Strategic Leader, Community Services Operations

National health service; Oxford; On-site; GBP 63,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

Principal Medical Limited is seeking an experienced operations leader to oversee Community Services. The role focuses on delivering safe, contractually sound services with strong governance, performance management and cross-functional collaboration with Finance, People & Culture and clinical leads.

You will translate strategic priorities into actionable plans, ensure service continuity, and report progress to executive teams while managing workforce and cost considerations.

Qualifications

• Significant operational leadership experience in healthcare or equivalent.
• Proven ability to lead multiple services with governance scrutiny.
• Strong financial and commercial literacy including budgets, P&L, and contracts.
• Excellent people leadership and performance management experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day operational leadership across Community Services.
• Line manage service leads and ensure clear objectives, escalation routes and ownership.
• Maintain service continuity and resilience; escalate risks.
• Own the Community Services performance rhythm for monthly reporting to Exec and Board.
• Collaborate with Finance, People & Culture to track funded establishment and budgets.
• Support capacity planning, workforce constraints, and cost of delivery.
• Ensure workforce changes have clear role purpose, affordability, governance and implementation plans.
• Work with Finance to understand and explain the Community Services cost base.
• Help service leads understand contract requirements, activity assumptions and risks.
• Monitor performance against financial and operational targets; drive corrective actions.
• Lead development of priorities like neighbourhood integration and service assurance.
• Translate strategic priorities into implementation plans with governance.
• Represent PML in delegated operational discussions with commissioners.
• Work with Medical Director to ensure safe practice, escalation, safeguarding and governance.

Skills

Calm authority

Excellent communication

NHS commissioning

Education

NMC/GMC registration

Job description

Principal Medical Limited is seeking an experienced operations leader to oversee Community Services. The role focuses on delivering safe, contractually sound services with strong governance, performance management and cross-functional collaboration with Finance, People & Culture and clinical leads.

You will translate strategic priorities into actionable plans, ensure service continuity, and report progress to executive teams while managing workforce and cost considerations.