As the Deputy Operational Head of Service for the Adult Specialist Services portfolio, you will play a pivotal role in leading, coordinating and enhancing the delivery of high-quality, patient centred care.
Working in close partnership with the wider senior management team, you'll support both the operational and clinical Heads of Service to deliver outstanding patient care. This is an exciting opportunity to collaboratively lead multidisciplinary teams with an aim of enhancing patient outcomes, championing service excellence, and fostering a compassionate and high-performing team culture.
With your leadership, the services will remain safe, responsive, and consistently high-quality, while your team will be engaged, supported, and empowered to thrive.
We're looking for a dynamic, forward-thinking leader who brings energy, innovation, and resilience to a fast-paced environment.
As Deputy Operational Head of Service, you will take the lead in the operational delivery and day-to-day management of your service portfolio. Working closely with the other Deputy, the Operational and clinical Heads of Service and wider senior leadership team, you'll ensure that services are safe, effective, financially sustainable, and continuously improving.
From analysing performance data and developing targeted action plans to contributing to demand and capacity planning, your strategic insight will ensure the service remains responsive and meets both patient needs and contractual obligations.
In this collaborative leadership role, you'll manage and develop multidisciplinary teams, promoting a culture of compassionate leadership, staff wellbeing, and continuous development. You'll play a key part in workforce planning, recruitment, and implementing policies that uphold consistency and quality across the service.
Your responsibilities will span governance and risk management, addressing concerns and complaints, and driving service improvement.
The successful candidate can expect to develop skills and experience in:
• Supporting and developing teams and individuals
• Service and pathway development
• Finance, performance and quality improvement
• Risk management
• Business planning
• Integrated working with Quality and Safety, HR, Recruitment, Contracts, Performance and QI teams
We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.
Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.
Why work for us?
• Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing
• Varied environments: community hospitals, patients’ homes, and bases across Sussex
• Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retirement
• Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
• Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
• Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks
• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust
• Beautiful Sussex location near the South Downs and coast
Our values—Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence—guide everything we do.
We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.
This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.
Whilst each Deputy Operational Head of Service has their own service portfolio, there is an expectation that they will provide support to each other’s services as needed, work together on Trust wide projects and utilise opportunities across these services for their own or others’ learning and development.
The Deputy Operational Head of Service will lead on the planning and delivery of service targets and objectives in line with the Trust’s business planning round, and actively monitor delivery throughout the year coordinating resources across teams as necessary.
If you are an experienced leader and passionate about leading teams to deliver high-quality, patient centred care while driving operational excellence and innovation, this is your opportunity to make a real impact and we would love to hear from you.
This advert closes on Sunday 19 Oct 2025