Director of Operations

Overview

We are seeking a highly motivated strategic leader to join the senior leadership team within one of our five clinical divisions. Division D encompasses a diverse and complex portfolio, including Neurosciences, EPOV (Ear, Nose and Throat, Head & Neck, Plastics, Oral/Maxillofacial, Vascular Surgery), and CDG-MODEL (Cardiology, Dermatology, Medical Genetics, Metabolic Medicine, Obesity, Diabetes/Endocrinology and Lipids). This is a fantastic opportunity to influence how care is provided now and in the future, driving performance, transformation and innovation.

In this role you will operationally lead the services within the division, empowering the workforce to deliver safe and effective patient centric care. With a proven track record in compassionately leading in large and complex operational services, you will focus on the design and delivery of the Division's strategic vision with a real commitment to continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Your role will be to direct and facilitate the operational performance of the Division as a complex business including the delivery of high quality patient care, corporate and clinical governance, patient safety, clinical quality and delivery of operational and financial targets.

As a member of the Divisional leadership team (Divisional 'Board') you will lead the business and strategic planning including shaping and implementing the Trust's corporate objectives within the Division with the Divisional Director.

You will enable, challenge and support Clinical Directors to deliver the operational performance and development of their Clinical Directorate within resource constraints (including operational management, nursing, finance and HR).

Deputise for the Divisional Director on divisional matters and provide strong visible leadership for the entire Division.

In partnership with the Divisional Director, build capability and be responsible for performance across the division.

Provide operational leadership to the Divisional Nurse with the professional oversight of the Chief Nurse.

About us

Our Trust

Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust comprises Addenbrooke's Hospital and the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge. With over 13,000 staff and over 1100 beds the priorities of the Trust focus on a quality service which is all about people - patients, staff and partners. Recognised as providing 'outstanding' care to our patients and rated 'Good' overall by the Care Quality Commissioner, is testament to the skill and dedication of the people who work here. CUH's values - Together - Safe, Kind, Excellent - are at the heart of patient care, defining the way all staff work and behave. The Trust provides accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge, together with specialist services, dealing with rare or complex conditions for a regional, national and international population.

CUH is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves. We value our differences and fully advocate and support an inclusive working environment where every individual can fulfil their potential. We want to ensure our people are truly representative of all the communities that we serve. We welcome applications for all positions in the organisation irrespective of people's age, disability, ethnicity, race, nationality, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity status or social economic background.

Job responsibilities

Please see the attached Applicant Information Pack (combined Job Description and Person Specification) for key duties and responsibilities.

Due to Home Office immigration rules, a full time permanent vacancy cannot be filled by individuals on a Student visa. Therefore, please be advised that if you are a Student visa holder, we will not be able to offer you a full time permanent contract unless you have:- applied for a Graduate visa- or you will have successfully completed your course and have applied for a Graduate visa before the anticipated start date of your employment- or the Trust has agreed that they will Sponsor you as a Skilled Worker and you will complete your studies within 3 months of the anticipated start date of employment

For NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough based roles, all applicants from NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough who have identified that they are at risk of redundancy will be prioritised over those not at risk. However, interviews cannot be guaranteed.

This vacancy will close at midnight on 27th October 2025.

Benefits to you

At Cambridge University Hospitals, we want to do all we can to support good working days. We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits, including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse and day nurseries. Our good work programme currently includes providing reduced cost Stagecoach bus travel to and from Cambridge University Hospital site. Park and Ride bus journeys between Babraham Road and Trumpington sites are free, as is the route to and from Cambridge train station and our hospitals. We also subsidise the cost of parking on site for eligible staff.

On CUH campus, hot food is available 24/7 and at a reduced cost for colleagues. Recently we launched the first of our staff pod break spaces. Located in the Deakin Centre, we have a purpose-created colleague-only caf, with free tea and coffee, a break space and private outside area for colleagues to rest, refuel and recharge. Just one of the ways we are working hard to support good working days at CUH.

CUH is committed to assisting employees in achieving a good work-life balance irrespective of role or personal circumstances. Flexible arrangements may include, but are not limited to, part-time working, job-share, term-time working and flexible start and finish times.

Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.

We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.

Person Specification

Qualifications

- Degree or equivalent professional qualification
- Evidence of Continuous Professional Development
- Relevant professional registration

Experience

- Substantial experience of managing a large, complex health, social or similar service
- Success in working collaboratively with senior clinicians across multi-disciplinary professions and services
- Demonstrable success in instigating/leading and managing change
- Commissioning and service planning of a range of services
- Capacity management experience
- Budget management of significant size and complexity across large numbers of specialties
- Implications of tariff, PBR and block contracts in commissioning
- HR management including using capability and disciplinary process's and termination of contracts
- Demonstrable experience of performance management and meeting key targets
- Primary care/secondary interface experience
- Planning and leading long term strategic change across multiple specialities
- Working constructively with internal and external partners to create successful collaboration
- Experience of several areas of specialism
- Experience of dealing with 3rd Sector

Knowledge

- Clinical and corporate governance
- The NHS and DH agendas and their consequences
- The importance of successful working partnership
- Principles of lifelong learning
- Professional education and training
- Workforce planning, recruitment and retention and staff development including appraisals and performance management
- Patient and public involvement
- Innovative approaches to patient care
- Multiagency working at strategic level and good interaction with community services and third sector providers
- Working knowledge of some of the specialties

Skills

- Leadership and ability to motivate and empower others. Positive and effective team worker
- Excellent communication skills at all levels of the organisation including: strong liaison and negotiation skills, writing and presentation skills.
- Influencing clinicians and managers for service improvement Computer literacy
- Ability to manage risks and SIs
- Ability to prioritise work, meet tight deadline and work independently
- Excellent interpersonal skills, judgement and analytical skills and conflict resolution skills
- Patient focused approach
- Able to translate complex, sensitive issues and problems into plans which are clearly articulated and understandable to others
- Able to deliver flexible and creative solutions to difficult problems and challenges
- Analyse, present and tailor complex data and information to a wide range of audiences
- Transformation and CIP
- Demonstrable political judgement and astuteness in working with complex policy and diverse interest groups
- Working at a very senior level with multi-disciplinary groups
- Intellectually flexible to work beyond existing structures and ways of working to deliver effective services
- Lead redesign of services
- Lead change through the senior clinical forums with clear priorities and delivery

Additional Requirements

- Ability to prioritise own and others workload effectively to manage to tight deadlines whilst managing conflicting priorities
- Work autonomously as well as part of a team
- Flexibility in work prioritisation
- Resilience in a challenging environment and in the face of conflict
- Loyalty and professionalism with regard to the team and the organisation
- Able to take on management of the operational requirements of the Trust leading silver command
- Willingness to work anywhere in the Trust and to travel, on occasions, within the region and nationally
- The ability to understand and behave at all times, towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of safe, kind and excellent. This behaviour is outlined on the final page of this person specification.
- Ability to work flexible hours
- Experience of silver command, major, critical incidents

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.

Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

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