Job summary
We are seeking an experienced, visionary leader to join our Trust as Head of Operations for Adult Mental Health. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering high-quality care for adults across our inpatient and community services.
The postholder will support the Deputy Director to deliver the Trust's operational plan and strategic framework. The postholder will be responsible for the operational management of an agreed portfolio of services within the Mental Health & Learning Disability Care Group, ensuring effective and efficient use of allocated resources to provide a service organised around the needs of service users and our local communities.
This is a senior leadership role and the postholder will work in collaboration with the Heads of Professions and Corporate services to ensure effective performance of teams, high quality governance, workforce planning, emergency planning and on-going business development. The postholder will promote a culture of innovation, involvement and quality improvement.
Main duties of the job
Reporting to the Deputy Director of Operations and working closely with senior clinical and operational leaders, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across the adult mental health pathway including:
* Adult Mental Health Inpatient Services including acute, PICU and adult secure
* Acute Community Services including Psychiatric Liaison, First Response and Intensive Home Based Treatment
* Community Mental Health Services including CMHT, IOT, EIP, Peri-natal and IPS
Closing Date: 9th November 2025
Shortlisting Date: 10th November 2025
Interview Date: 21st November 2025
About us
Everything we do is underpinned by our core values:
* We Care - We act with respect and empathy, and always value difference
* We Listen - We understand people's views and respond to their individual needs
* We Deliver - We develop and provide excellent services and support our partners
We will consider a variety of flexible working arrangements to enable staff to balance their work and home lives and support staff by offering a fantastic range of benefits including increase mileage rates for > 3500, a wide range of health and wellbeing support packages, a range of internal and external development and learning opportunities, plus many more. We are also proud to pledge our support to the Armed Forces and hold a Bronze Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme. BDCFT is dedicated to environmental and social sustainability by delivering on the commitments within our Green Plan. All staff are actively encouraged and supported to participate in training and to identify and implement sustainable quality improvement across all service areas and activities.
The Trust reserves the right to close this position early if a significant number of applications are received. The postholder will work strategically across the local system, crossing organisational boundaries and unblocking traditional barriers to access, ensuring that keyworkers are embedded within the pathways across health, education and LA facilitating a keyworker for all children, young people and families that need it.
Details
Date posted: 21 October 2025
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8c
Salary: £76,965 to £88,682 a year per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 453-25-7553622
Job location: Lynfield Mount Hospital, Heights Lane, Daisy Hill, Bradford, BD9 6DP
Job responsibilities
* To provide operational management and leadership to an agreed portfolio of services within the Mental Health & Learning Disability Care Group with support from the Deputy Director, to deliver the operational plan and operate within a clear accountability framework
* Work with the Deputy Director to develop, implement and monitor quality and performance across services.
* Support the Deputy Director to identify and implement innovative solutions to address key Care Group issues.
* Lead on the delivery of actions that realise benefits in terms of sustainability and productivity.
* Implement corporate operational policies and provide daily, weekly and monthly reports to the senior leadership team and teams across the care group.
* Escalate exception reports to the Deputy Director and Senior Leadership Team for further support.
* Ensure services are provided in a safe and well governed way, ensuring risk management strategies are implemented and monitored including risk register maintenance and management of incidents.
* Ensure that successful clinical governance structures are embedded into the way the Trust delivers services to provide assurance about the quality of services and patient safety.
* Take a lead in area of responsibility for the management of Serious Incident investigations, complaints management and disciplinary investigations promoting a culture of continual learning and quality improvement
* Take a lead service wide for emergency planning and business continuity plans.
* Engage teams in understanding the Trust vision and Strategy and their role in achieving it
* Take a lead for your work area in delivering quality improvement processes.
* Ensure sound financial management of services through delegated budgets with support from the Deputy Director and finance team.
* Deliver high quality services and work with the Deputy Director and others to provide assurance that services meet the appropriate internal and national quality standards.
Right to Work in the UK
Applicants should be aware that for any individual who requires a visa to work in the UK, the Trust provides sponsorship for registered healthcare practitioner roles only. This is an essential requirement of the role, and the Trust is unable to offer you a role if you are unable to meet Trust requirements for sponsorship and Home Office requirements for a visa. Prior to appointment you will be asked to provide confirmation of your right to work and reside in the UK. During continued employment with the Trust, you have a personal responsibility to notify your manager as soon as possible should there be any changes to your right to work status. Failure to obtain or renew your visa in a timely manner is a breach of employment conditions and will result in termination of your employment.
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 to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled Worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.
Person Specification – Qualifications
* Essential: Relevant health or social care post graduate professional qualification
* Essential: Masters Level or equivalent experience
* Essential: Appropriate management and professional qualification or equivalent experience
* Desirable: Project management qualification or equivalent experience.
Person Specification – Experience
* Essential: Significant experience of operational service management at a senior level in community or inpatient services.
* Essential: Experience of leading the provision of clinical services.
* Essential: Experience of managing service budgets, contributing to strategic and operational business plans linked to a financial strategy
* Desirable: Specific operational experience in mental health and learning disability inpatient and services
Employer Details
Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust
Lynfield Mount Hospital, Heights Lane, Daisy Hill, Bradford, BD9 6DP
Website: https://www.bdct.nhs.uk/current-vacancies/
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