Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust

Head of Operations Mental Health

The closing date is 09 November 2025

Job summary

We are seeking an experienced, visionary leader to join our Trust as Head of Operations for Adult Mental Health. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering high-quality care for adults across our inpatient and community services.

The postholder will support the Deputy Director to deliver the Trust's operational plan and strategic framework. The postholder will be responsible for the operational management of an agreed portfolio of services within the Mental Health & Learning Disability Care Group, ensuring effective and efficient use of allocated resources to provide a service organised around the needs of service users and our local communities.

This is a senior leadership role and the postholder will work in collaboration with the Heads of Professions and Corporate services to ensure effective performance of teams, high quality governance, workforce planning, emergency planning and on-going business development. The postholder will promote a culture of innovation, involvement and quality improvement.

Main duties of the job

Reporting to the Deputy Director of Operations and working closely with senior clinical and operational leaders, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across the adult mental health pathway including:

  • Adult Mental Health Inpatient Services including acute, PICU and adult secure
  • Acute Community Services including Psychiatric Liaison, First Response and Intensive Home Based Treatment
  • Community Mental Health Services including CMHT, IOT, EIP, Peri-natal and IPS

Closing Date: 9th November 2025

Shortlisting Date: 10th November 2025

Interview Date: 21st November 2025

About us

Everything we do is underpinned by our core values: -We Care - We act with respect and empathy, and always value differenceWe Listen - We understand people's views and respond to their individual needsWe Deliver - We develop and provide excellent services and support our partnersWe will consider a variety of flexible working arrangements to enable staff to balance their work and home lives and support staff by offering a fantastic range of benefits including :Increase mileage rates for > 3500A wide range of health and wellbeing support packagesA range of internal and external development and learning opportunitiesPlus many more.We are also proud to pledge our support to the Armed Forces and hold a Bronze Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.BDCFT is dedicated to environmental and social sustainability by delivering on the commitments within our Green Plan. All staff are actively encouraged and supported to participate in training and to identify and implement sustainable quality improvement across all service areas and activities.The Trust reserves the right to close this position early if a significant number of applications are received.The postholder will work strategically across the local system, crossing organisational boundaries and unblocking traditional barriers to access, ensuring that keyworkers are embedded within the pathways across health, education and LA facilitating a keyworker for all children, young people and families that need it.

Details

Date posted

21 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8c

Salary

£76,965 to £88,682 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

453-25-7553622

Job locations

Lynfield Mount Hospital

Heights Lane, Daisy Hill

Bradford

BD9 6DP


Job description

Job responsibilities

  • To provide operational management and leadership to an agreed portfolio of services within the Mental Health & Learning Disability Care Group with support from the Deputy Director, to deliver the operational plan and operate within a clear accountability framework
  • Work with the Deputy Director to develop, implement and monitor quality and performance across services.
  • Support the Deputy Director to identify and implement innovative solutions to address key Care Group issues.
  • Lead on the delivery of actions that realise benefits in terms of sustainability and productivity.
  • Implement corporate operational policies and provide daily, weekly and monthly reports to the senior leadership team and teams across the care group.
  • Escalate exception reports to the Deputy Director and Senior Leadership Team for further support.
  • Ensure services are provided in a safe and well governed way, ensuring risk management strategies are implemented and monitored including risk register maintenance and management of incidents.
  • Ensure that successful clinical governance structures are embedded into the way the Trust delivers services to provide assurance about the quality of services and patient safety.
  • Take a lead in area of responsibility for the management of Serious Incident investigations, complaints management and disciplinary investigations promoting a culture of continual learning and quality improvement
  • Take a lead service wide for emergency planning and business continuity plans.
  • Engage teams in understanding the Trust vision and Strategy and their role in achieving it
  • Take a lead for your work area in delivering quality improvement processes.
  • Ensure sound financial management of services through delegated budgets with support from the Deputy Director and finance team.
  • Deliver high quality services and work with the Deputy Director and others to provide assurance that services meet the appropriate internal and national quality standards.

Please read the attached Job description and person specification for more details about this role.

Right to Work in the UKApplicants should be aware that for any individual who requires a visa to work in the UK, the Trust provides sponsorship for registered healthcare practitioner roles only. This is an essential requirement of the role, and the Trust is unable to offer you a role if you are unable to meet Trust requirements for sponsorship and Home Office requirements for a visa.Prior to your appointment you will be asked to provide confirmation of your right to work and reside in the UK. During your continued employment with the Trust, you have a personal responsibility to notify your manager as soon as possible should there be any changes to your right to work status.Regrettably, if the role is not eligible for sponsorship under the Trusts eligibility criteria, the Trust are unable to extend your employment beyond the expiration of your current visa. The Trust is not responsible or liable for ensuring that your employment continues after this period.As a condition of continuous employment, it essential you maintain the legal right to work in the United Kingdom throughout the duration of your employment with Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust (BDCFT). Any change in your right-to-work status, including but not limited to visa expiration, revocation, or denial of renewal, may impact your eligibility for employment with the Trust. It is your responsibility to promptly inform your Line Manager of any changes in your right-to-work status immediately and to provide necessary documentation for verification purposes. Failure to obtain or renew your visa in a timely manner is a breach of employment conditions and will result in termination of your employment. We appreciate your attention to this matter and your commitment to fulfilling this requirement promptly.

