EEAST is a great place to work, great people, great career opportunities and a career that can take you anywhere. No two days are the same, if you are looking for a varied and supportive environment EEAST can offer you that and more!
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Job overview
The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust is looking for a forward-thinking and experienced leader to join our senior leadership team as Strategic Lead for Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs).
This pivotal role offers executive-level responsibility for overseeing the performance and strategic direction of our EOC services. With a core focus on emergency call handling, dispatch, clinical triage, and resource management, the postholder will play a key role in driving operational excellence and innovation across the Trust.
You will lead the development and implementation of new models of care, spearhead digital transformation initiatives, and ensure the delivery of high-quality, responsive services to the communities we serve.
Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer and working closely with the wider Clinical Operations team, you will provide strategic leadership to enhance system-wide collaboration, build operational resilience, and ensure the ongoing effectiveness and efficiency of our EOC functions.
We are seeking a strategic, ambitious, and collaborative leader with a strong background in urgent and emergency care operations. The ideal candidate will bring a proven ability to influence at senior levels and deliver measurable improvements in patient care, performance, and service delivery.
Main duties of the job
• Provide senior leadership across EEAST’s emergency control rooms, ensuring efficient and effective delivery of 999 call handling and emergency dispatch services
• Drive service improvement, performance, and innovation through data-driven decision-making and robust governance
• Lead, develop, and inspire a multidisciplinary team to ensure high levels of staff engagement, development, and retention
• Support business continuity planning and ensure readiness to respond to major incidents and surges in demand
• Collaborate with NHS system partners, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), and regional emergency services to enhance patient pathways and system coordination
• Ensure compliance with Regulatory requirements, including associated action plans
Working for our organisation
You'll have the opportunity to work in one of the most diverse regions in the country, with the vibrant capital city just a stone's throw away and the invigorating North Sea coast to the east.
The East of England offers a unique blend of innovation and opportunity, surrounded by picturesque countryside, historic towns, and quick access to both the bustling capital and serene coastlines.
At EEAST we bring together all our skills to provide 24 hour, 365 days a year urgent care to those in need of emergency and non-emergency medical treatment and transport in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.
We are always looking to innovate our approaches and work together to offer the best possible patient care across our counties.
We aim to represent and value the diversity of our local communities through our workforce and service provision. We therefore positively encourage applications from under-represented groups, such as Black, Asian, or other ethnic groups, individuals with a Disability, or LGBTQ+ individuals who meet the specific criteria.
We at EEAST want to support our employees achieve a balance between work and other priorities, such as caring responsibilities, family commitments, further learning, and other interests. We therefore welcome flexible working requests.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
We are looking for a highly motivated and collaborative leader with:
• Exceptional leadership and people management skills, with the ability to lead large, dispersed teams
• Proven ability to drive transformation and manage performance in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment
• Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, and strategic thinking skills
• Significant experience in managing complex operational services, ideally in an ambulance or NHS environment
• A strong understanding of emergency control room functions, service delivery pressures, and the wider urgent and emergency care system
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. Master's Degree, equivalent professional qualifications and/or substantial demonstrable experience in a similar role or setting.
2. Have or be willing to complete a Blue Light Driver Course to enable a response to a Major or Significant Incident for command purposes
3. Full Driving Licence, valid in the UK and with no more than 6 penalty points (of SP30 only).
Desirable criteria
4. NARU occupational standards Strategic Commander accreditation (MAGIC)
Skills & Knowledge
Essential criteria
5. Demonstrating Continuous Personal Development including Management, Organisation Development and Change Management.
6. Planning and prioritising conflicting demands and often unpredictable work patterns.
7. Creating a clear vision and translating strategies into Operational Plans.
8. Ability to manage performance and implement quality systems.
Personal Qualities, Abilities & Attributes
Essential criteria
9. Being accountable for results and actions and, in turn, holding others to account.
10. Initiating, building, and maintaining relationships with internal and external key stakeholders, developing partnerships and cooperative working.
11. Demonstrating a passion for the delivery of quality services.
Experience
Essential criteria
12. Significant, successful senior management experience
13. Proven ability to improve operational performance at a senior level.
14. Proven budget management experience
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Candidates who require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the United Kingdom can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for this position by assessing their circumstances against the criteria specified on the Check if you need a UK visa - website. We encourage all applicants to review these criteria carefully to understand their eligibility for sponsorship.
References and Employment History: All references from current and previous employers, will be sought via their Human Resources Department and must cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and email address of the Human Resources Department and indicate your current/previous line manager and their departmental details.
All appointments will be subject to currently having a clean disciplinary record.
Please be advised that a No Smoking Policy is in operation throughout the Trust.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme - Under the Trust's commitment 'Positive about Disabled People', if you consider yourself as having a disability and you meet the minimum selection criteria for any post, you will get an automatic interview. By minimum selection criteria we mean that you must provide us with evidence in your application form which demonstrates the essential requirements as set out in the person specification and advertisement for a post.
We aim to represent and value the diversity of our local communities through our workforce and service provision. We therefore positively encourage applications, regardless of age, race, religion & belief, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, marriage & civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity or disability.