Operational Team Leader - Community Team

St Gemma’s Hospice; Leeds; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

St Gemma's Hospice in Leeds is seeking an experienced Operational Team Leader to oversee our Community Specialist Palliative Care Team. You will ensure safe, responsive and person-centred care while coordinating referrals, caseloads and staffing to meet patient needs across Leeds.

You will lead clinically, support workforce planning and foster a positive, inclusive working environment that promotes continuous improvement and high standards of practice.

Qualifications

• Current NMC registration as an Adult Nurse.
• Post-registration qualification in palliative or end of life care, or equivalent knowledge.
• Significant experience in palliative care, oncology or community nursing.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day leadership and operational oversight of our Community Specialist Palliative Care Team.
• Coordinate referrals, caseload prioritisation, staffing deployment and capacity management.
• Identify risks, escalate issues and monitor service performance and quality improvement.
• Support line management and professional development of Senior Clinical Nurse Specialists.

Skills

NMC registration

Leadership

Clinical decision-making

Managing staff

Driving licence

Education

Post-registration qualification in palliative/end of life care

Job description

Operational Team Leader - Community Team

About the RoleAs Operational Team Leader, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the delivery of safe, responsive, equitable and person-centred specialist palliative care within the community.You will lead the effective coordination and operational management of the service, overseeing:Referral management and triage processesCaseload oversight and clinical prioritisationStaffing deployment and capacity managementRisk identification and escalationService performance and quality improvementYou will provide line management and professional support to our Senior Clinical Nurse Specialists, promoting consistent leadership, high standards of practice and a culture of continuous improvement.Working clinically and collaboratively with colleagues across St Gemma's Hospice and the wider Leeds health and care system, you will help develop integrated pathways, implement service priorities and support innovative approaches to meeting the needs of patients and families.You will also contribute to workforce planning, staff development and the creation of a positive, inclusive and psychologically safe working environment where colleagues feel valued and supported.

Main duties of the job

At St Gemma's Hospice, we are passionate about providing outstanding specialist palliative and end of life care for patients and those important to them. We are seeking a compassionate, confident and experienced Operational Team Leader to provide day-to-day leadership and operational oversight of our Community Specialist Palliative Care Team.This is an exciting opportunity to influence and shape a developing community service while making a meaningful difference to patients, families, carers and colleagues across Leeds.

About us

About St Gemmas HospiceSt Gemmas Hospice is an independent charity and one of the UKs leading hospices. Since opening in Moortown, Leeds in 1978, we have provided expert palliative and end of life care to people with life-limiting and terminal illnesses, as well as support for their families and carers.We care for people on our In-Patient Unit, through our Out-Patient services and in peoples own homes across Leeds and we are rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission.We are also a teaching hospice and work with the University of Leeds. We lead in research and education through our Academic Unit of Palliative Care, training healthcare professionals and hosting students.Our staff and volunteers work across our four-acre Moortown site, our retail hub, our charity shops and the community. Our work is guided by our values: Caring, Aspiring and Professional.Why work for us?A caring and friendly place to work, with a focus on staff wellbeingGenerous benefitsAn employee assistance programme, including a confidential 24/7 helplineClinical supervision for staff in qualifying clinical rolesFunding for external training and conferences, plus access to our Academic Unit of Palliative CareWe are a Disability Confident employer and are committed to equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion.

Job responsibilities

At St Gemma's Hospice, we are passionate about providing outstanding specialist palliative and end of life care for patients and those important to them. We are seeking a compassionate, confident and experienced

Job description

Job responsibilities

At St Gemma's Hospice, we are passionate about providing outstanding specialist palliative and end of life care for patients and those important to them. We are seeking a compassionate, confident and experienced Operational Team Leader to provide day-to-day leadership and operational oversight of our Community Specialist Palliative Care Team.

This is an exciting opportunity to influence and shape a developing community service while making a meaningful difference to patients, families, carers and colleagues across Leeds.

About the Role

As Operational Team Leader, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the delivery of safe, responsive, equitable and person-centred specialist palliative care within the community.

You will lead the effective coordination and operational management of the service, overseeing:

• Referral management and triage processes
• Caseload oversight and clinical prioritisation
• Staffing deployment and capacity management
• Risk identification and escalation
• Service performance and quality improvement

You will provide line management and professional support to our Senior Clinical Nurse Specialists, promoting consistent leadership, high standards of practice and a culture of continuous improvement.

Working clinically and collaboratively with colleagues across St Gemma's Hospice and the wider Leeds health and care system, you will help develop integrated pathways, implement service priorities and support innovative approaches to meeting the needs of patients and families.

You will also contribute to workforce planning, staff development and the creation of a positive, inclusive and psychologically safe working environment where colleagues feel valued and supported.

About You

We are looking for a visible, compassionate and inclusive leader who can balance operational demands with excellent clinical practice.

You will be confident supporting complex clinical decision-making, managing competing priorities and using service information and data to identify risks, inform decisions and improve patient care.

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• Current NMC registration as an Adult Nurse
• A post-registration qualification in palliative or end of life care, or equivalent knowledge and experience
• Significant recent experience in palliative care, oncology or community nursing
• Significant experience working at Band 6 level or above (or equivalent)
• Experience of leading, managing and developing clinical staff, including supervision, appraisals, performance management and staff development
• Experience of operational management within a clinical service, balancing caseloads, capacity, staffing and clinical demand
• Excellent communication, influencing and interpersonal skills
• The ability to manage challenging conversations with sensitivity and professionalism
• A non-medical prescribing qualification
• A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle for work-related travel

Experience of community-based service delivery and an understanding of neighbourhood health models and integrated community working would be advantageous.

Why Join St Gemma's?

Our Community Team plays a vital role in supporting patients and those important to them beyond the Hospice walls. Working across Leeds, we provide expert clinical advice, practical support and compassionate care in patients' own homes and through our outpatient services.

At the heart of our approach is taking the time to listen, understand what matters most to each individual and tailor support around their priorities and wishes. Through specialist knowledge, guidance and reassurance, we help people navigate the physical, emotional, social and spiritual challenges associated with serious and life-limiting illness.

Joining our Community Team means becoming part of a collaborative, multidisciplinary service where your expertise will help make a real difference to people across Leeds every day.

Closing Date:

Sunday 8th November 2026

Interview:

w/c 16th November 2026

We encourage early applications and reserve the right to invite suitable candidates to interview before the closing date. We may also close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• NMC Registered Adult Nurse with current NMC registration.
• Post registration qualification in palliative / end of life care, or able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge and experience.
• Evidence of relevant continuing professional and leadership / management development.
• Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle for work-related travel.

Experience

• Significant recent post-registration experience in palliative care, oncology or community nursing, including significant experience working at Band 6 or above, equivalent.
• Experience of leading and developing clinical staff, including supervision, performance management, appraisal and staff development.
• Experience of operationally managing a clinical service, including competing priorities relating to caseload, capacity, staffing and clinical demand.

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.