Operational And Professional Lead

Devon Partnership Nhs Trust; Devon and Torbay; On-site; GBP 67,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

Devon Partnership NHS Trust TALKWORKS in Exeter seeks an Operational and Professional Lead to guide clinical teams across Exeter, East & Mid Devon and North Devon. You will drive high-quality NHS Talking Therapies services, lead on governance, quality improvement and workforce development while maintaining a small clinical caseload.

This is a senior, strategically focused role requiring robust change management, budget oversight, and collaboration with partners.

Qualifications

• Experience in senior NHS management roles.
• Masters degree in a psychological therapy field and UK registration.
• Accredited supervisor with BABCP or other professional body.
• Proven experience in managing budgets and service development.
• Experience delivering psychological therapies in mental health settings.

Responsibilities

• Manage Clinical Team Leads and ensure service delivery.
• Recruitment, appraisal, CPD and performance monitoring.
• Lead redesign projects and policy changes.
• Support NHS TT programme KPIs.
• Oversee governance, incidents, RCAs and learning.
• Provide clinical work with a small caseload.

Skills

Leadership

Communication skills

Budget management

Negotiation

Education

Masters degree in psychology or equivalent

Accredited supervisor (BABCP/UKCP/BACP)

Job description

Operational and Professional LeadAre you looking for a rewarding leadership opportunity within one of the UKs most respected mental health and learning disability Trusts? Would you like to play a key role in shaping high-quality NHS Talking Therapies services and making a positive difference to people across Devon? TALKWORKS, Devons NHS Talking Therapies Service, is a large, high-performing service with a strong commitment to evidence-based practice, clinical quality and continuous improvement. We have an exciting opportunity to join our senior leadership team as an Operational and Professional Lead. The post will provide leadership across the Exeter, East & Mid Devon and North Devon localities. We are looking for a motivated, dynamic and experienced professional with strong therapeutic knowledge, leadership experience and a commitment to delivering high-quality patient care. You will bring effective and compassionate leadership, supporting and empowering clinicians and team leaders to develop, thrive and deliver excellent services for the communities we serve.

Secondment Opportunity up until 30th September 2027

Closing date: 15 November 2026

Main duties of the job

• To manage and provide oversight for the Clinical Team Leads in their localities and to ensure the smooth running and effective delivery of services
• Managing senior staff, including recruitment, appraisal, CPD and Performance.
• Develop and lead redesign projects and coordinate the resulting work, proposing and implementing policy change and taking a lead in service redesign and quality improvement initiatives
• Support the development of improving performance to support the service meeting the NHS TT programme key performance indicators.
• To ensure that the service has clear governance frameworks in place and that these are being adhered to and assurance is being provided.
• Maintain an overview of all incidents, RCAs and complaints within the Service and ensure that these are reported and managed in a timely manner and that any learning is embedded within teams and shared across the Service for Learning
• Provide a lead for the service on safety management; supporting services and managers to ensure that robust safety management processes are in place
• Identify continuing professional development needs within the workforce to ensure a high standard of clinical delivery
• To maintain a small amount of direct clinical work

About us

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Details

• Date posted: 30 October 2026
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 8b
• Salary: £66,582 to £77,368 a year
• Contract: Secondment
• Duration: 10 months
• Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
• Reference number: C9369-26-0858

Job locations

• TALKWORKS, Elizabeth House, Emperor Way, Exeter Business Park, EXETER, EX1 3QS, United Kingdom
• TALKWORKS, 109 Boutport Street, BARNSTAPLE, Devon, EX31 1TD, United Kingdom

Communication and Working Relationship Skills

• The post holder will be required to communicate highly complex information, both verbally and in written format. This will include proposals, reports and presentations to audiences from front line clinical staff to Executive level, both within DPT, as well as externally related organisations.
• The role will involve the facilitation of change within and across organisational and professional boundaries and will require highly developed negotiation, facilitation, persuasion and reassurance skills appropriate to the level of understanding, responsibility, culture and background of the individual/group. This may involve chairing and conciliation.
• The role will require delegated investigation of complaints and performance issues and the communication of information/outcomes of patients, families and members of the management team, with support of the Service Manager.
• The post holder will need to manage conflict and obstacles to change by the formulation of strategies and processes to overcome such barriers, both within Services and Referrers.
• The post holder will ensure that the service demonstrates compliance with information sharing protocols, informed consent guidance and data protection by communication, interpreting and ensuring implementation by staff.
• In conjunction with operational/clinical managers for each team the post holder will be required to oversee robust systems of data collection and analysis, to ensure service monitoring is accurate and regularly reported, with the support from the Trust.
• The post holder will be required to assure statistics/data from a variety of sources and judge need for change. Assessing the impact of change to practice, service structure, or strategy taking into account conflicting information and views both internal and external and take action as appropriate, in consultation with the Service Manager.
• To manager and enable, in conjunction with key partners, the implementation of relevant strategies, protocols and pathways to ensure appropriate services development and delivery.
• To communicate in a highly skilled and sensitive manner with clients who may have specific difficulties in understanding and/or communicating and who may be hostile, antagonistic or emotional disturbed

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

• The post holder will be required to analyse complex statistics/data from a variety of sources and judge need for change. Assessing the impact of change to practice, service structure or strategy considering conflicting information and views both internal and external, and take action as appropriate.
• The post holder, with the Service Manager, will be required to implement robust systems for Performance management, data collection and analysis, ensuring that the full range of activity at a service level is accurately and regularly reported.
• The post holder will provide advice to the team managers on complex clinical decision making, using clinical judgement skills to enable safe and effective clinical decision making when it cannot be resolved at team level

