University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
Deputy Chief Operating Officer
Closing date: 10 May 2026
We are looking for a Deputy Chief Operating Officer who will help us break new ground, drive transformation, and deliver high‑quality care across our three hospital sites.
Main duties of the job
The role sits at the operational centre of UHD. You will be accountable for performance, flow, and the delivery of safe, high‑quality care across our sites.
* Operational delivery across all three hospital sites, setting the standard and holding it
* Urgent and emergency care performance and system resilience
* Rapid, decisive responses to operational pressure calmly and clear on priorities
* Care group accountability and alignment, driving consistency without stifling clinical leadership
* Trust‑wide performance against national standards
About us
Our £500m investment programme is reshaping our infrastructure, digital capability and clinical models. The Deputy COO is central to translating strategic ambition into operational reality at pace.
* Trust‑wide pathway redesign rethinking how care flows
* Integrated care models across Dorset ICB beyond organisational boundaries
* Step‑change performance in flow, access and emergency care
* Modern, digitally‑enabled operations fit for the future
Job responsibilities
As Deputy COO you will embed improvement into daily operations, make data meaningful at ward level and hold the organisation to a standard that does not drift when things get hard.
* Operational teams empowered to lead improvement
* Data that drives decisions, not just fills dashboards
* Frontline voices shaping the operational agenda from ward to board room
* A culture where accountability is clear, learning is real and standards do not slip
Beyond the hospital, you will be a credible, active partner shaping how care flows across boundaries, how pressure is managed collectively, and how the system moves forward together.
* Dorset ICB turning strategy into system reality
* Local authorities and community services
* Primary Care Partners and voluntary sector
* SWAST, SCAST and emergency care partners
* Acute, community and mental health providers for integrated delivery
Person Specification
Senior NHS operational leadership
* First degree or appropriate level of senior managerial experience
* Significant experience in redesigning urgent and emergency care pathways, patient flow optimisation or SDEC development
Delivery of large‑scale service change
* Successful oversight of large budgets and complex financial recovery or efficiency programmes
* Ability to anticipate and respond to system‑level challenges, balancing strategic and operational priorities
* Participation in national leadership development programmes (e.g., Nye Bevan, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson)
* Experience leading operational delivery across multiple hospital sites or complex multi‑location services
* Desire to contribute to long‑term strategic development – not just operational delivery
* Fundamentally demonstrates examples of how to deliver services in different ways
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.
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