Job overview
Do you have Substantial experience managing health and social care staff,building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholder?
Do you have substantial experience of directly leading substantial change?
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust seeks two strategic leaders to head either Adult & Older Adult Mental Health (AMH/OAMH) or Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Oxfordshire. These career-defining roles offer the chance to lead transformational change in a Trust known for innovation, collaboration, and compassionate care.
The Heads of Service will shape the future of mental health services by leading change, empowering teams, influencing strategy, and driving service development aligned with local and national priorities. They will oversee either AMH/OAMH or CAMHS pathways, uphold Trust values, and manage governance across quality, safety, finance, HR, and performance. Collaboration with other service leads and support teams is essential to meet strategic goals.
You will be an experienced operational leader seeking growth. Key qualities include adaptability, strong partnership skills, and a commitment to improving mental health outcomes across health, social care, and VCSE sectors—even in challenging contexts.
Main duties of the job
The key responsibilities of the role can be summarised as strategy, policy, and delivery in the following domains:
* Quality
* Workforce
* Finance
* Performance
* Strategic change
* Stakeholder engagement/partnership
The Head of Service will own these domains within reporting service(s) as well as being expected to contribute significantly to the Directorate-wide approach across them.
The Head of Service will use all reasonable endeavours to ensure that reporting service(s) comply with the five CQC domains:
* Safe: people are protected from abuse and avoidable harm
* Effective: people’s care, treatment and support achieve good outcomes, promotes a good quality of life, and is based on the best available evidence Caring: the service(s) involves and treats people with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect Responsive: service(s) meet people’s needs
* Well led: leadership, management and governance assure the delivery of high-quality and person-centred care, supports learning and innovation, and promotes an open and fair culture.
Full details can be found at the CQC website by clicking on the key lines of enquiry for healthcare services section.
Please refer to the job description attached for a comprehensive list of duties
Working for our organisation
Oxford Health is a great place to work. To be able to showcase yourself when making an application you are encouraged to read the “candidate guide to making an application” which is attached to all roles.
Please include details of qualifications (including years these were gained particularly if we need to assess for clinical roles that these are still valid) and tailor your supporting statement to the role you are applying for, addressing the essential criteria found in the JD.
As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people’s homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who or where you are, you will receive: “Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team”
Our values are: “Caring, safe and excellent”
We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing:
* Excellent opportunities for career progression
* Individual and Trust wide learning and development
* 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
* NHS Discount
* Pension scheme
* Lease car scheme
* Employee Assistance Programme
* Mental Health First Aiders
* Staff accommodation (waiting lists may apply)
* Staff networking and support groups
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the “supporting statement” element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.
The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview, and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
* Educated to Master’s degree level or equivalent professional experience
* Evidence of continuing professional development
Desirable criteria
* Participation in a relevant NHS Senior Management Development Programme
Occupational Experience
Essential criteria
* Substantial experience managing health and social care staff. To include a range of knowledge base and experience of how to maximise peoples skills.
* Extensive experience of the development of good relationships across a range of key stakeholders
* Substantial experience of directly leading substantial change.
Additional Experience
Essential criteria
* In depth understanding of the NHS and/or public services and the likely changes over the next few years
* Recognises the value and need to work collaboratively across the local health and social care economy
* Good level of knowledge of commissioning – the split between CCG and other commissioning roles.
* Good level of knowledge of Business Intelligence and how & when it should be used in everyday service delivery - how it should be developed as part of transformation
* Evidence of continuing professional development
Documents to Download
* JD&PS (PDF, 251.5KB)
* Guidance Notes for Candidates Applying for a job at OHFT (PDF, 424.6KB)
Recruiter Contact Details
Name: Katrina Anderson
Title: Service Director
Email: katrina.anderson@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk
Telephone: 01865 902759
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