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Deputy Operations Manager - STA
The closing date is 31 May 2026
The Surgery, Transplant and Anaesthetic (STA) Directorate at Royal Papworth Hospital is looking for a motivated and dynamic Deputy Operations Manager to predominantly support the delivery of pathology and transplant services. STA is the largest division at Royal Papworth Hospital, encompassing surgery, theatres, critical care, transplant, surgical wards and virtual ward, pathology and radiology. The role will support clinical and medical colleagues across the division. We have a team of histopathologists and microbiologists employed by RPH, but the pathology sample processing is subcontracted to Cambridge University Hospital and UK Health Security Agency. The successful candidate will oversee the subcontracted pathology services (histopathology, blood sciences and microbiology), support the transplant services and oversee current and new outsourced and subcontracted work from the division. You will have experience of contract management and be familiar with NHS procurement processes. The successful candidate must demonstrate collaborative and inclusive leadership, be an excellent communicator and will have experience in service improvement and strategic planning.
The Deputy Operations Manager will work collaboratively with both their peers across the directorate and the Trust to ensure patient flow, strategic service improvement and equitable distribution of resources and patients' access to care.
Main duties of the job
The role will include contract management, line management, service planning and delivery of continuous improvement.
You will be required to participate in tactical on call for the Trust.
* Communication, Customer Service and Team Working
* Managing People and Resources
* Service Development
* Quality
* Procurement and Commissioning
* Capacity and Capability
* Service and Project Management
* Quality Improvement
About us
Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is the UK’s leading heart and lung hospital, delivering care to more than 50,000 patients a year in its new state‑of‑the-art hospital in Cambridge. We perform the most heart and/or lung transplants in the UK and carried out the UK’s first successful heart transplant in 1979. It also offers emergency heart attack treatment, sleep centre care and is one of just five centres nationally for those in severe respiratory failure.
Based on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, the largest centre of medical research and health science in Europe, the Trust is at the heart of treatments of the future.
The Trust holds its values of compassion, excellence & collaboration at its core, and all colleagues joining the team are expected to uphold these in their day-to-day roles & interactions. Royal Papworth is proud of its diverse workforce and encourages people to embrace their individuality.
The Trust values difference and welcomes all applications irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race, religion & belief, sex and sexual orientation. Providing they meet the minimum post criteria, applicants with disabilities will be offered an interview.
For a street view tour: https://royalpapworth.nhs.uk/virtual-tour
Job responsibilities
On this page you will find a Role Profile which provides information about the hospital and full details about the role. We recommend that you review this and refer to it as you complete your application. Please include how you will meet the Trust Values Compassion, Excellence and Collaboration. If you would like more information about the role or working at Royal Papworth Hospital, please get in touch with the contact for this role.
Qualifications
* Degree level qualification or equivalent
* Management MSc or equivalent and demonstrable level of knowledge acquired through training, self-directed learning, or substantial practical experience
Experience
* Operational leadership experience
* Contract and subcontract management experience
* Demonstrable track record in the line management of staff – proven management and leadership skills
* Ability to work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders
* Ability to have difficult conversations
* Capacity and demand management and service planning
* Demonstrates a high level of numerical and data analytical skills, including spreadsheets and databases
* Ability to interpret complex data and make decisions to make informed choices
* Experience in budget management
* Experience in RTT and PTL management
* NHS experience in a leadership role
* Be proficient in the use of Microsoft products – Word, Excel and PowerPoint
* Ability to collaborate constructively with internal and external partners to create conditions for successful partnership working
* Effectively prioritise own work and those of others
* Operates as a team leader and role model
* To be able to sit for long periods of time with VDU + headphones
Additional Criteria
* As well as being able to demonstrate examples of how they work in a way that is consistent with our values of compassion, excellence and collaboration the successful candidate will be able to clearly demonstrate a commitment to driving culture change through equality, diversity and inclusion.
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.
Employer name
Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
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