Job description

Job responsibilities

  • To provide operational management and leadership to an agreed portfolio of services within the Mental Health & Learning Disability Care Group with support from the Deputy Director, to deliver the operational plan and operate within a clear accountability framework
  • Work with the Deputy Director to develop, implement and monitor quality and performance across services.
  • Support the Deputy Director to identify and implement innovative solutions to address key Care Group issues.
  • Lead on the delivery of actions that realise benefits in terms of sustainability and productivity.
  • Implement corporate operational policies and provide daily, weekly and monthly reports to the senior leadership team and teams across the care group.
  • Escalate exception reports to the Deputy Director and Senior Leadership Team for further support.
  • Ensure services are provided in a safe and well governed way, ensuring risk management strategies are implemented and monitored including risk register maintenance and management of incidents.
  • Ensure that successful clinical governance structures are embedded into the way the Trust delivers services to provide assurance about the quality of services and patient safety.
  • Take a lead in area of responsibility for the management of Serious Incident investigations, complaints management and disciplinary investigations promoting a culture of continual learning and quality improvement
  • Take a lead service wide for emergency planning and business continuity plans.
  • Engage teams in understanding the Trust vision and Strategy and their role in achieving it
  • Take a lead for your work area in delivering quality improvement processes.
  • Ensure sound financial management of services through delegated budgets with support from the Deputy Director and finance team.
  • Deliver high quality services and work with the Deputy Director and others to provide assurance that services meet the appropriate internal and national quality standards.

Please read the attached Job description and person specification for more details about this role.

Right to Work in the UKApplicants should be aware that for any individual who requires a visa to work in the UK, the Trust provides sponsorship for registered healthcare practitioner roles only. This is an essential requirement of the role, and the Trust is unable to offer you a role if you are unable to meet Trust requirements for sponsorship and Home Office requirements for a visa.Prior to your appointment you will be asked to provide confirmation of your right to work and reside in the UK. During your continued employment with the Trust, you have a personal responsibility to notify your manager as soon as possible should there be any changes to your right to work status.Regrettably, if the role is not eligible for sponsorship under the Trusts eligibility criteria, the Trust are unable to extend your employment beyond the expiration of your current visa. The Trust is not responsible or liable for ensuring that your employment continues after this period.As a condition of continuous employment, it essential you maintain the legal right to work in the United Kingdom throughout the duration of your employment with Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust (BDCFT). Any change in your right-to-work status, including but not limited to visa expiration, revocation, or denial of renewal, may impact your eligibility for employment with the Trust. It is your responsibility to promptly inform your Line Manager of any changes in your right-to-work status immediately and to provide necessary documentation for verification purposes. Failure to obtain or renew your visa in a timely manner is a breach of employment conditions and will result in termination of your employment. We appreciate your attention to this matter and your commitment to fulfilling this requirement promptly.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Relevant health or social care post graduate professional qualification
  • Masters Level or equivalent experience
  • Appropriate management and professional qualification or equivalent experience

Desirable

  • Project management qualification or equivalent experience.

Experience

Essential

  • Significant experience of operational service management at a senior level in community or inpatient services.
  • Experience of leading the provision of clinical services.
  • Experience of managing service budgets, contributing to strategic and operational business plans linked to a financial strategy

Desirable

  • Specific operational experience in mental health and learning disability inpatient and services
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Relevant health or social care post graduate professional qualification
  • Masters Level or equivalent experience
  • Appropriate management and professional qualification or equivalent experience

Desirable

  • Project management qualification or equivalent experience.

Experience

Essential

  • Significant experience of operational service management at a senior level in community or inpatient services.
  • Experience of leading the provision of clinical services.
  • Experience of managing service budgets, contributing to strategic and operational business plans linked to a financial strategy

Desirable

  • Specific operational experience in mental health and learning disability inpatient and services

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).

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.

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).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Lynfield Mount Hospital

Heights Lane, Daisy Hill

Bradford

BD9 6DP


Employer's website

https://www.bdct.nhs.uk/current-vacancies/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Lynfield Mount Hospital

Heights Lane, Daisy Hill

Bradford

BD9 6DP


Employer's website

https://www.bdct.nhs.uk/current-vacancies/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Deputy Director of Operations

Alix Jeavons

alix.jeavons@bdct.nhs.uk

Details

Date posted

21 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8c

Salary

£76,965 to £88,682 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

453-25-7553622

Job locations

Lynfield Mount Hospital

Heights Lane, Daisy Hill

Bradford

BD9 6DP


Supporting documents

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