Job summary
- Main area
- Operations
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8b
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (Secondment opportunity would be considered)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 423-7762406
- Employer
- Airedale NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Airedale Hospital
- Town
- Steeton
- Salary
- £64,455 - £74,896 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 01/03/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Deputy Director of Operations (Band 8b)
NHS AfC: Band 8b
Be part of our future landscape
At Airedale, we are committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion. We actively encourage applications irrespective of people’s age, lived experience of living with a disability or long-term conditions, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances.
Increasing our diversity and supporting our organisation to be more inclusive is a key priority here at Airedale and our teams are at the centre of how we work towards this.
We appreciate all people may have diverse and individual needs and we pride ourselves on supporting all people to thrive and flourish at work. We have frameworks in place that support reasonable adjustments and flexible working for colleagues throughout their working lives which starts at recruitment.
These are exciting times for Airedale. We have the once-in-a-career opportunity to be involved in the planning and building of a completely new hospital here on our Steeton site by 2030. By joining us now you’ll be a key part of our journey over the next few years, with the chance to input into a state-of-the-art, modern healthcare facility that will deliver care to our communities for decades to come. We are also on the journey to a new electronic patient record, part of our wider ambition for our digital future – a future that builds on our significant telemedicine and digital care success. Ultimately, what makes Airedale special is our people. Not just our staff, but our volunteers, patients, visitors, and wider population who make up the Airedale family. This is a Trust that sits at the heart of our community, and our communities are very proud of their Trust.
Please read the attached AI statement prior to submitting any application
Job overview
An experienced, motivated and independently minded leader who can act on their own initiative, adopting a values led ‘can do’ style within a climate of constant change and unpredictability to develop and manage the day-to-day operations and performance within the Division.
Reporting to the Divisional Director of Operations the Deputy Director of Operations is responsible, in conjunction with the Patient Service
Managers, Clinical Directors and Matrons, for the safe and effective delivery of all patient services for an agreed portfolio of services (Directorates).
This involves achievement of all operational performance targets, including urgent and emergency care, cancer and elective recovery, finance, and the quality of services to patients. Added to this is the development/improvement of services towards best practice standards within available budgets/income.
Interview date is likely to 10th March 2026 (TBC)
Main duties of the job
Make decisions independently with regards to the delivery of services & resource allocation & expenditure within the limits of Standing Financial Instructions for their delegated authority.
Formally deputise for the Divisional Director of Operations & is expected to make decisions on behalf of the Director of Operations in their absence Lead & deliver on specific trust wide programmes of work on behalf of the Division, acting as the subject matter expert working closely with professional leads, managers, Allied Health Professionals & community teams across the division to ensure an integrated and high-quality response.
Support and/or lead on recruitment, retention, and development of the medical & operational workforce, developing & implementing strategies in conjunction with Human Resources for improving recruitment of hard to fill posts. This will include workforce planning and redesign.
Lead service development & improvement for their portfolio of services. Leading on the development of improvement plans through the review & analysis of complex data & information relating to strategy, performance, demand, capacity & clinical pathways. Will hold accountability for all aspects of operational management & performance for their delegated portfolio of services. This will include setting of strategic direction, use of resources, workforce planning & performance against agreed standards. Delegated budgetary authority will be in accordance with Standard Financial Instructions.
Working for our organisation
We are delighted to offer a wide range of benefits to employees including:
- Cycle to Work
- Travel Scheme
- Childcare Vouchers with Salary Sacrifice
- Onsite Nursery
- Buying and Selling Annual Leave
- Car Leasing
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Employee Health and Wellbeing
- Extensive Reward Scheme
- Counselling Service
- Financial packages including Vivup and Wagestream
- Staff Networks, Enable, Rainbow, Gender, Race Equality Ecoaware & Admin Network.
Our values:
We understand that it’s down to the hard work, effort and dedication of our staff that makes a difference for our patients. Our people really do make our Airedale experience – we take pride in fostering a friendly, effective and caring work environment. Our values are part of our DNA, which are:
- Committed to Quality of Care
- Compassion
- Working together for patients
- Improving Lives
- Everyone Counts
- Respect and Dignity
If you have any questions before you apply, please contact the recruiting manager to find out more.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
For further details including the Job Description and Person Specification please see attached documents.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Healthcare related Degree/Diploma or professional qualification/registration in either Nursing, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy or Management
- Additional specialist knowledge or training to Master’s level or equivalent experience
- Evidence of continuous professional development
Desirable criteria
- Project management experience, Prince 2 or other project management qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Significant management experience in the acute sector.
- Proven track record of meeting internally and externally generated targets
- Experience, understanding and implementation of the modernisation agenda and the opportunities for redesigning services.
- Experience, knowledge and understanding of current issues/themes affecting the NHS locally and nationally
- Experience in the delivery of tangible quality and financial benefits using structured tools and techniques of service improvement, such as Lean and Six Sigma.
- Proven success at managing complex programmes of organisational change while maintaining service quality.
- Experience of staff management, including the setting of objectives, team and individual appraisal, recruitment and disciplinary issues.
- Budget management experience, including reducing costs/ efficiency gains, monitoring and determining corrective action
- Experience in report writing and delivering presentations, to include development of business cases and formal presentations.
- Experience of managing clinical pathways and implementing pathway changes in order to meet national access standards
- Experience of developing and implementing strategic plans at service level that enables the attainment of Divisional objectives.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working within Urgent and Emergency Care, Medical Specialties and across wider systems.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Awais Habib
- Job title
- Operations Director
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01535 294011
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