Director of Operations - VSM
Job Summary: We are seeking an outstanding Director of Operations to join the executive team at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, part of Barts Health NHS Trust. Reporting directly to the St Bartholomew’s Hospital Deputy Chief Executive and our Group Chief Operating Officer, you will be a key member of our hospital executive board, working collaboratively with clinical and corporate leaders. You will drive service transformation and continuous improvement, while maintaining strong governance, financial control and regulatory compliance. This is a pivotal role with significant operational and strategic influence, shaping services for some of the most complex patients in the country.
St Bartholomew’s Hospital is located in the City of London and is the oldest hospital in the UK still on its original site. It is now a world‑class centre of excellence for cardiac and cancer care, home to Europe’s largest cardiac unit and London’s second largest cancer centre, supported by around 350 beds, 60 ITU beds, 10 theatres, 10 catheterisation labs, a chemotherapy and radiotherapy suite, and state of the art diagnostic and treatment technologies. Additional services include respiratory medicine, endocrinology, fertility, thoracic surgery and a minor injuries unit. You will join us at a significant moment as we open two new hospital buildings, home to a centre of excellence for breast cancer in east London.
Responsibilities
This is a critical leadership role responsible for the end‑to‑end delivery of clinical operations, ensuring services are safe, efficient and consistently meet national standards for access, quality and performance. Key responsibilities include leading hospital‑wide operational delivery, overseeing business planning and performance management, optimising demand and capacity, and ensuring delivery of key constitutional standards. The Director of Operations will play a central role in strengthening this culture – championing equality, diversity and inclusion, using insight and staff voice to reduce disparities, and fostering an environment where teams feel empowered to innovate and continuously improve.
Qualifications
* Master’s degree or equivalent level
* Management qualification and evidence of management/leadership training and continuous professional development
Experience
* Extensive experience at a senior level in an acute Trust environment, including a sound understanding of the performance and governance requirements of the NHS for acute Trusts; hospital or Trust, board or sub‑board experience
* Significant experience of financial management and rigorous financial management and control to meet agreed targets
* Experience of establishing and applying performance management systems in areas such as contract monitoring, staff management and departmental performance indicators
* Experience of service improvement
* Strong performance management experience
* Evidence of strategic leadership of service delivery in a complex organisational environment
* Desirable: experience and training in handling media
Skills
* High degree of political sensitivity and experience of dealing with a range of issues in a complex stakeholder environment
* Sound analytical, negotiation and numerical skills
* Ability to develop and influence a high‑performing, collaborative team, whilst allowing flexibility for members to develop against their own personal targets
* Ability to establish rapport and credibility with Trust staff including clinicians, managers, staff, staff representatives and professionals from outside the Trust
* Strong commercial and business acumen and judgment, understanding the need for efficient services and the impact of operational efficiencies on financial performance, the patient experience and staff motivation and morale
* Ability to assess situations and take calculated risks based on learning and experience to achieve longer‑term service improvements
* Ability to develop strong working relationships with the chair, non‑executive directors and the senior team and provide support individually when tackling challenging issues
Knowledge
* Track record of achievement as a leader demonstrating significant successes through innovation and a strong but sensitive style, contributing directly to the patient experience and continuous improvement
* Demonstrate well‑developed negotiation skills coupled with the ability to tackle poor performance effectively
* Experience of instigating and leading complex change to achieve continuous improvement
* Evidenced experience of building and sustaining effective and productive working relationships with a range of people at local and regional level including statutory, voluntary and private sector organisations
* Evidence of a collaborative management style coupled with improving the quality of service provision at a strategic level
* Keeps abreast with national developments in health and social care through active involvement in local and national networks
Other Essential
* Sufficient to perform the duties of the post with any aids and adaptations
EEO Statement
We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under‑represented within Barts Health at this band.
Compensation and Details
* Pay scheme: Very senior manager (VSM)
* Salary: Depending on experience
* Contract: Permanent
* Working pattern: Full‑time
* Reference number: 259‑8054774SBH
* Job location: St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London Wall, London, EC1A 7BE, United Kingdom
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