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Job summary

Main area
Surgery and Anaesthetics
Grade
Band 9
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
275-2512DDoO-S&A
Employer
Medway NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Medway NHS Foundation Trust
Town
Gillingham
Salary
£109,179 - £125,637 per annum/pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
28/12/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Medway NHS Foundation Trust logo

Divisional Director of Operations for Surgery & Anaesthetics

Band 9

Do you have the ambition and vision to deliver the Best of Care by the Best People?

Here at Medway, we pride ourselves on working together as one to ensure that our shared vision of Better, Best, Brilliant is achieved

Our Trust is a great choice for people who want to develop their career in an ambitious and dynamic environment; our employees are able to choose the coverage and supplemental benefits that best fit their needs and those of their families. This includes the promotion of flexible working opportunities across the Trust, we are able to give our employees flexibility on where, when and the hours they work.

Our culture and values are what drives Medway NHS Foundation Trust and is the heartbeat of who we are as an organisation. It is important that you understand and to refer to our values when you are completing your application and always reflect our values throughout your employment with the Trust.

Job overview

Acting Divisional Director of Operations for Surgery and Anaesthetics

Division: Surgery and Anaesthetics 

Band: 9 

Salary: £105,385 - £121,271 per annum/pro rata

Interview Date: 7th January 2026

The Surgery and Anaesthetics (S&A) Division at Medway NHS Foundation Trust is currently looking to appoint a Divisional Director of Operations (DDO).

The DDO will play an active role in contributing to the strategic direction of the Division and will have managerial accountability for the divisional triumvirate which includes the Divisional Medical Director and Divisional Nursing Director.  The role reports to the Chief Operating Officer, and is responsible for the provision of high-quality services which are safe, efficient and cost effective.  As a senior leader within the Division, the DDO will work closely with the senior Divisional team and care group structure leading the overall vision, direction and performance of the Division.

Main duties of the job

The DDO is a pivotal member of the Divisional team.  The DDO will contribute to the development, implementation and delivery of the Trust’s strategic and operational objectives to provide services that optimise patient care, ensure efficient use of resources and promote a culture that is progressive, inclusive and driven by a core set of values.

Key Responsibilities of the role are:

·         Strategic Development

·         Business Planning/Service Development

·         Operational Performance

·         Workforce Planning and Engagement

·         Clinical Governance, Quality and Safety

·         Leadership and Management

Working for our organisation

Do you have the ambition and vision to deliver our mission of the Best of Care by the Best of People providing excellent care, every time?

Here at Medway, we pride ourselves on working together as one to ensure that our shared vision is achieved for our patients.

As a key partner in the healthcare of our local population, we are keen to deliver this as an outcome of our Trust-wide strategy – Patient First. Using an Operational Excellence approach to align our priorities and operational management structures, we are just over a year and half into our Patient First deployment. We are looking for creative, skilled people to join our Transformation Team and further support us on this journey.

Our culture and values define us here at Medway NHS Foundation Trust and are the heartbeat of who we are as an organisation.

Our BEST values underpin Patient First and are at the core of the care we give to our patients, the support we offer to our staff and our overall leadership approach:

B – Bold

E – Every person counts

S – Sharing and open

T - Together

Our Trust is a great choice for people who want to develop their career in an ambitious and dynamic environment; our employees are able to choose the coverage and supplemental benefits that best fit their needs and those of their families. This includes the promotion of flexible working opportunities across the Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The role will also support aspects of clinical governance compliance and assurance related to the programme, ensuring safe and effective use of all resources.

We are committed to endorsing diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion; our policies/procedures ensure that all applicants are treated fairly at every stage of the recruitment process.

To contribute to our exciting future and become part of our team, apply today.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Educated to Masters level or equivalent experience
  • Professionally trained managerially either via a recognised management qualification or a recognised professional development programme
  • Evidence of continued professional development

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Knowledge of finance & HR Policies and Procedures in the NHS
  • Clear understanding of transformation programmes and service development and improvement
  • Extensive specialist knowledge of the NHS & Social Care, equivalenet to doctorate level, including infrastructure and arrangements at national, regional and local levels
  • Up-to-date knowledge of NHS system reform policy and other key policy drivers. (Performance Management, operating Framework, capacity planning, payment by results, independent sector development and Foundation Trust issues)

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Extensive experience in effective and supportive people management
  • Expert working knowledge of performance management techniques and of using Business Intelligence solutions to work within a performance management framework
  • Demonstrable and extensive experience of working at a Divisional Management Director level
  • Extensive and broad ranging experience leading multiple clinical services
  • Demonstrable, significant experience in implementing innovative clinically led services
  • Evidence to support programme of personal and professional development
  • Proven experience of successfully managing divisional-wide budgets and delivery of Trust-wide productivity and efficiency programmes
  • Proven experience of leading change through people, by effective and engaging leadership
  • Demonstrated capability to act upon incomplete information, using experience to make inferences and decision making.

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Demonstrable ability in inter-agency communication and negotiation; including collaborative working
  • Ability to analyse highly complex and contentious issues where material is conflicting and drawn from multiple sources.
  • Extensive demonstrable experience of strategic planning across divisions
  • Ability to analyse numerical and written data, assess options and draw appropriate initiatives Leadership, vision, strategic thinking and planning with highly developed political skills
  • Demonstrable ability in implementing change and evaluation (in complex and changing environments to deliver sustainable services)
  • Ability to communicate highly complex, sensitive or contentious information orally and in writing, both internally and externally, to a range of audiences
  • Ability to prepare and deliver presentations and reports to a high standard (Board level quality)
  • Ability to analyse and interpret highly complex information and to make judgements regarding a range of highly complex management issues
  • Ability to plan, manage, adjust and deliver complex projects, involving multiple agencies and individuals and a broad range of activities, to tight deadlines

Employer certification / accreditation badges

No smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - BronzeDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - SilverDisability confident employerNHS Rainbow badgeStep into health

Applicant requirements

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Frances Woodroffe
Job title
Chief Operating Officer
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07713 796087
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