Director of Operations

NHS

  • West London
  • £113,000-120,000 per year
  • Contract
  • Full-time
  • 14 hours ago
London Central West Unscheduled Care Collaborative (LCW UCC) is seeking an experienced Director of Operations to provide strategic and operational leadership across LCWs urgent and primary care services. As a Board-level role and member of the Executive Team, the postholder will ensure delivery of high-quality Out of Hours, Urgent Care, and GP services, and will deputise for the CEO when required. This job gives the postholder the opportunity to play a key role in leading the delivery of urgent and primary care in the context of an expanding range of services.Main duties of the jobWe are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Director of Operations to join LCWs Executive Team at Board level. This pivotal role will provide strategic and operational leadership across all LCW services, including Clinical Assessment Services, GP Out of Hours, Urgent Care Centres, GP practice services, and a range of community and ward-based services.The postholder will be responsible for ensuring the delivery of safe, high-quality, and high-performing services, aligned with the NHS 10-Year Health Plan, ICB priorities, and system transformation goals. They will also lead and support the operational management team, including direct line management of the Head of Urgent and Primary Care and North H&F PCN management posts, while working collaboratively with clinical and system partners.As a member of the Executive Team, the Director of Operations will deputise for the CEO when required, representing LCW externally and providing continuity of leadership. The postholder will act as the Nominated Individual for CQC, Deputy Accountable Emergency Officer, Health & Safety Lead, and will participate in the organisations Gold on-call rota.This is an exciting opportunity for a confident and visible senior leader, with excellent communication skills and a proven ability to drive improvement and innovation, to play a central role in shaping the future of urgent and primary care services across our community.About usLondon Central & West Unscheduled Care Collaborative is a not-for-profit Social Enterprise, now in its 29th year of providing high-quality services across a range of primary and urgent care contracts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to 4.2 million patients in North West, North Central and North East London. We pride ourselves on delivering safe, effective, responsive, caring, and well led patient centred clinical services as recognised by our Good CQC rating in all areas of our organisation.DetailsDate posted02 September 2025Pay schemeOtherSalary£113,000 to £120,000 a year Inclusive of On-CallContractFixed termDuration18 monthsWorking patternFull-timeReference numberB0441-25-0042Job locationsSt. Charles HospitalExmoor StreetLondonW10 6DZJob descriptionJob responsibilitiesJob responsibilitiesKey responsibilities for the Director of Operations include:Provide strategic and operational leadership across all LCW services, ensuring safe, high-quality, and high-performing patient care in line with NHS and CQC requirements.Act as a visible and accountable senior leader, deputising for the CEO when required, and serving as Nominated Individual for CQC, Deputy Accountable Emergency Officer, and Health & Safety Lead.Lead service innovation, redesign, and integration, ensuring services meet contractual, financial, and performance targets while driving improvements in patient outcomes and operational effectiveness.Build and maintain strong relationships with commissioners, system partners, and primary care providers, leading contractual negotiations, business development, and high-quality tender responses.Provide clear leadership to senior managers, ensuring effective workforce planning, supervision, and development, while fostering an inclusive and supportive organisational culture.Support delivery of robust clinical governance, risk management, and quality assurance in partnership with the Medical Director and clinical leadership team.Ensure effective financial management of LCWs service portfolio, including oversight of budgets, business plans, and resource allocation. Job descriptionJob responsibilitiesJob responsibilitiesKey responsibilities for the Director of Operations include:Provide strategic and operational leadership across all LCW services, ensuring safe, high-quality, and high-performing patient care in line with NHS and CQC requirements.Act as a visible and accountable senior leader, deputising for the CEO when required, and serving as Nominated Individual for CQC, Deputy Accountable Emergency Officer, and Health & Safety Lead.Lead service innovation, redesign, and integration, ensuring services meet contractual, financial, and performance targets while driving improvements in patient outcomes and operational effectiveness.Build and maintain strong relationships with commissioners, system partners, and primary care providers, leading contractual negotiations, business development, and high-quality tender responses.Provide clear leadership to senior managers, ensuring effective workforce planning, supervision, and development, while fostering an inclusive and supportive organisational culture.Support delivery of robust clinical governance, risk management, and quality assurance in partnership with the Medical Director and clinical leadership team.Ensure effective financial management of LCWs service portfolio, including oversight of budgets, business plans, and resource allocation.Person SpecificationQualificationsEssential
