Deputy Divisional Director of Operations

• Deputise for the Divisional Director across the full range of divisional responsibilities.
• Lead the delivery of operational, workforce, quality, financial and performance objectives across the Division.
• Develop and implement divisional business plans, workforce plans and productivity programmes.
• Hold senior managers accountable for agreed standards, plans and outcomes.
• Drive continuous improvement using data, operational intelligence and performance metrics.
• Lead workforce planning, recruitment, staff engagement, organisational development and succession planning activities.
• Work collaboratively with NHS providers and urgent care partners to improve patient pathways, reduce hospital handover delays and enhance operational resilience.

• Educated to Master's level or equivalent experience.
• Significant senior operational leadership experience within the NHS, ambulance sector, emergency services or a similarly complex environment.
• Proven experience of delivering operational improvement and transformation.
• Experience leading large multidisciplinary teams through organisational change.
• Strong understanding of performance management, workforce planning, governance and patient safety.
• Experience managing significant budgets and resources.
• Exceptional communication, leadership and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience of developing high-performing teams and leading through others.
• Ability to analyse complex information and make decisions in highly pressured environments.
• Ability to participate in the Trust's strategic on-call rota and undertake Gold Command responsibilities.

• Experience within ambulance services, urgent and emergency care, or a 24/7 operational environment.
• Senior leadership qualification or evidence of significant leadership development.
• Experience working across Integrated Care Systems and with NHS partners.
• Experience leading large-scale service redesign and transformation programmes.
• Knowledge of emergency preparedness, resilience and response arrangements.

Essential

• A recognised ambulance clinical response qualification and evidence of ongoing professional development relevant to the clinical grade or commitment to achieving this within 12 months.
• Educated to masters level in healthcare leadership, operational management, urgent and emergency care or another relevant discipline, with evidence of further advanced specialist development, or equivalent advanced theoretical and practical knowledge acquired through substantial postgraduate development and senior strategic experience.
• Evidence of senior leadership development (e.g. NHS Leadership Academy programmes or equivalent).
• Advanced theoretical and practical knowledge across ambulance operations, urgent and emergency care systems, strategic planning, performance management, workforce planning, financial management and large-scale service transformation.
• Detailed knowledge of the national, regulatory and system context governing ambulance operations, patient flow and urgent and emergency care.

Essential

• Substantial senior leadership experience with accountability for a large, complex, high-risk and continuously operating emergency or urgent care service.
• Extensive experience of leading large operational services through senior and middle managers, with accountability for performance, workforce, finance, quality and resource deployment.
• A sustained record of delivering national and local performance standards and leading formal recovery where services have been off plan.
• Experience of leading strategic workforce planning, forecasting, establishment planning, deployment and abstraction control within a demand-led 24/7 service.
• Experience of leading large-scale service improvement, transformation, rota redesign or organisational change and delivering measurable benefits.