Divisional Operations Director - Clinical Delivery and Family Services

Company Description

Here at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, we are proud to provide expert, compassionate care for our local population. We are ranked as the third in the country for research, embedding education and training across the organisation. Our main hub is the Queen Alexandra Hospital, which is one of the largest hospitals on the south coast employing over 8,700 staff.

Our patients come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds because it makes our hospital stronger. If you share our values and our enthusiasm for getting it right for patients, colleagues, and our community, you will find a home at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust

Job Description

This vacancy is only open to applications from individuals employed by Isle of Wight NHS Trust and Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust. 

Base: Queen Alexandra Hospital, Southwick Hill Road, Cosham, Portsmouth, PO6 3LY 

Grade: NHS Band 9 £109,179 - £125,637 per annum 

Are you an inspiring, forward-thinking leader ready to make a significant impact on patient care, operational excellence, and the future of NHS services?
We are seeking a Divisional Operations Director to join our Clinical Delivery & Family Services Division — a strategic, high-profile role at the heart of one of the country’s most dynamic Trusts.

Working in partnership with the Divisional Director and Divisional Nurse Director, you will shape the strategic direction, operational delivery, and performance of a large and complex division. This is a senior leadership position where your decisions will influence thousands of patients and staff every day.

You will:

• Lead the delivery of national and local access standards, ensuring safe, effective and high‑quality clinical services.
• Drive transformational change, performance improvement and innovation across the division.
• Oversee the delivery of all financial, operational and workforce objectives.
• Champion a culture of collaboration, learning, and continuous improvement.
• Provide visible leadership, motivating teams and empowering colleagues at every level.
• Represent the division externally and play a key role in Trust‑wide corporate initiatives.

This is a role for someone who thrives in complexity, inspires confidence, and is motivated by making real improvements for patients and staff.

We are seeking a leader who brings:

• Extensive senior management experience within the NHS.
• A proven track record of strategic and operational leadership, including service improvement at scale.
• Strong financial acumen, with experience managing significant budgets.
• Exceptional communication and relationship‑building skills.
• Highly developed analytical, problem‑solving and decision‑making abilities.
• A passion for patient‑centred care and a commitment to living our values: Working Together, With Compassion, As One Team, Always Improving.

Why Join Us?

At Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, you’ll be part of an ambitious organisation committed to delivering high‑quality care and improving outcomes for our local communities. We offer:

• A strong, supportive senior leadership network.
• Opportunities to contribute to Trust‑wide strategy and major transformation programmes.
• A culture that values innovation, staff wellbeing, and professional development.
• The chance to shape new models of care and lead divisional improvements that make a real difference.

For further details, please see enclosed Job Description 

Qualifications

• Professional knowledge acquired through degree, supplemented by specialist training to doctorate or equivalent level, 
• Premier post graduate qualification e.g. Master of Business Administration (MBA) or the equivalent applied post-graduation management learning relating to a number of disciplines in Business Management, Finance, Accountancy, Marketing, Information Systems or People Management.
• Membership of a clinical and/or management professional body.

Experience

• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Previous successful management experience, at a senior level.
• Leading and sustaining transformational change within a complex organisation.
• Developing and translating business strategy into operational delivery.
• Managing operating budgets and delivering financial surplus.
• Leading and performance-managing teams and individuals.
• Extensive senior management experience within the NHS.

Skills & Knowledge

• Strong customer service skills.
• Judgments involving complex facts or situations, which requires analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options.
• Exercise expert reasoning and professional judgment to resolve complex problems including areas such as procurement and management support, service delivery and supporting arrangements
• Highly developed leadership skills.
• Ability to quickly establish effective working relationships and develop strong team working.
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of clinical / corporate governance and risk management systems.
• Highly developed interpersonal and facilitation skills, able to gain and maintain credibility with senior clinicians.
• Highly effective presenter, with the ability to present reasoned and structured argument orally and in writing.
• Highly developed analytical skills.
• Proficiency in the use of ICT applications to support efficient work activity, including the analysis, interpretation and presentation of complex data.
• Ability to manage priorities in order to meet specific deadlines.
• Ability to hold direct and non-direct reports to account.
• Detailed knowledge of Clinical Quality and Safety methodologies.
• Detailed knowledge of Clinical and Corporate Governance frameworks, legislation and best practice.

Personal Qualities:

• Demonstrates high levels of self-belief, drive, enthusiasm and stamina to achieve goals and see things through.
• Ability to motivate, inspire and provide innovative solutions.
• Excellent judgement.
• Ability to achieve consistently good results in an inclusive and collaborative manner.
• Ability to work effectively in a complex and changing environment.
• Ability to work under pressure to demanding timetables.
• Understands the need to deliver short-term priorities and achieve long-term goals (sense of balance).
• High degree of political awareness.
• Displays innovative and lateral thinking.
• Prepared to work totally flexibly.
• High degree of self-awareness.
• Ability to maintain confidence, at all times.
• High levels of personal integrity and loyalty.
• Intellectual flexibility enabling reasoned assessment of a situation and able to draw pragmatic conclusions.
• Ability to ‘broad scan’ to keep abreast of developments in the Health Care sector.
• Ability to deal with confidential issues in a professional and sensitive manner.

Additional Information

The health and wellbeing of our staff is at the forefront of everything we do. We are proud to be able to offer our staff some fantastic benefits including our on-site Nursery, access to our free Beach Hut for those long summer days, our on-site Wellness Centre including a gym and a swimming pool, access to our fantastic staff networks including LGBTQ, Race Equality and DisAbility, and awards ceremonies to recognise your achievements. We believe we can offer support to all of our staff when they need it the most.

We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, colour, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and beliefs.