Regional Operations Lead - South

Job responsibilities

With strategic oversight from the Director of Clinical Services, and in close collaboration with the Regional Operations Lead - North and wider Management Group colleagues, you will lead the operational coordination and delivery of regional clinical services, ensuring effective caseload management, workforce deployment, and service responsiveness.

You will maintain and develop effective relationships with external partners and stakeholders to support the implementation of agreed service plans, streamline delivery, and ensure services are responsive to local needs. These relationships will also enable you to gather insights that inform operational improvements and support regional collaboration.

As postholder, you will:

• Provide specialist clinical input and guidance in complex cases and contribute to resolving complex clinical issues as required.
• Support the Senior Management Team by analysing and presenting data on regional service capacity and demand, developing, promoting and embedding the use of effective performance and activity reports to inform operational decisions, and contributing to business planning and resource allocation.
• Be responsible for the coordinated planning and delivery of regional services, developing and implementing strategies to support effective caseload and workload management across teams, in alignment with organisational priorities and service capacity.
• Work collaboratively with the Regional Operations Lead - North to ensure consistency in operational approaches, while recognising and supporting appropriate, justifiable geographic variations.
• Actively coordinate workforce planning across all areas of service delivery, working collaboratively with the Regional Operations Lead - North, Senior Management Team, and Management Group colleagues to ensure staffing capacity aligns with service requirements. Address recruitment, retention, and evolving service needs, and contribute to the development of sustainable workforce models, working collaboratively with the Quality, Compliance and Relationships Manager to ensure alignment with professional standards and service quality.
• Alongside Management Group colleagues, provide managerial and professional supervision to allocated Senior AAC Consultants, AAC Consultants and AAC Assistant Practitioners and further identified staff with clinical responsibilities as identified by the job planning process.
• Act as a point of liaison for sensitive and confidential staff-related matters, providing appropriate pastoral support to team members experiencing personal difficulties that may affect their work. Ensure concerns are managed with discretion and in collaboration with Human Resources to ensure compliance with organisational policies and procedures.
• Work with the Senior Management Team and Human Resources to lead the recruitment of new service delivery staff and ensure robust induction processes are in place to support staff integration and readiness for service delivery.
• Work with the Senior Management Team, Regional Operations Lead - North and Quality, Compliance and Relationships Manager in the planning, development and delivery of a cohesive and sustainable approach to working with local services.
• Work with the Senior Management Team and Management Group colleagues to develop and maintain effective working relationships with external partners in the South region, including NHS Trusts, Local AAC Services, and education providers, to support coordinated service delivery and regional collaboration.
• Support the implementation of Ace Centre's Continuing Professional Development framework within the South region, ensuring clinical staff have access to appropriate development opportunities and maintain professional registration in line with HCPC and other relevant standards. Monitor local compliance and liaise with the Quality, Compliance and Relationship Manager to enable effective reporting to the Senior Management Team.
• Work collaboratively with the Regional Operations Lead - North to coordinate the implementation of peer support groups and professional supervision across service delivery teams. Ensure these structures are embedded in operational planning and accessible to clinical staff, in alignment with the framework provided by the Quality, Compliance and Relationships Manager. Monitor local uptake and operational delivery and provide feedback to the Quality, Compliance and Relationships Manager to support ongoing development of the framework.
• Support clinical staff to maintain accurate and up-to-date personal development records in line with professional standards and organisational expectations by ensuring operational processes enable staff to meet requirements for professional registration and development.
• Work with the Senior Management Team and identified Management Group colleagues to support clinical staff in adhering to GDPR and Caldicott principles by coordinating the implementation of relevant policies and procedures across service delivery. Monitor operational compliance and escalate concerns in line with organisational governance processes.
• Manage complaints relating to service delivery in the South, ensuring complaints are handled promptly, appropriately and sensitively, avoiding escalation where possible in line with organisational policies.
• Act as Deputy Safeguarding Lead.
• Work collaboratively with the Senior Management Team to shape and deliver organisation-wide quality improvement initiatives, contributing operational insight to ensure service efficiency and effectiveness, and supporting clinical colleagues to embed improvements into day-to-day practice.
• Work with the Director of Clinical Services to ensure timely and accurate reporting on operational aspects of NHS Contract delivery, including service capacity, workforce deployment, and data to support strategic planning and resource management.
• Notwithstanding the key tasks described above, contribute to other organisational workstreams and initiatives as appropriate to the role, including deputising for colleagues where required, supporting collaborative efforts and responding to evolving service needs.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of providing specialist clinical input in complex or escalated cases.
• Experience in supporting colleagues in the use and development of AAC/AT solutions.
• Experience of delivering or overseeing AAC/AT services within a clinical, educational, or social care setting.
• Understanding of operational and workforce planning across multi-disciplinary teams.
• Experience of providing Professional Supervision.
• Experience of building relationships with external stakeholders (e.g. NHS, education, local authorities, user networks), acting as a positive role model for your organisation.
• Experience of managing sensitive staff matters and acting in accordance with organisational HR policies.
• Experience in understanding and using service data to inform decision-making and resource allocation.
• Experience of handling incidents, complaints, and/or compliments in accordance with organisational policy.

Desirable

• Experience of providing Managerial Supervision and performance management.
• Experience of contributing to the development of Standard Operating Procedures.

Qualifications

Essential

• Relevant professional qualification in health, with experience in AAC/AT.
• Current professional registration with HCPC.
• Evidence of ongoing CPD in clinical governance, supervision, or strategic leadership.

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualification in clinical governance, leadership, or a relevant clinical specialism.

Personal attributes

Essential

• Professional integrity and commitment to ethical practice.
• Strategic thinking and attention to detail.
• Resilience and adaptability in a dynamic service environment.
• Collaborative approach to leadership, team working and workforce development.
• Alignment with organisational values and mission.

Skills

Essential

• Ability to communicate effectively in English, both written and verbal, to a standard appropriate for the role.
• Commitment to the provision of high-quality person centred services
• Commitment to working collaboratively across teams to embed service improvement, staff development and process management.
• Ability to promote evidence-based practice in AAC/AT and provide advanced clinical guidance to staff in complex cases.
• Commitment to focusing on outcomes/impact for people who use our services.
• Well-developed interpersonal, communication and leadership skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities.
• Ability to positively contribute to the delivery of coordinated service plans.
• Ability to interpret and present data to support strategic planning.
• Ability to contribute to organisational strategy development and service improvements.

Knowledge

Essential

• In-depth understanding of AAC and Assistive Technology solutions, including current evidence-based practice, service models, and relevant clinical frameworks.
• Awareness of emerging trends and innovations in AAC/AT and their implications for service delivery.
• Good understanding of clinical governance, professional standards, and regulatory frameworks (e.g. HCPC, GDPR, Caldicott).
• Awareness of the importance of effective Standard Operating Procedures in delivering operational consistency and quality assurance.
• Awareness of quality standards and data protection requirements and legislation.
• Knowledge of safeguarding frameworks and professional accountability.

Desirable

• Familiarity with national and organisational frameworks for clinical service delivery and workforce planning.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).