangements to enable staff to balance their work and home lives and support staff by offering a fantastic range of benefits including:

• Increase mileage rates for > 3500
• A wide range of health and wellbeing support packages
• A range of internal and external development and learning opportunities
• Plus many more.

We are also proud to pledge our support to the Armed Forces and hold a Bronze Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.

BDCFT is dedicated to environmental and social sustainability by delivering on the commitments within our Green Plan. All staff are actively encouraged and supported to participate in training and to identify and implement sustainable quality improvement across all service areas and activities.

Person Specification

Essential Qualifications

• Relevant health or social care post graduate professional qualification
• Masters Level or equivalent experience
• Appropriate management and professional qualification or equivalent experience

Desirable Qualifications

• Project management qualification or equivalent experience.

Essential Experience

• Significant experience of operational service management at a senior level in community or inpatient services.
• Experience of leading the provision of clinical services.
• Experience of managing service budgets, contributing to strategic and operational business plans linked to a financial strategy

Desirable Experience

• Specific operational experience in mental health and learning disability inpatient and services

Right to Work and Sponsorship

Please read the attached job description and person specification for further details about this role.

Right to Work in the UK

Prior to your appointment you will be asked to provide confirmation of your right to work and reside in the UK. During your continued employment with the Trust, it is your personal responsibility to notify your manager as soon as possible should there be any changes to your right to work status.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled Worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement.

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.

Employment Details

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 8c

Salary: £76,965 to £88,682 a year per annum

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-time

Reference number: 453-25-7639319

Job locations

• Trust HQ – New Mill, Victoria Street, Saltaire, BD183LD

Closing Information

Closing Date: 8th December 2025

Shortlisting Date: 9th December 2025

Interviews Date: 19th December 2025

Details Date posted: 27 November 2025

Employer Details

Employer name: Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address: Trust HQ, New Mill, Victoria Street, Saltaire, BD183LD

Employer's website: https://www.bdct.nhs.uk/current-vacancies/