Devon Partnership NHS Trust

Service Director

The closing date is 04 May 2026

Job summary

Are you a visionary leader ready to drive transformative change in secure services?

Devon Partnership Trust is seeking a dynamic Service Director to shape and lead our Secure Services Directorate.

This pivotal role will define and reinvent inpatient service provision ensuring wards meet population needs. You will also oversee our Integrated Non-Custodial and Community Forensic Services and other teams. You will lead the strategic direction of the directorate including capital estates, digital improvements and innovative thinking to deliver integrated, high-quality care across our directorate. Youll spearhead multi-professional collaboration, ensuring seamless teamwork across medical, nursing, and allied health professions.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Multi-Professional Collaboration Foster a culture of shared expertise and seamless coordination between medical, nursing, and allied health professionals.
  • Operational Transformation Oversee the restructuring and optimisation of secure care services to improve efficiency, accessibility, and responsiveness.
  • Patient-Centred Care Champion initiatives to enhance the patient experience, ensuring continuity of care and robust clinical governance.
  • Leadership & Change Management Inspire and empower teams through transformational leadership, innovation and best practice.
  • Regulatory Compliance & Quality Assurance Ensure secure care services adhere to healthcare regulations, safety standards, and evidence-based practice.

Main duties of the job

  • Be accountable for delivering the DPT strategy by developing robust long-term business plans, setting relevant operational targets, and ensuring activities are carried out within agreed budgets and standards.

  • Lead, alongside the Clinical Director, the effective functioning of governance structures, roles, and responsibilities based on multi-disciplinary approaches, emphasising collaborative leadership and team working.
  • Establish and maintain effective relationships with all place-based partners, including third sector organisations, local authorities, and acute trusts.
  • Ensure mechanisms are in place to involve key stakeholders in all aspects of service planning and delivery, develop culturally sensitive services, and ensure fair access to services regardless of gender, sexuality, religion, culture, race, or disability.
  • Undertake workforce redesign, including formal consultations as required.
  • Represent the organisation at stakeholder meetings and forums.
  • Take a leadership role in trust-wide programs as needed

Current Services:

Our Secure Care Directorate is currently made up of the following services:

  • Medium Secure Inpatient wards
  • Low secure Inpatient wards
  • Integrated Non-Custodial Health Care
  • Offender Personality Disorder
  • Medical Management of Problematic Sexual Arousal
  • Community Forensic Services

About us

About Devon Partnership Trust

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Details

Date posted

16 April 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8d

Salary

£94,356 to £108,814 a year

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

18 months

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

C9369-26-0295

Job locations

Langdon Hospital

Exeter Road

Dawlish

Devon

EX7 0NR


Job description

Job responsibilities

Please review the person specification section to ensure you follow the CV Application process. Please do not submit your application on NHS Jobs. A confirmation of receipt will be sent within two working days of receipt of your CV.

The Service Director plays a critical role in the success of the Trust. The post holder will ensure the achievement of the following fundamental and underlying activities:

  • Ensuring a focus on quality and productivity throughout the organization to provide the highest possible level of care within agreed resources.
  • Leading and modeling a culture that values and supports staff to thrive, recognizing that safety, learning, and culture are inextricably linked, and enabling an approach that is cognizant of human factors.
  • Ensuring that staff concerns are raised, investigated, and acted upon.
  • Promoting the integration of physical and mental health and wellbeing, employing physical, psychological, and social approaches with an emphasis on social inclusion, recovery, and the interface between physical and mental health and care services.
  • Engendering and maintaining a culture of financial control and financial awareness among all services.
  • Engaging clinical and non-clinical staff in the business of the Trust and the Directorate, ensuring effective systems of communication.
  • Embedding service improvements into everyday practice.
  • Ensuring an appropriate focus on training and education, including professional and personal development for all staff, alongside aims for research and service delivery.
  • Representing the organization in various forums to ensure the Trust strategy aligns with system developments.

The post holder will be required to communicate highly complex service-related information to senior managers, staff, and wider stakeholders. This requires negotiating, motivational, and reassurance skills. At times, this communication will convey highly contentious information in atmospheres of proposed change, which may be antagonistic. The post holder will need well-developed communication skills, the ability to present to large groups, and the ability to reconcile conflicting views where there may be barriers or hostility to the message.

The Service Director is accountable for the overall financial, quality, and performance management of the Directorate. This involves assessing highly complex information that requires analysis, interpretation, and comparison of a range of options. The post holder ensures the Directorate contributes to the Trusts efficiency targets as agreed during the annual business planning process and as adjusted in year from time to time. They must possess the skills to analyze service, organizational, and staffing matters.

The Service Director ensures that Directorate systems and processes are fit for purpose and that staff are trained and equipped to operate them. They will highlight and develop plans to address any financial gaps in services and work effectively with Executive colleagues to support the development of plans for annual contracting processes.

