Job summary
Ready to Lead Urgent and Emergency Care at Scale?
Become our next Area Head of Operations
Base Location: Cumbria & Lancashire - Broughton Area HQ
Salary: (Band 8d) £91,342 - £105,337 per annum (+ on call allowance)
Contract: Permanent, full-time
Step into an influential leadership role where every decision you make helps shape lives.
At North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), we're on the lookout for an exceptional leader to join us as Area Head of Operations for Cumbria and Lancashire - a pivotal senior position overseeing the delivery of 999 and urgent care services across the area.
Main duties of the job
Head of Operations -What's the role?
You'll be the operational heartbeat of your area - leading, influencing, and innovating across large, diverse teams and services. Reporting directly to the Area Director, and working closely with the Area Consultant Paramedic, you'll manage performance, drive transformation, and ensure we're consistently delivering high-quality, inclusive, patient-focused care.
If you're passionate about people, delivering excellence, and empowering teams to have an impact that truly matters, this could be your next big move.
About us
North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust provides 24 hour, 365 days a year accident and emergency services to those in need of emergency medical treatment and transport.
Our highly skilled staff provide life-saving care to patients in the community and take people to hospital or a place of care if needed.We also provide non-emergency patient transport services for those patients who require non-emergency transport to and from hospital and who are unable to travel unaided because of their medical condition or clinical need.
Alongside the other emergency services, we also work to ensure the safety of the public and treatment of patients in the event of a major incident.
We also deliver the NHS 111 service in the North West. NHS 111 replaced NHS Direct in 2013. This service was introduced to make it easier for people to access local NHS healthcare services in England. It provides non-emergency medical help fast, and is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Job description
Job responsibilities
This is your chance to:
Lead strategic transformation and performance across urgent and emergency care.
Work in close partnership with ICS colleagues, wider health leaders, blue light partners, clinical leaders and community stakeholders.
Inspire and support a large team leading with compassion, courage and vision.
Be a voice for equality, inclusion, and improvement at the highest level of operations.
Work with internal and external stakeholders to help transform the way we deliver patient care and improve health and wellbeing for our teams.
Play a vital role in our on-call Strategic Commander rota and support major and significant incidents across the region.
What youll need:
Extensive leadership experience within complex operational settings ideally within urgent & emergency care.
A passion for inclusive leadership, with the ability to motivate diverse teams through change and challenge.
A proven track record of strategic planning, transformation, performance delivery and budgetary responsibility.
Willingness to participate in our strategic on-call rota and respond to major and significant incidents outside of normal working hours.
Confidence, agility, and emotional intelligence in abundance.
What we offer:
A senior leadership platform to influence real change at system level.
A progressive culture that lives our Be Think Do leadership philosophy focused on values, people and purpose.
Access to NHS benefits including pension scheme, generous annual leave, a lease car, health and wellbeing support.
A chance to work for one of the UKs most dynamic, visible and inclusive ambulance services.
We're not just offering a job we're offering a mission.
If youre a courageous, compassionate leader who thrives under pressure and wants to leave a lasting positive impact on patients and staff, we want to hear from you.
Apply now. Make your leadership count. Help us be there when people need us most.
Closing Date: 10th July 2025
Interview Date: w/c 4th August 2025
Job description
Job responsibilities
This is your chance to:
Lead strategic transformation and performance across urgent and emergency care.
Work in close partnership with ICS colleagues, wider health leaders, blue light partners, clinical leaders and community stakeholders.
Inspire and support a large team leading with compassion, courage and vision.
Be a voice for equality, inclusion, and improvement at the highest level of operations.
Work with internal and external stakeholders to help transform the way we deliver patient care and improve health and wellbeing for our teams.
Play a vital role in our on-call Strategic Commander rota and support major and significant incidents across the region.
What youll need:
Extensive leadership experience within complex operational settings ideally within urgent & emergency care.
A passion for inclusive leadership, with the ability to motivate diverse teams through change and challenge.
A proven track record of strategic planning, transformation, performance delivery and budgetary responsibility.
Willingness to participate in our strategic on-call rota and respond to major and significant incidents outside of normal working hours.
Confidence, agility, and emotional intelligence in abundance.
What we offer:
A senior leadership platform to influence real change at system level.
A progressive culture that lives our Be Think Do leadership philosophy focused on values, people and purpose.
Access to NHS benefits including pension scheme, generous annual leave, a lease car, health and wellbeing support.
