The University Hospitals Sussex (UHSussex) is one of the largest hospital trusts in the UK; we are a major trauma centre and tertiary care provider and we run seven hospitals across five sites with additional satellite facilities and community services.We are proud to put our patients first. Our 20,000 colleagues across Sussex are passionate about providing excellent patient care, every time, for a population of 1.8 million.We have built the foundations for greater future achievement through our investment in new clinical leadership, staffing, education, research and innovation. However, alongside this time of opportunity, we do not underestimate the challenges that we face as a Trust and as a healthcare system. Now is a time of great change and transformation for our organisation, and we recognise not only the demanding financial and operating environment we find ourselves in, but also the need to balance these demands with an unwavering commitment to fostering a culture of inclusion and psychological safety. Our 20,000 colleagues across Sussex are passionate about providing excellent patient care, and we are committed to learning from recent events to ensure we build the foundations for greater future achievement through this mission.The OpportunityThis is a rare opportunity for the right candidate to make a huge impact in our Trust and health system.We are seeking a new Chief Operating Officer (COO) with the skills to enable our journey of improvement. We are a large and complex organisation and the successful candidate will be an outstanding leader, with an enviable track record of successful operational leadership and the capabilities to deliver transformation in partnership with colleagues across a large, multi-service line organisation.Vitally important will be the need for our new COO to live our values and, in partnership with board colleagues, to role model the behaviours that are essential in inspiring a positive, open and learning culture, building credibility and confidence with colleagues, partners, communities and regulators at all levels.If you can demonstrate the leadership capabilities, share our passion for patient care and demonstrate an alignment with our values, we would be delighted to hear from you. In addition, we would particularly welcome candidates from groups currently under-represented at board level because we value the diversity of our colleagues and actively champion an inclusive culture, believing everyone should feel free to be their authentic self in the workplace.Closing date for applications - Wednesday 3rd September 2025In order to proceed with your application, please either:Click 'Add to list' if you would like to look at other roles before starting to apply.