In partnership with the Clinical Director, the Service Director will implement and manage systems and processes within the Directorate across all professional groups, including nursing, psychological therapies, occupational therapies, allied health professionals, and social care. They will work closely with the Clinical Director to ensure safe, effective clinical leadership is fully embedded in clinical teams.

The post holder will ensure that all staff operate to the standards outlined by the CQC and comply with Trust policies and procedures (clinical and non-clinical). They will ensure a robust system is in place to highlight and manage risk, seeking personal visible assurance as needed. The Service Director will ensure the delivery of outstanding, high-quality services demonstrating excellent clinical outcomes for the people who use the services.

The Service Director will manage and control the day-to-day operations of the Operations Directorate to fulfill regulatory, business plan, contractual, and commercial obligations, and effectively manage risks. They will promote a culture of innovation and continuous improvement based on best practices and positive service user experiences. The post holder will ensure that all staff treat service users, carers, and relatives with dignity and respect at every stage of their care.

The Service Director will provide clear and inspirational direction and support to staff working within the services, ensuring they are appropriately managed, motivated, and engaged to ensure the successful and coordinated delivery of activities and outcomes. They will recruit, motivate, train, develop, and retain appropriate staff, enabling them to have the skills, expertise, and discretion to function effectively in their roles.

The post holder will promote joint working with local authorities, including the coordination and management of integrated services where appropriate. They will work closely with GPs and primary care to develop coherent multidisciplinary teams and care pathways across primary, secondary, and acute care. The Service Director will take account of the diversity of the population served by DPT and be aware of the political context.

The post holder will work closely with Integrated Place Partnerships on wider development projects and collaborate with relevant partner organizations to ensure that service user needs are properly met and managed across organizational boundaries, including the implementation of safeguarding, confidentiality, and consent guidelines.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please review the person specification section to ensure you follow the CV Application process. Please do not submit your application on NHS Jobs. A confirmation of receipt will be sent within two working days of receipt of your CV.

The Service Director plays a critical role in the success of the Trust. The post holder will ensure the achievement of the following fundamental and underlying activities:

  • Ensuring a focus on quality and productivity throughout the organization to provide the highest possible level of care within agreed resources.
  • Leading and modeling a culture that values and supports staff to thrive, recognizing that safety, learning, and culture are inextricably linked, and enabling an approach that is cognizant of human factors.
  • Ensuring that staff concerns are raised, investigated, and acted upon.
  • Promoting the integration of physical and mental health and wellbeing, employing physical, psychological, and social approaches with an emphasis on social inclusion, recovery, and the interface between physical and mental health and care services.
  • Engendering and maintaining a culture of financial control and financial awareness among all services.
  • Engaging clinical and non-clinical staff in the business of the Trust and the Directorate, ensuring effective systems of communication.
  • Embedding service improvements into everyday practice.
  • Ensuring an appropriate focus on training and education, including professional and personal development for all staff, alongside aims for research and service delivery.
  • Representing the organization in various forums to ensure the Trust strategy aligns with system developments.

The post holder will be required to communicate highly complex service-related information to senior managers, staff, and wider stakeholders. This requires negotiating, motivational, and reassurance skills. At times, this communication will convey highly contentious information in atmospheres of proposed change, which may be antagonistic. The post holder will need well-developed communication skills, the ability to present to large groups, and the ability to reconcile conflicting views where there may be barriers or hostility to the message.

The Service Director is accountable for the overall financial, quality, and performance management of the Directorate. This involves assessing highly complex information that requires analysis, interpretation, and comparison of a range of options. The post holder ensures the Directorate contributes to the Trusts efficiency targets as agreed during the annual business planning process and as adjusted in year from time to time. They must possess the skills to analyze service, organizational, and staffing matters.

The Service Director ensures that Directorate systems and processes are fit for purpose and that staff are trained and equipped to operate them. They will highlight and develop plans to address any financial gaps in services and work effectively with Executive colleagues to support the development of plans for annual contracting processes.

In partnership with the Clinical Director, the Service Director will implement and manage systems and processes within the Directorate across all professional groups, including nursing, psychological therapies, occupational therapies, allied health professionals, and social care. They will work closely with the Clinical Director to ensure safe, effective clinical leadership is fully embedded in clinical teams.

The post holder will ensure that all staff operate to the standards outlined by the CQC and comply with Trust policies and procedures (clinical and non-clinical). They will ensure a robust system is in place to highlight and manage risk, seeking personal visible assurance as needed. The Service Director will ensure the delivery of outstanding, high-quality services demonstrating excellent clinical outcomes for the people who use the services.

The Service Director will manage and control the day-to-day operations of the Operations Directorate to fulfill regulatory, business plan, contractual, and commercial obligations, and effectively manage risks. They will promote a culture of innovation and continuous improvement based on best practices and positive service user experiences. The post holder will ensure that all staff treat service users, carers, and relatives with dignity and respect at every stage of their care.