A chance to work for one of the UKs most dynamic, visible and inclusive ambulance services.
We're not just offering a job we're offering a mission.
If youre a courageous, compassionate leader who thrives under pressure and wants to leave a lasting positive impact on patients and staff, we want to hear from you.
Apply now. Make your leadership count. Help us be there when people need us most.
Closing Date: 10th July 2025
Interview Date: w/c 4th August 2025
Person Specification
Skills / Competencies
Essential
- Able to formulate medium/long term and tactical plans (which contribute to strategic plans) involving uncertainty; this includes planning that may affect the entire Trust and/or geographical area outside the Trusts boundaries
- Able to deal with a number of competing priorities and deadlines on a day-today basis, allocating work to others as necessary.
- Ability to lead a diverse workforce across complex services with proven track record for leveraging the benefit of diversity for service optimisation, using positive action approaches.
- Self-motivated, independent and able to work under minimum supervision to achieve targets - often under pressure
- Being accountable for results/actions and in turn holding others to account.
- Experience in the application of HR processes
- Demonstrable experience of line management responsibilities.
Qualification and Knowledge
Essential
- Educated to master's level in a relevant subject area (health, leadership, etc) or equivalent experience of working at a senior level in specialist area
- NARU occupational standards Strategic Commander accreditation (MAGIC) or willing to complete this training upon commencement in post.
- Holder of National Security Clearance or able to gain this in post.
- Evidence of relevant continuous professional development including management, organisational development and change management.
- Significant knowledge of the NHS urgent and emergency care landscape, including the delivery of ambulance services.
Experience
Essential
- In-depth knowledge across a number of disciplines within the NHS sector, including performance management, information systems, workforce and financial management
- Experience of successful interpreting key strategies and policies and delivering against complex key performance indicators and improving operational efficiency of services in current post
- Experience of collaboration with other health and care system partners such as NHS ambulance services, commissioners, STP/ICS leads, wider NHS providers and others key stakeholders e.g. Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, NHS England and NHS Improvement
- Experience of negotiating and establishing effective partnerships with local service providers, clinical networks, system providers/partners and trade unions
- Experience of managing high performing diverse clinical and operational teams
- Experience of emergency planning and leading responses at a command level
- Proven record in successful senior leadership of NHS/Health and Care Management and extensive knowledge and experience at strategic level of service delivery, with specialist knowledge in Urgent & Emergency Care delivery
- Experience of managing financial resources/budgets at an area or locality level
Person Specification
Skills / Competencies
Essential
- Able to formulate medium/long term and tactical plans (which contribute to strategic plans) involving uncertainty; this includes planning that may affect the entire Trust and/or geographical area outside the Trusts boundaries
- Able to deal with a number of competing priorities and deadlines on a day-today basis, allocating work to others as necessary.
- Ability to lead a diverse workforce across complex services with proven track record for leveraging the benefit of diversity for service optimisation, using positive action approaches.
- Self-motivated, independent and able to work under minimum supervision to achieve targets - often under pressure
- Being accountable for results/actions and in turn holding others to account.
- Experience in the application of HR processes
- Demonstrable experience of line management responsibilities.
Qualification and Knowledge
Essential
- Educated to master's level in a relevant subject area (health, leadership, etc) or equivalent experience of working at a senior level in specialist area
- NARU occupational standards Strategic Commander accreditation (MAGIC) or willing to complete this training upon commencement in post.
- Holder of National Security Clearance or able to gain this in post.
- Evidence of relevant continuous professional development including management, organisational development and change management.
- Significant knowledge of the NHS urgent and emergency care landscape, including the delivery of ambulance services.
Experience
Essential
- In-depth knowledge across a number of disciplines within the NHS sector, including performance management, information systems, workforce and financial management
- Experience of successful interpreting key strategies and policies and delivering against complex key performance indicators and improving operational efficiency of services in current post
- Experience of collaboration with other health and care system partners such as NHS ambulance services, commissioners, STP/ICS leads, wider NHS providers and others key stakeholders e.g. Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, NHS England and NHS Improvement
- Experience of negotiating and establishing effective partnerships with local service providers, clinical networks, system providers/partners and trade unions
- Experience of managing high performing diverse clinical and operational teams
- Experience of emergency planning and leading responses at a command level
- Proven record in successful senior leadership of NHS/Health and Care Management and extensive knowledge and experience at strategic level of service delivery, with specialist knowledge in Urgent & Emergency Care delivery
- Experience of managing financial resources/budgets at an area or locality level
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
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