Planning and Organisational Skills

• The post holder will convene and lead meetings and initiatives. The role will involve a broad range of complex activities: formulating, adjusting plans and strategies, developing service/business plans and be instrumental in-service staffing and service design
• The post holder, will undertake longer term planning to take account of workforce planning, development and modernisation in line with future service requirements and NHS TT expansion and development,
• The post holder should exercise independent judgement and make decisions required to resolve the most complex challenges in the context of both delivery and development of the service and exercise initiative to ensure the prompt resolution of issues relating to performance and delivery.
• The post holder will work closely with the Service Manager for the effective delivery of Governance across the services ensuring that clinical outcomes and DOH governances are adhered to at all times.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy

• The post holder will deliver direct clinical assessment and therapy, assessing and formulating treatment interventions for those requiring high intensity treatment and carry a small caseload
• To undertake risk assessment and risk management for individual clients and to provide advice to other senior clinicians and team leads on aspects of risk assessment and risk management
• To work within the parameters and protocols of the service as an autonomous professional practitioner with the responsibility for the assessment, treatment and discharge of clients
• The post holder is responsible for a range of projects and development programmes that support improvement in standards of care and treatment working closely with the Service Manager and the Clinical Team Leads, such as the development of care pathways.
• The role will have managerial responsibility for clinical governance in particular, complaints and serious untoward incidents.

Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Implementation

• The role will have delegated responsibility for policy implementation and service development for the service in line with Government, Trust and professional policy and guidelines such as Long-Term Plan/NICE requirements.
• The role will support the Service Manager for developing, proposing and implementing policies for service modernisation and expansion while continuing to deliver on key targets, ensuring staff involvement and policy development. This will be facilitated through the annual business planning cycle.
• The post holder will support and enable the development of a culture of evaluation, audit and research, ensuring services and reviewed, appraised critically, monitored and continuously improved within the framework of social and clinical governance.
• The post holder is accountable for their own professional actions, acting within Trusts policies and procedures and Professional Practice guidance

Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources

• To assist the Service Manager in the successful financial management of the Service by providing oversight of the team managers with budgets, developing and delivering cost improvement programmes, complying with all Trust financial rules, effectively managing charitable funds, recognising and balancing finance v quality/safety/efficiency.
• When required, the post holder will hold full budget holder responsibility
• Provide the Service Manager with information about risks to key performance targets and propose mitigating actions
• The post holder will be responsible for prioritising the use of available resources to deliver the highest standards of care and offering best value for money
• The post holder will ensure that teams have robust policies in place for the security, care and maintenance of equipment, ensuring value for money regarding replacement and usage of equipment.

Responsibility for Human Resources, e.g. Supervision, Training, HR Advice and Management

• The role requires day to day line management and leadership of senior management. This will include performance and objective setting, appraisal and assisting with personal development planning.
• Chairing appointment panels for senior clinical and managerial positions and implement Trust and national policies.
• The post holder will have senior responsibility with the Service Manager, for conflict resolution, including disciplinary and grievance handling in line with Trust policies.
• Responsible for the health and safety of all accountable staff, ensuring that staff within the service have robust policies in place for security, care and maintenance of equipment working within and ensuring standards of infection control and health and safety guidelines are understood and maintained.
• The post holder will work to identify training and CPD needs within the workforce to ensure a high quality of clinical delivery, that is effective and NICE compliant
• To contribute to the development and maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal and external CPD training and development programmes

Person Specification

Experience (Essential)

• Experience of a senior managerial role either within the NHS or a complex organisational environment
• Experience of wider Health and Social Care working
• Facilitation and implementation of change within an organisational setting
• Partnership working
• Developing patient care
• Substantial experience and management in psychological services
• Undertaking formal appraisals and developing staff Personal Development Plans
• Project management and service improvement
• Evaluating workforce business planning development and skill mix in addition to participating in recruitment and selection of staff
• Budget management, business planning
• Supporting the development of clinical governance strategy
• Developing, interpreting and implementing local service/Trust/National policies and using these to inform the strategic direction for teams/services.
• Experience of providing psychological therapy in mental health service settings and agencies, including primary care
• Experience of receiving and delivering clinical supervision

Qualifications (Essential)

• Educated to masters degree or equivalent in a specific psychological therapy and registered and accredited with an appropriate recognised professional body eg BABCP, UKCP, BACP
• Evidence of continued professional development
• Accredited supervisor with BABCP or other professional body
• Management and Clinical Supervision skills and experience

Qualifications (Desirable)

• Registered core Health Professional
• Management course

Knowledge (Essential)

• Experience and knowledge across a range of mental health services
• Excellent project management and leadership skills
• Sound academic knowledge and substantial clinical experience and management in the field of Evidence based psychological therapies

Skills & Abilities (Essential)

• Communication Skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• The ability to communicate and work effectively and cooperatively with a wide range of people from different backgrounds and view points
• Demonstrated developed representational, negotiating, facilitation and persuasion skills, expressing ideas clearly and succinctly in speech and writing.
• Demonstrates leadership in complex organisational circumstances, managing interface with other organisations and services.
• Demonstrates excellent ability in team leadership responsibilities inclusive of advanced staff supervision skills.
• Analytical & Judgemental Skills
• Demonstrate ability to negotiate, set and manage budgets and achieve financial targets
• Demonstrate excellent analytical, organisation and reflective practice skills.
• An understanding of clinical audit and clinical protocol development, applying the principles of research methodology.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details

• Employer name: Devon Partnership NHS Trust
• Address: TALKWORKS, Elizabeth House, Emperor Way, Exeter Business Park, EXETER, EX1 3QS, United Kingdom
• Employer's website: https://www.dpt.nhs.uk/
• Contact: Gemma Frisby, [e-mail], 03005553344