Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Executive Director of Operations

The closing date is 27 May 2025

Job summary

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is the leading, progressive and innovative £800 million turnover healthcare provider delivering an extensive range of acute, community, primary and social care services to one of the largest geographical areas of any NHS Trust in the country, stretching from Tynemouth to Berwick Upon Tweed. We support a population of over 500,000 via three major locality hospitals, a number of smaller community hospitals and clinics, our expanding subsidiary Northumbria Primary Care Ltd and, as we further expand our social care offer, through care packages delivered at home and in intermediary care settings. We also provide support services including fleet and facilities management.

We have been twice rated 'outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission and were rated amongst the top performers for acute and combined acute and community trusts in the country by our staff in the latest NHS Staff Survey. We routinely deliver very high performance against national targets. As a collaborative anchor organisation in the North East and North Cumbria ICS and the Great North Healthcare Alliance, our partner relationships have strong foundations and, as we continue to support the reduction in health inequalities and the transformation of health and care services, we look forward to further collaboration.

Please note we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if a suitable number of applications are received.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will be an innovative, inspirational, and visible leader, with highly developed skills in operational delivery, transformation, and partnership working. As senior operational leader, you will be experienced in driving operational performance and delivery in a large and complex acute healthcare organisation. Currently operating at board or sub-board level, you will have a track record of delivering sustained change across organisational boundaries, and leading innovation and service improvements that put the patient first and are achieved within tight financial constraints.

We are now seeking to appoint an Executive Director of Operations to be responsible for all aspects of the operational performance of the Business Units whilst maintaining quality standards and for ensuring the implementation and maintenance of good governance arrangements. This includes a clear line of ward to board assurance, the board assurance framework and associated risks and the line management of Deputy Directors, General Managers, and associated teams. Reporting to the Chief Executiveas a full voting board member, you will have accountability for delivering both trust-based and regulatory performance metrics effectively.

About us

We manage three major locality hospitals at North Tyneside, Wansbeck and Hexham, plus a number of smaller community hospitals and clinics from Tynemouth to Berwick Upon Tweed, covering one of the largest geographical areas of any NHS trust in the country. Leading in innovation and quality - opening a state of the art Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital, the first of its kind in England. Do you want to work in one of the best performing NHS organisations in England? Work in an organisation that supports its staff and focuses on staff experience as much as it does the experience of its patients? You can live and breathe in an area that has the cleanest air, cost effective living, great nightlife, some of the best schools with a wealth of history available on your doorstep. Sound too good to be true? Well it isn't, this is what you get when you work for Northumbria Healthcare, this is the Northumbria Way! Please read 'applicant guidance notes' before submitting your application.

Date posted

21 May 2025

Pay scheme

Very senior manager (VSM)

Salary

£100,000 to £200,000 a year pre annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

319-7217982HD

Job locations

The Northumbria Specialist Care Hospital

Cramlington

NE23 6NZ

Job description

Job responsibilities

Our senior team operates at pace and to tight timescales. This creates an exciting and rewarding work environment, and it is an approach you will need to feel comfortable with, as a good fit to the senior team will be essential. This is an exceptional opportunity to work in a dynamic and high-performing Trust, and to bring your skills and experience as we continue to invest in our future. If you are ambitious to develop your wider corporate skills and if from day one you can bring the operational expertise we will need, we want to hear from you.

Please read the attached Job Description for a comprehensive overview of this post.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please read the attached Job Description for a comprehensive overview of this post.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Master's level degree or equivalent portfolio of experience gained within relevant field such as management

Experience

Essential

Senior leader with significant experience of strategic and operational delivery in a complex healthcare organisation.
Significant acute operations experience, with responsibility for meeting a wide range of service and business performance targets.
Experience in successfully managing complex organisational change.
Experience in producing trust wide strategically important improvement on behalf of the Trust Board/Chief Executive.
Experience of contract management (ongoing management of contracts and contract negotiations).
Experience in producing or contributing to the trust strategic plan, annual plan and/or quality account.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Master's level degree or equivalent portfolio of experience gained within relevant field such as management

Experience

Essential

Senior leader with significant experience of strategic and operational delivery in a complex healthcare organisation.
Significant acute operations experience, with responsibility for meeting a wide range of service and business performance targets.
Experience in successfully managing complex organisational change.
Experience in producing trust wide strategically important improvement on behalf of the Trust Board/Chief Executive.
Experience of contract management (ongoing management of contracts and contract negotiations).
Experience in producing or contributing to the trust strategic plan, annual plan and/or quality account.

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).

Additional information

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

Certificate of Sponsorship

Employer details

Employer name

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address

The Northumbria Specialist Care Hospital

Cramlington

NE23 6NZ

Employer's website

https://www.northumbria.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Address

The Northumbria Specialist Care Hospital

Cramlington

NE23 6NZ

Employer's website

https://www.northumbria.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)