  • Degree or equivalent knowledge and skills.
  • Healthcare environment experience.
  • Experience of working with/in primary care.
Desirable
  • Urgent care experience at a senior level.
  • Postgraduate qualification in health-related field or management.
Knowledge and skillsEssential
  • Strong negotiation, influencing, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to challenge constructively and make sound decisions under pressure.
  • Proven ability to provide strategic direction, lead business development, and deliver change within complex healthcare settings.
  • Excellent analytical skills with the ability to interpret and present complex information clearly and persuasively to a wide range of audiences.
  • Highly developed collaborative and relationship-building skills, working effectively with clinical leaders, multi-professional teams, and external stakeholders.
  • Skilled in planning and prioritising across short, medium, and long-term horizons, with the ability to delegate, hold others to account, and manage competing demands.
  • Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, able to build consensus, inspire confidence, and tailor messaging for different audiences.
  • IT literate, with proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (including Excel and PowerPoint).
Values and Other AttributesEssential
  • Flexible, adaptable, and resilient, with a calm and rational approach in challenging situations.
  • Visible, compassionate, and inclusive leadership style, with a strong commitment to equality, diversity, and community-focused care.
  • High levels of integrity, personal accountability, and credibility when working with both clinicians and senior leaders.
  • Skilled at recognising and escalating risks appropriately, simplifying complexity, and enabling effective action across teams.
  • Committed to LCWs core values: Patient First, Drive Change, Together, Belonging, and Community Focused.
ExperienceEssential
  • Senior-level experience within the healthcare sector, with a strong track record of operational and strategic leadership.
  • Proven experience of leading teams, managing performance, and handling HR processes including recruitment, grievance, conduct, and performance management.
  • Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, resources, and services effectively to deliver high-quality outcomes.
  • Experience of service improvement, change management, and leading projects to develop or enhance healthcare provision.
  • Skilled in developing, presenting, and implementing business cases, as well as mobilising new services.
Person SpecificationQualificationsEssential
  • Degree or equivalent knowledge and skills.
  • Healthcare environment experience.
  • Experience of working with/in primary care.
Desirable
  • Urgent care experience at a senior level.
  • Postgraduate qualification in health-related field or management.
Knowledge and skillsEssential
  • Strong negotiation, influencing, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to challenge constructively and make sound decisions under pressure.
  • Proven ability to provide strategic direction, lead business development, and deliver change within complex healthcare settings.
  • Excellent analytical skills with the ability to interpret and present complex information clearly and persuasively to a wide range of audiences.
  • Highly developed collaborative and relationship-building skills, working effectively with clinical leaders, multi-professional teams, and external stakeholders.
  • Skilled in planning and prioritising across short, medium, and long-term horizons, with the ability to delegate, hold others to account, and manage competing demands.
  • Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, able to build consensus, inspire confidence, and tailor messaging for different audiences.
  • IT literate, with proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (including Excel and PowerPoint).
Values and Other AttributesEssential
  • Flexible, adaptable, and resilient, with a calm and rational approach in challenging situations.
  • Visible, compassionate, and inclusive leadership style, with a strong commitment to equality, diversity, and community-focused care.
  • High levels of integrity, personal accountability, and credibility when working with both clinicians and senior leaders.
  • Skilled at recognising and escalating risks appropriately, simplifying complexity, and enabling effective action across teams.
  • Committed to LCWs core values: Patient First, Drive Change, Together, Belonging, and Community Focused.
ExperienceEssential
  • Senior-level experience within the healthcare sector, with a strong track record of operational and strategic leadership.
  • Proven experience of leading teams, managing performance, and handling HR processes including recruitment, grievance, conduct, and performance management.
  • Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, resources, and services effectively to deliver high-quality outcomes.
  • Experience of service improvement, change management, and leading projects to develop or enhance healthcare provision.
  • Skilled in developing, presenting, and implementing business cases, as well as mobilising new services.

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