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Job summary

Main area
Administrative and Clerical
Grade
Band 9
Contract
12 months (Secondment or fixed-term (12 months))
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
164-7524626
Employer
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Queen's Medical Centre
Town
Nottingham
Salary
£109,179 - £125,637 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
26/10/2025 23:59

Employer heading

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust logo

Deputy Chief Operating Officer

Band 9

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced operational leader to join our operational leadership team at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH).

Due to forthcoming maternity leave, we are looking for someone with senior operational leadership experience who is seeking the opportunity to experience a Deputy Executive role within our Trust.

This is an exciting time for the NUH and you will be joining us as we prepare to open the new National Rehabilitation Centre, roll out Nerve Centre as a new Electronic Patient Record system and embark on a major programme of transformational change within our outpatient and administration services to improve the experience for patients contacting and engaging with us.

You will be a motivated self-starter with experience in leading operational services within the NHS. You may already be leading a large care group or in a Deputy COO role, but are seeking experience within a different organisation.

You will be able to work well within a supportive team, as this role sits alongside two experienced Deputy COOs. As a team of three, you will work together to cover the agendas of planned and urgent care, as well as the key strategic projects and priorities within the COO's portfolio.

Main duties of the job

The post-holder will be responsible for providing high-level operational leadership and planning ensuring safe, high quality and efficient delivery of the day-to-day operational management of the Trust, which meets the needs of patients, achieves set and agreed standards and financial targets. Specifically, the post-holder will work with the Care Groups and Corporate teams to ensure the delivery of the National Access standards and other performance indicators. 

Please refer to the attached job description (JD) and person specification (PS) documents.

Working for our organisation

With over 19,000 staff, we are one of the biggest employers in the city, with a central role in supporting the health and wellbeing of our local population. We play a leading role in research, education and innovation.

Come and join our wonderful team at NUH!  We are big believers in diversity and welcome new ideas to help develop our team to deliver world-class healthcare to the vast patient population we serve. With endless personal development opportunities available, at NUH we will endeavour to turn your job into a career!

We particularly welcome applications from people who identify as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, or Disabled, as we are striving to be better represented at NUH.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post-holder is responsible for the following functions:

Trust Operations, Planning and Performance  

Daily Operational Oversight of all sites 

Responsible for the Site Operations Team 

Responsible for the Integrated Discharge Function 

Developing constructive relationships with all local and National bodies 

Delivery of key operational standards, in conjunction with the Chief Operating Officer 

And will have managerial responsibility for teams in: 

Site Operations 

Integrated Discharge Function 

Please refer to the attached job description (JD) and person specification (PS) documents for a full job overview.

Person specification

Training & Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Degree level qualification, plus higher-level management qualification at Master’s Degree or equivalent level.
  • Significant additional role-related and personal development training commensurate with a very senior manager post

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Significant experience at very senior manager level in the NHS
  • Experience of change management
  • Experience of operational management within a large organisation
  • Track record of achieving and sustaining improvement in performance
  • Ability to prepare reports, analyse highly complex data for Boards, Committees and Management groups.
Desirable criteria
  • Experience in an Acute Trust

Communication and Relationship Skills

Essential criteria
  • Must be a highly credible leader, with experience of building relationships with a range of stakeholders and possess highly-developed leadership skills.
  • Ability to provide meaningful feedback in response to individual performance, and to hold others to account.
  • Able to work across organisational boundaries, developing working partnerships and networks regionally to support the delivery of effective care.
  • Highly-developed interpersonal and communication skills.
  • Ability to motivate self and others.
  • Able to manage the process of change and overcome resistance to change in working practices.

Analytical and Judgement Skills

Essential criteria
  • Experience of problem solving at the most senior level.
  • Ability to analyse highly complex areas of work to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and to ensure these materialise in a sustainable way
  • Experience of understanding and interpreting relevant national policy in a complex organisation
  • Experience of strategic long-term planning.
  • Experience of managing complexity, such as managing numerous work streams/projects whilst simultaneously delivering on performance targets to tight deadlines
  • Must be able to design and operate performance management systems and processes that deliver sustainable performance
  • Experience of leading planning cycles from concept to delivery

Physical Skills

Essential criteria
  • Standard network skills

Other requirements specific to the role, such as being able to drive or work shifts

Essential criteria
  • Take part in the Trust’s senior On-Call rota

Commitment to Trust Values and Behaviours

Essential criteria
  • Must be able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with the Trust’s “We are here for you” behavioural standards

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Trust IDApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyAge positiveDisability confident leaderArmed Forces Covenant Gold AwardMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.NHS Rainbow badgeadded for NUH

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.

Application numbers

Please submit your application form as soon as possible to avoid disappointment; we reserve the right to close vacancies prior to the published closing date if we receive a sufficient number of completed application forms.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Andrew Hall
Job title
Chief Operating Officer
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
0115 924 9924
Additional information

To request an informal chat about this role/team-working with one of the Deputy Chief Operating Officers (Jen Beaumont, Duane McLean and/or Lisa Gowan), please contact Karen-Anne Holliday, EA to the Chief Operating officer using the details below:

[email protected] or on 0115 924 9924 x80241

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