The Service Director will provide clear and inspirational direction and support to staff working within the services, ensuring they are appropriately managed, motivated, and engaged to ensure the successful and coordinated delivery of activities and outcomes. They will recruit, motivate, train, develop, and retain appropriate staff, enabling them to have the skills, expertise, and discretion to function effectively in their roles.

The post holder will promote joint working with local authorities, including the coordination and management of integrated services where appropriate. They will work closely with GPs and primary care to develop coherent multidisciplinary teams and care pathways across primary, secondary, and acute care. The Service Director will take account of the diversity of the population served by DPT and be aware of the political context.

The post holder will work closely with Integrated Place Partnerships on wider development projects and collaborate with relevant partner organizations to ensure that service user needs are properly met and managed across organizational boundaries, including the implementation of safeguarding, confidentiality, and consent guidelines.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • How to Apply
  • Applications should be submitted via email to both: c.pyatt@nhs.net (Resourcing Manager) and to lauren.parisi@nhs.net (Head of Strategic Workforce Business Partnering)
  • Application is by CV and Supporting Statement and combined should be no more than six pages.
  • CVs should include your contact address and details, stating your preferred method of contact, highlighting and explaining any gaps in your employment history.
  • Supporting Statements should highlight your skills and experience and allow insights on your knowledge, skill and experience relevant to the role (See the attached job description / person specification), and taking the opportunity to highlight your personal values and motivations for applying for the role. You should outline your personal responsibility and achievement within previous roles that demonstrates you have the knowledge, skills and competencies to deliver this role, as outlined in the person specification.
  • In addition to your CV and Supporting Statement your application should include the following:
  • Details of two referees covering your last three years of employment.
  • Personal Data: In line with GDPR, we ask that you do NOT send us any information that can identify children or any of your Sensitive Personal Data (racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, data concerning health or sex life and sexual orientation, genetic and / or biometric data) in your CV and application documentation. Following this notice, any inclusion of your Sensitive Personal Data in your CV / application documentation will be understood by us as your express consent to process this information going forward. Please also remember to not mention anyones information or details (e.g. referees) who have not previously agreed to their inclusion
  • For an exploratory and confidential conversation about the post, please contact Leanne Coates (PA to Chief Operating Officer) @ leanne.coates@nhs.net
  • If you need to discuss the recruitment process please contact Chris Pyatt (Resourcing Manager) @ c.pyatt@nhs.net
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • How to Apply
  • Applications should be submitted via email to both: c.pyatt@nhs.net (Resourcing Manager) and to lauren.parisi@nhs.net (Head of Strategic Workforce Business Partnering)
  • Application is by CV and Supporting Statement and combined should be no more than six pages.
  • CVs should include your contact address and details, stating your preferred method of contact, highlighting and explaining any gaps in your employment history.
  • Supporting Statements should highlight your skills and experience and allow insights on your knowledge, skill and experience relevant to the role (See the attached job description / person specification), and taking the opportunity to highlight your personal values and motivations for applying for the role. You should outline your personal responsibility and achievement within previous roles that demonstrates you have the knowledge, skills and competencies to deliver this role, as outlined in the person specification.
  • In addition to your CV and Supporting Statement your application should include the following:
  • Details of two referees covering your last three years of employment.
  • Personal Data: In line with GDPR, we ask that you do NOT send us any information that can identify children or any of your Sensitive Personal Data (racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, data concerning health or sex life and sexual orientation, genetic and / or biometric data) in your CV and application documentation. Following this notice, any inclusion of your Sensitive Personal Data in your CV / application documentation will be understood by us as your express consent to process this information going forward. Please also remember to not mention anyones information or details (e.g. referees) who have not previously agreed to their inclusion
  • For an exploratory and confidential conversation about the post, please contact Leanne Coates (PA to Chief Operating Officer) @ leanne.coates@nhs.net
  • If you need to discuss the recruitment process please contact Chris Pyatt (Resourcing Manager) @ c.pyatt@nhs.net

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

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Devon Partnership NHS Trust

Address

Langdon Hospital

Exeter Road

Dawlish

Devon

EX7 0NR


Employer's website

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


Employer details

Employer name

Devon Partnership NHS Trust

Address

Langdon Hospital

Exeter Road

Dawlish

Devon

EX7 0NR


Employer's website

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


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

PA to Chief Operating Officer

Leanne Coates

leanne.coates@nhs.net

Details

Date posted

16 April 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8d

Salary

£94,356 to £108,814 a year

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

18 months

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

C9369-26-0295

Job locations

Langdon Hospital

Exeter Road

Dawlish

Devon

EX7 0NR


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Devon Partnership NHS Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)