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Job summary

Main area
Administration
Grade
Band 8c
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (On Call)
Job ref
287-RSUR-202-25
Employer
Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Royal Liverpool University Hospital
Town
Liverpool
Salary
£76,965 - £88,682 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
11/11/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust logo

Head of Operations - Surgical Specialties

Band 8c

Job overview

This post is open to employees of the five LAASP organisations. As part of your application, you will be asked to confirm that you are a current employee of The Clatterbridge Centre, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, Liverpool University Hospitals, Liverpool Women’s Hospital or, The Walton Centre.

A new and exciting opportunity has arisen for substantive recruitment as the Head  of Operations to lead the Surgical Specialties Care Group - Breast & Endocrine, Renal Transplant and Urology.   

The Head of Operations will be responsible for leading the effective and efficient delivery of the day to day operational performance of the Care Group ensuring sustainable delivery of high quality patient care, safety processes, operational standards and quality/service improvement programmes for services delivered on the Royal site.

They will have extensive experience in a leadership role within an Acute Hospital setting, including a proven track record of performance management of services and delivery. They will be required to demonstrate experience of successful management of change and have experience of developing teams, using appraisal and accountability frameworks.

The successful candidates will support the development of an open and engaging culture for patients and staff that encourages excellence in clinical practice, facilitates team working and multi professional care delivery. 

Main duties of the job

Reporting to the Divisional Director of Operations, the post holder will be an integral member of the Care Group’s Senior Leadership Team and will be fully accountable for the delivery of the Care Group’s operational and financial performance. They will take a lead role in both shaping and delivering the Care Group’s strategy in conjunction with both the Divisional and Trust’s overall strategies and objectives. 

The Head of Operations will work with the Clinical Directors and Lead Nurse/AHPs to drive operational performance and planning within the Care group. The post holder will work closely with other Divisions, Corporate Directors and external partners in order to achieve Trust objectives and make a positive contribution to the provision of health services across the local economy. 

We want our operational teams to support delivery of high quality care to patients accessing our services and in turn we want to make this the “Best Place to Work” for our staff, investing continually in their development. Liverpool University NHS FT can offer you access to leadership and team development, coaching, and flexible working.

Working for our organisation

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comprises Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital & Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

We are part of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, formed on 1 Nov 2024 from the coming together of LUHFT and Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust. The Group was born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our patients.

UHLG is one of the largest employers in the region, with over 16,800 colleagues dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond. 

For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services for more than two million people in the North West.

Aintree University Hospital is the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility. Broadgreen Hospital is home to elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation. Liverpool Women’s Hospital specialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK’s largest single site maternity hospital each year. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single bedrooms and focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.

For roles at Liverpool Women’s, visit their careers page.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Specifically, the Head of Operations is accountable for:
Functioning at a senior level within the Care Group leadership team, proactively leading and providing solutions to resolve complex operational issues, in accordance with agreed Divisional objectives, targets, quality standards and resource constraints. 

The Head of Operations will lead the implementation of patient centred clinical operational strategy and plans, ensuring that systems and processes are in place to comply with relevant legislation and governance requirements, linking with external bodies such as commissioners about service developments, contracts and clinical care pathways whilst utilising the expertise and skills of the wider Divisional team.

As the lead member of the Care Group team, the Head of Operations defines the strategic direction and policy setting for the Division, forming an essential communications link between the Division, Care Group and relevant external organisations, demonstrating a coaching style of leadership in ensuring that clinical, staff and stakeholder engagement is reflected in the decision making process.

The Head of Operations will provide a highly visible, accessible and authoritative presence in order to support the delivery of Divisional and the Trust’s overall objectives and service priorities. 

The Head of Operations will be fully accountable for the Care Group’s budgets and will monitor the income for the Care Group alongside controlling all pay spend (to include bank/locum and agency staff costs and controls) and also non-pay. 

The Head of Operations will lead the scheme’s to ensure achievement of the QEP target for the Care Group and represent the senior team at appropriate meetings to monitor financial performance in all these areas. 

The Head of Operations will deputise for the Divisional Director of Operations, including representing them at divisional level/sub-board level meetings.  The post holder has line management responsibility for the Deputy Head of Operations and other identified direct reports.

For further information, please refer to the attached job description.

Person specification

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Coaching & values led leadership style, encouraging engagement and empowerment amongst staff and stakeholders, and in developing high performing teams
  • A high level of communication skills, to include but not exclusively, mediation, negotiation, consultation, facilitation, presentation, training and coaching skills using well developed interpersonal skills to influence, inform, reconcile differences and resolve conflicts.
  • Solve problems, using a solution focused approach demonstrating competent persuasive and influencing skills
  • Analyse detailed data and information, including preparing responses to issues, weighing risks and forming judgements often within tight timescales
  • Initiate, develop, coordinate and implement business planning processes on behalf of the Care Group
  • Initiate, develop, coordinate and implement business planning processes on behalf of the Care Group
  • Coordinate and lead Care Group activity to meet challenging performance targets within tight financial controls
  • Implement agreed policy on behalf of the Care Group and ensure successful implementation
  • IT literate and able to use standard office software and bespoke systems
  • Cope with competing priorities and a demanding workload
  • Deal with uncertainty and complexity in a political environment
  • Work in an environment with frequent interruptions, and within stressful, unpredictable situations including responding to and solving urgent and emergency situations day to day
Desirable criteria
  • Research detailed information, and use audit skills to applying findings to influence practice and develop business cases/plans
  • Imaginative and innovative in developing new ways of working in meeting patient care and service needs

LAASP Employee

Essential criteria
  • LAASP Employee

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Degree level or equivalent extensive experience
  • Management qualification, MBA or equivalent extensive experience

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Demonstrable experience at a senior level in healthcare delivery, with responsibility for operational delivery including clinical quality, people management, budget responsibility and successful delivery of performance targets within strict financial controls.

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Understanding and appreciation of diversity
  • Key issues and pace of change facing the NHS nationally and locally, assess and describe impact on services.
  • Principles and impact of the NHS Constitution
  • Knowledge and understanding of computerised financial, management, budgetary management and workforce information systems
Desirable criteria
  • Knowledge and understanding of governance arrangements and standards in the NHS and the wider health and social care economy

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Fair Employment Charter Status - Aspiring LevelNHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardTrust IDVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleInvestors in PeopleArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Carer confident logo, the employers for carers confident schemeDisability confident committedStep into health

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Sandra Davey
Job title
Divisional Director of Operations, Surgery
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07534 114 979
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