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East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Directors of Operations

The closing date is 09 November 2025

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Job summary

We are seeking two exceptional and experiencedDirectors of Operations -- one based at Colchester Hospital and one at Ipswich Hospital -- to join our senior leadership team.

These pivotal roles sit at the very heart of the Trust's operational delivery. Working closely with the Managing Director, Chief Executive, and divisional leadership teams, each Site Director will provide visible, values-driven leadership to ensure safe, effective, and efficient services across their hospital site.

With significant senior leadership experience in hospital operations, you will be an inspiring and credible operational leader with the confidence and expertise to manage large, complex hospital services in a dynamic environment.

You will have a strong track record of achieving and sustaining operational, quality and financial performance

Main duties of the job

You will lead and manage all operational, clinical, and non-clinical support services across the hospital site, ensuring safe, high-quality, and efficient patient care.

Working collaboratively with clinical and divisional teams you will ensure we deliver excellent patient flow, access and experience, whilst ensuring compliance with national and local standards and targets.

You will build and sustain high-performing relationships with our system partners, supporting innovative models of care.

About us

We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes.

We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.

We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.

Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.

We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what's widely regarded as the world's best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.

Find out about living and working here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkPu7HphU8A

Details

Date posted

24 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 9

Salary

£109,179 to £125,637 a year + additional responsibility payment

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

432-HR825-25

Job locations

Ipswich/Colchester

Ipswich/Colchester

IP4 5PD


Job description

Job responsibilities

For further information on the main responsibilities and duties of the role please see the attached Director of Operations applicant information pack

Job description

Job responsibilities

For further information on the main responsibilities and duties of the role please see the attached Director of Operations applicant information pack

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Educated to Masters level standard or equivalent in relevant subject area and additional in-depth professional knowledge in a number of disciplines
  • Formal management or business qualification or equivalent relevant experience
  • Substantial senior level experience in a complex, highly regulated organisation

Experience

Essential

  • Recent experience of working in a strategic leadership role
  • Experience of Board-level work in a complex organisation that operates within a highly-regulated sector
  • Experience of developing and influencing strategy, driving delivery and leading complex programmes of work at pace, and in situations of high ambiguity

Desirable

  • NHS experience at a senior management level
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Educated to Masters level standard or equivalent in relevant subject area and additional in-depth professional knowledge in a number of disciplines
  • Formal management or business qualification or equivalent relevant experience
  • Substantial senior level experience in a complex, highly regulated organisation

Experience

Essential

  • Recent experience of working in a strategic leadership role
  • Experience of Board-level work in a complex organisation that operates within a highly-regulated sector
  • Experience of developing and influencing strategy, driving delivery and leading complex programmes of work at pace, and in situations of high ambiguity

Desirable

  • NHS experience at a senior management 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.

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

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Ipswich/Colchester

Ipswich/Colchester

IP4 5PD


Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Ipswich/Colchester

Ipswich/Colchester

IP4 5PD


Employer's website

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

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Executive Assistant

Georgia Shephard

georgia.shephard@esneft.nhs.uk

Details

Date posted

24 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 9

Salary

£109,179 to £125,637 a year + additional responsibility payment

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

432-HR825-25

Job locations

Ipswich/Colchester

Ipswich/Colchester

IP4 5PD


Supporting documents

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