Go back Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Head of Operations
The closing date is 17 March 2026
We are looking for an exceptional Head of Operations. Are you dynamic, resilient, and a compassionate leader who inspires, engages, and drives performance?
As a key leader within UHN, you will embody our values, championing a culture of excellence, accountability, and collaboration. You will have a proven track record of delivering measurable improvements in performance, finance, and quality, ensuring sustainable outcomes that make a real difference for our patients and colleagues.
Main duties of the job
What we're looking for:
* Inspirational Leadership- A leader who wins hearts and minds, setting high standards and bringing energy, motivation, and personal impact.
* Performance & Finance Expertise- Demonstrated success in delivering operational excellence, managing cost controls, and leading successful CIP programmes.
* Problem-Solving & Decision-Making- An autonomous problem solver who tackles challenges head-on, bringing innovative solutions and not waiting for Executive intervention.
* Holding to Account- The ability to challenge constructively, ensuring that direct reports, teams, and medical colleagues maximise productivity and deliver value for money.
* Ambition & Continuous Learning- A leader who doesn't settle for mediocrity, actively seeking best practices regionally and nationally, using complex data to inform decision-making.
* Strategic Thinking & Collaboration- Someone who works across divisional boundaries, builds external relationships, and strategically plans for the future of healthcare at UHN.
* Patient-Centred Approach - A leader who ensures that everything we do remains focused on delivering the highest quality patient care.
About us
Please submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close adverts once we have received sufficient applications
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is on an exciting journey with all of our divisions committed to doing things better, with more efficiency as we update, modernise, and advance. We have also entered a Group Model with neighbouring Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust and become University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN). As part of this collaborative approach, there may be a requirement for you to work across both the Kettering and Northampton hospital sites, depending on the needs of the service.
Our Excellence Values
* Compassion
* Accountability
* Respect
* Integrity
* Courage
We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across UHN and help to unleash everyone's full potential.
UHN encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups. We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative.
We recognise the valuable contribution that the Armed Forces community make to our organisation. We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and achieved Silver Award under the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme.
We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds. This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for UHN.
Job responsibilities
Please see attached job description and person specification for a full list of roles and responsibilities.
Person Specification
Education, Training & Qualifications
* Educated to Masters Level or equivalent knowledge and competency in management
* Extensive knowledge of the NHS in the acute sector with up to date knowledge of medical/surgical services
* Extensive specialist knowledge at a strategic level in a number of disciplines including people management and development, financial management and delivery of programmes of work
* Evidence of extensive CPD maintaining up to date knowledge
Knowledge & Experience
* Significant experience within the Healthcare sector at senior manager role in a large complex organisation, including responsibility for strategic planning and budgetary control for group of complex medical/surgical specialties
* Experience of leading and delivering significant programmes of change within an NHS setting
* Demonstrable success in delivering change and performance with and through your management and clinical teams;
* Ability to analyse complex problems and to develop practical and workable solutions to address them
* Experience in service development, introducing policy and strategy to improve services
* Demonstrable success in the formulation of service and business opportunities, working alongside clinical teams and senior colleagues.
* Ability to think and plan strategically, tactically and creatively, and to prioritise work programs in the face of competing demands;
* Ability to manage and deliver to deadlines and within resources.
* Ability to collaborate constructively with internal and external partners to create the conditions for successful partnership working
* Experience of managing multi-million-pound budgets with responsibility for negotiating and performance management of complex contracts across and within services of significant financial value
Skills
* Excellent communications skills, written and oral
* Ability to build successful teams
* Able to work collaboratively with partner organisations
* Ability to influence and motivate staff to deliver challenging targets
* Ability to present highly complex data
* Developed presentation skills to communicate at Board Level where clear, concise and persuasive communication is required
* Proven negotiating skills and ability to manage conflict
* Strategic thinker with evidence of implementation
* Excellent problem-solving skills using team when appropriate
* Critically analyse highly complex financial and clinical data sets
* Highly developed analytical and problem-solving skills
* Well-developed IT skills to manage and report on complex performance management information
* Able to prioritise and work within imposed deadlines, both individually and within the team
* Ability to understand and apply national strategies for the improvement of healthcare to a localised level within the Division
* Able to produce multi-year/long-term planning that aligns with the Trusts, ICB and national direction.
* Ability to work in an environment where the work pattern is unpredictable, utilising initiative and determination to resolve arising matters.
* nterpret highly complex information concerned with professional, operational, and clinical activities to inform decisions and make judgments on recommendations relating to future actions
* Passionate and committed to bring our Dedicated to Excellence values to life, improving the way we work with each other, particularly focusing on empowerment, equality diversity and inclusion of our staff, patients and service users
* Able to demonstrate a commitment to and understanding of the importance of treating all individuals with dignity and respect appropriate to their individual needs.
* All staff are expected to engage in compassionate and inclusive leadership in the provision of high quality care and interactions with others
* Must be able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with the Trusts Values and Behaviours
* Supports and promotes equality and diversity
* Ability to travel between the Kettering and Northampton hospital sites and other sites often with limited time between meetings
* Ability to participate in On-call rota in line with On-call requirements across UHN
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Address
University Hospitals of Northamptonshire
£109,179 to £125,637 a year per annum pro rata
Contract
Permanent
Working pattern
Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working
Reference number
264-7801878-MED
Job locations
University Hospitals of Northamptonshire
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