Job summary
The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) is at a pivotal stage in its development and, following the appointment of our current Chief Operating Officer (COO) to a Chief Executive post, there is an opportunity to join us as our next COO and play a fundamental role in delivering outstanding services for our population, ensuring that safety, quality, efficiency, and responsiveness remain at the heart of everything we do. We have an ambitious strategy and, in joining us as COO, you will join an executive team in our exciting journey and bring experience gained at Board or sub-Board level in a complex healthcare setting to our Trust.
This is a crucial time for PAHT as we embark on the development of our new Clinical Strategy for our Trust and the wider West Essex system. We are committed to modernising our services, improving patient care, and fostering a thriving, resilient workforce has never been stronger. The COO will be instrumental in leading this transformation, ensuring that our operational delivery is aligned with our strategic ambitions and that we continue to deliver safe, effective, and innovative services.
Interviews will take place on Wednesday 18 June 2025.
Main duties of the job
As an anchor institution in West Essex, we play a vital role in shaping the health and wellbeing of our local population. Our new COO will drive this agenda, leading the operational delivery of services across the Trust, championing patient experience, quality improvement, and operational resilience, and ensuring that our services remain sustainable, integrated, and responsive to the needs of our diverse communities. The COO will also play a critical role in strengthening data quality, business intelligence, and performance management to inform decision making and transformation across the organisation.
This role will be instrumental in delivering national NHS priorities, including the Three Shifts, the NHS Long Term Plan, reducing health inequalities, and embedding a culture of continuous improvement, service innovation, and operational excellence. The successful candidate will ensure that our emergency planning, business continuity, and major incident preparedness frameworks are robust and fit for purpose, safeguarding service delivery through times of challenge.
About us
We are a district general hospital at the heart of our community, with over 4,000 dedicated staff providing services across The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, the Herts and Essex Hospital in Bishop's Stortford, and St Margaret's Hospital in Epping. Working closely with our partners across the Herts and West Essex ICS and beyond, we are committed to transforming the way healthcare is delivered to a population of over 500,000 people.
Job description
Job responsibilities
We are looking for an exceptional operational leader with a passion for patient care, service transformation, and quality improvement. The successful candidate will bring significant experience at or close to board level in relevant healthcare setting, with a proven track record of delivering high quality, efficient services and meeting key performance targets. They will be a visible and inspiring leader, with the ability to build strong relationships internally and externally, influence system wide operational strategy, and drive innovation and excellence across our services.
This is a rare opportunity to make a lasting impact on the future of our people, our organisation, and the communities we serve. If you share our ambition and are passionate about shaping the future of workforce leadership in the NHS, we encourage you to speak with our partners at Alumni Global.
Job description
Job responsibilities
We are looking for an exceptional operational leader with a passion for patient care, service transformation, and quality improvement. The successful candidate will bring significant experience at or close to board level in relevant healthcare setting, with a proven track record of delivering high quality, efficient services and meeting key performance targets. They will be a visible and inspiring leader, with the ability to build strong relationships internally and externally, influence system wide operational strategy, and drive innovation and excellence across our services.
This is a rare opportunity to make a lasting impact on the future of our people, our organisation, and the communities we serve. If you share our ambition and are passionate about shaping the future of workforce leadership in the NHS, we encourage you to speak with our partners at Alumni Global.
Person Specification
Education and qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Master's level or equivalent senior leadership experience
- Evidence of continued professional and personal development
Desirable
- Formal leadership, strategic management, or healthcare-related qualification (e.g., MBA, NHS Leadership Academy programme)
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience at Board or Deputy Director level in a large, complex NHS or healthcare organisation
- Proven track record of delivering high-quality, safe, and efficient operational servicess and systemwide healthcare transformatio
Desirable
- Experience of directly leading Data Quality and/or Business Intelligence teams or functions
Person Specification
Education and qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Master's level or equivalent senior leadership experience
- Evidence of continued professional and personal development
Desirable
- Formal leadership, strategic management, or healthcare-related qualification (e.g., MBA, NHS Leadership Academy programme)
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience at Board or Deputy Director level in a large, complex NHS or healthcare organisation
- Proven track record of delivering high-quality, safe, and efficient operational servicess and systemwide healthcare transformatio
Desirable
- Experience of directly leading Data Quality and/or Business Intelligence teams or functions
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.
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).
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.
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
