Operational Therapy Lead Paediatrics

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust; New Zealand; On-site; NZD 143,000 - 163,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Development opportunities

Employee assistance programme

Discounted gym membership

Onsite fitness classes

Car schemes

Job summary

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust seeks an ambitious Band 8a Operational Lead Therapist to lead Paediatric Therapy Services, providing operational and professional leadership to paediatric physiotherapy and occupational therapy teams across inpatient and outpatient settings.

You will work with multidisciplinary colleagues to deliver high-quality, child-centred care and drive service improvement.

Qualifications

• Experience as paediatric therapist with leadership responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Plan, coordinate, deliver, evaluate and manage Paediatric Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy services across inpatient and outpatient settings.
• Provide operational leadership for paediatric therapy services, ensuring safe, effective, child-centred care.
• Lead teams to deliver high-quality patient care and monitoring against standards.

Job description

Are you passionate about leading high-quality services for children and young people? We have an exciting opportunity for an ambitious and forward-thinking Band 8a Operational Lead Therapist to lead our Paediatric Therapy Services. As an experienced clinician and leader, you will provide operational and professional leadership to a team of paediatric therapists, fostering a culture of excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement. Working closely with multidisciplinary colleagues and key partners, you will ensure the delivery of responsive, high-quality services that place children, young people, and families at the heart of care. This is a unique opportunity to shape service delivery, support transformational change, and make a lasting impact on the lives of children and their families.

• To plan, coordinate, deliver, evaluate and manage Paediatric Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy services across inpatient and outpatient settings, working with the Business Unit General Manager and Professional Leads to achieve service delivery targets and strategic objectives.
• The post holder will provide operational leadership for paediatric therapy services, ensuring the provision of safe, effective, responsive and child-centred care for children and young people. The post holder will be responsible for service performance, workforce management, quality improvement, governance and service development whilst promoting integrated working across children's services and partner organisations.
• The post holder will act as a visible leader and role model, creating a culture that promotes innovation, service improvement, staff engagement and professional excellence.
• To ensure that Registered Health Professionals and relevant support staff are led, managed and developed in order that they deliver the highest standards of patient care.
• The Operational Team Leader is accountable through their teams for overseeing and monitoring quality and performance against professional and Trust standards.
• The Operational Team Leader will be required to represent their teams in a professional or managerial capacity.
• Closing date of applications: 24 November 2026 Interview date: 08 December 2026
• As a trusted organisation at the heart of our communities, we recognise the important role we can play in supporting the public, patients, our own people and local partners in achieving the best of health for the local population and the communities in which they live by providing Exceptional Care Together. Our fundamental Values of Compassion, Openness and Excellence underpin how we intend to work as a Trust and the associated behaviours are becoming embedded in all aspects of how we work. In return we will offer:
• In return we will offer:
  • Development opportunities, both professional and leadership development
  • On-going support from recruitment to when you join our team and beyond.
  • Staff benefits including employee assistance programme, discounted gym membership, onsite fitness classes, car schemes
• Key Facts:
  • We see on average 4810 OP appointments a day.
  • We are the 4thbusiest Trauma & Orthopaedic outpatients department in England - an average of 2077 per week.
  • An average of 1115 patients are seen in A&Es across our network every day - 3rd largest in the country.
  • Our hospitals admit an average of 195 emergency patients daily.
  • Last year we undertook almost 33,700 planned surgical operations in our 57 operating theatres.
  • We are one of only 7 Trusts nationally with more than 50 operating theatres.
  • We carry out more than 140 elective procedures each working day.
  • UHDB is a research active University Hospital with a large and varied portfolio of clinical trials and research opportunities for all staff.