Overview
We are looking for an individual who is an existing Chief Operating Officer, or a Deputy Chief Operating Officer in an equivalent Organisation. This is a six month secondment opportunity, start date to be agreed (ASAP/October).
As an Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of one of the largest NHS Trusts in the country, the post holder will be responsible for leadership and delivery of the Trust's operational services, ensuring high quality care and delivery of performance standards are achieved through our Clinical Service Units.
You will be a key member of the Executive team, have the ability to build credibility with, inspire confidence and demonstrably influence staff at all levels from ward to Board. You will contribute to The Leeds Way; a culture which is patient centred, empowers staff, promotes personal accountability, is fair and collaborative and delivers continuous improvement via the Leeds Improvement Method.
Main duties
* Ensure excellence in delivery of the operational services for our patients
* Deliver mandated operational performance standards for our patients in line with regulatory requirements
* Provide clear leadership, guidance and support to the Clinical Service Units, within a clear and effective accountability framework to deliver the annual operational plan
* Work in collaboration with partners across Leeds and West Yorkshire to ensure high quality and sustainable services for our patients
* Named Board lead for business continuity and Emergency Preparedness
About us
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the largest and busiest acute hospital trusts in the country, a regional and national centre for specialist treatment, a renowned biomedical research facility, and the local hospital for the Leeds community. We treat 1.5 million patients every year, including more than 200,000 emergency patients. We spend over £1.9bn of NHS money, treating illness and disease in Leeds and on specialised services for people across Yorkshire and the Humber and nationally. Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying "at risk" members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. Please note the advertisement may close earlier should a sufficient number of applications be received.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals is committed to our process of redeploying "at risk" members of our existing workforce to new roles. As such, all our job adverts are subject to this policy and we reserve the right to close, delay or remove adverts while this process is completed. If you do experience a delay in the shortlisting stage of the recruitment cycle, please bear with us while this process is completed, and contact the named contact if you have any questions.
Details
Date posted: 26 August 2025
Pay scheme: Very senior manager (VSM)
Salary: Depending on experience, Spot Salary
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 6 months
Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
Reference number: C9298-COO-0088
Job locations: St. James's University Hospital, Beckett Street, Leeds, LS9 7TF
Job description
Please see supporting documents for full Job Description with further information on requirements of the role, the department and workflows and full person specification.
Person Specification
Experience – Essential
* Demonstrable and successful recent experience and achievement at Board Director level or equivalent in a similarly complex organisation or system, ideally within an acute provider.
* Experienced, compassionate and inclusive leader with significant operational experience and responsibility for meeting a wide range of service and business performance targets.
* Proven track record of outstanding leadership in service delivery and innovation in healthcare.
* Proven experience of effective demand and capacity planning.
* Experience of business continuity and emergency preparedness planning and implementation.
* Track record of leading successful change programmes, including service improvement, cultural change, outcome improvement and cost efficiency.
* Demonstrable experience of developing relationships into productive partnerships, cross boundary working and working with stakeholders at all levels to achieve system and organisational excellence.
* Extensive record of successful workforce, financial and resource management, ensuring high performance and holding individuals to account.
* Demonstrable experience of using data to lead improvement.
* Track record of building high performing, cohesive teams and inspiring others to achieve excellence.
* Track record of proactively managing performance.
Skills & behaviours – Essential
* Excellent interpersonal skills and significant personal credibility.
* Aligned to the Leeds Way values, behaviours and Nolan Principles of public life.
* Demonstrable commitment to promoting and celebrating equality and diversity in the workplace and in service delivery.
* Facilitative, collaborative and inclusive management style.
* Committed to the ethical standards expected of public sector leaders in the UK, including fit and proper persons test.
* Working with others to improve and enhance the patient experience and services across the organisation and the system, balancing a bias to action.
* Resilient and determined to overcome challenges, recover from setbacks, and demonstrable persistence to deliver strategic objectives.
* Passionate about high quality patient care and delivering outstanding outcomes.
* Strategic thinker with highly developed influencing, persuasion and negotiation skills and using them to bring about change and develop services, standards and systems.
* Resilient under pressure and calm in a crisis.
* Committed to a culture of continuous improvement, and learning
Qualifications – Essential
* Educated to Masters level in relevant discipline
Desirable
* MBA (Desirable)
Disclosures
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.
Employer details
Employer name: Leeds Teaching Hospitals
Address: St. James\'s University Hospital, Beckett Street, Leeds, LS9 7TF
Employer's website: https://www.leedsth.nhs.uk/
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