Job summary
- Main area
- Executive
- Grade
- VSM
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 222-CORP-008
- Employer
- West London NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Trust Headquarters
- Town
- Southall
- Salary
- per annum inclusive
- Closing
- 13/09/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Deputy Chief Operating Officer
VSM
West London NHS Trust provides a full range of mental health, community and physical healthcare services for children, adults and older people living in the London boroughs of Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow.
We also provide some specialist services that are commissioned regionally, such as our medium secure services; and nationally, such as the Cassel Hospital for people with complex and severe personality disorder and our high secure services at Broadmoor Hospital.
Job overview
Applications to be submitted via CV and cover letter to Neil Fineberg at [email protected]
"If you're the sort of operational leader who enjoys creating grip, empowering clinical leaders and quietly getting things done, this is a role where you'll thrive."
West London NHS Trust is one of the country's leading integrated providers of mental health, community and specialist services. Following significant investment and sustained organisational improvement, the Trust has established itself as one of the NHS's strongest performing organisations, achieving four consecutive quarters in Segment 1 of the National Oversight Framework and being selected to progress towards Advanced Foundation Trust status.
As the Trust continues to expand its community services, neighbourhood models and place-based partnerships across Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham and Hounslow, an exciting opportunity has arisen for a newly created Deputy Chief Operating Officer (Local Services).
The Recruitment Process
Applications Close: 13th September 2026
Pre-Shortlisting interviews: w/c 14th September 2026
Stakeholder Virtual Panel: Friday 2nd October 2026
Final On-Site Interviews: Monday 5th October 2026
Applications to be submitted via CV and cover letter to Neil Fineberg at [email protected]
Main duties of the job
The opportunity
Reporting directly to Dr Christopher Hilton, Chief Operating Officer, this newly established VSM role has been created to provide greater operational leadership across the Trust's Local Services portfolio.
Unlike many Deputy COO roles, this position carries direct accountability for the Clinical Directors leading six major service lines, creating clear operational leadership and strengthening delivery across the organisation. The role has been deliberately redesigned to provide greater operational grip, performance oversight and leadership capacity.
What we are looking for
We are looking for an experienced NHS provider leader who enjoys operational management and takes pride in delivering excellent services through strong leadership, clear accountability and meaningful relationships.
You will bring:
- significant senior operational leadership experience within an NHS provider organisation
- a proven track record of improving operational performance, quality, productivity and patient flow
- experience leading complex community and/or mental health services
- confidence managing senior clinical leaders while building trust and credibility
- the ability to balance supportive leadership with robust performance management
- outstanding communication skills and the emotional intelligence to influence across complex systems
Most importantly, you will be someone who is comfortable being given responsibility, trusted to lead and expected to deliver.
Working for our organisation
Working for our organisation
West London NHS Trust is one of the most diverse healthcare providers in the UK, delivering a range of mental health and physical healthcare and community services. The Trust runs Broadmoor Hospital, one of three high secure hospitals in the country, with an international reputation.
Our high secure services care for patients from South of England and we provide low and medium secure services across eight London boroughs. The Trust also provides mental and physical healthcare in three London boroughs (Ealing, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham). We employ 4,500 staff, of whom 56% are BME. Our turnover for 2023-24 is £426m.
The Trust is rated as ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commission. Forensic services are rated as ‘Outstanding’.
The Trust is an established partner and contributor in the development of the evolving North West London Integrated Care System and the Integrated Care Board. The Trust leads the NW London Children and Adolescent Mental Health provider collaborative.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Candidate Pack provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. Please view as attached
The person specification below is not the full person specification, but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.
For an exploratory and confidential conversation about the post with further details on the application process, please contact Neil Fineberg at [email protected]
Person specification
Personal attributes and other Requirements
Essential criteria
- Compassionate, collaborative and inclusive leadership style.
- Commitment to service users, carers and communities, with a strong focus on dignity, respect and multicultural sensitivity.
- Commitment to staff engagement, co-production and continuous improvement.
- Positive, resilient and solutions-focused, with a constructive can-do approach.
- Flexible and adaptable, able to work effectively in ambiguity and complexity.
- High levels of integrity, discretion and professional judgement.
- Commitment to NHS values and the Trust’s values, including equality, diversity and inclusion.
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to Master’s level, or equivalent senior leadership experience and learning.
- Evidence of continuous professional development.
Desirable criteria
- Additional postgraduate management qualification.
- Professional clinical, operational, managerial or relevant specialist qualifications.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Proven track record of senior operational delivery in a complex health or social care setting.
- Experience of managing healthcare services at senior level in a provider organisation across mental health, community health, urgent care, access, flow or place-based services and delivering high standards of service performance, including national and local targets, access standards, productivity and quality objectives.
- Experience of leading complex organisational change, service redesign and clinical service development.
- Experience of business planning, demand and capacity planning, and development of business cases in complex organisations.
- Experience of financial management, including efficiency and productivity programmes.
- Experience of working effectively with parters e.g. primary care, local authorities, ✓ A/I Page | 17 VCSE partners etc.
- Evidence of tackling inequalities in access, experience or outcomes.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of leading patient flow, access, bed management, urgent care or productivity programmes.
- Experience of working within a provider collaborative, place-based partnership or integrated care system.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Strong understanding of NHS policy, contracting, finance and performance systems.
- Understanding of mental health and community health provision, integrated care, inequalities, co-production and population health.
Skills
Essential criteria
- Strategic and operational leadership skills, with the ability to translate strategy into delivery.
- Highly developed operational management and performance improvement skills.
- Ability to work in partnership with clinical and operational leaders and external partners.
- Ability to negotiate, influence and build consensus across a wide range of senior stakeholders.
- Strong analytical, numeracy and problem-solving skills, including use of data to support delivery
- Business and service planning skills.
- Ability to communicate complex or contentious information clearly, sensitively and persuasively to a range of audiences.
- Ability to write clear reports, business cases and Board-level papers.
- Ability to motivate and engage staff at all levels, improving confidence and supporting teams through change.
- Ability to build personal credibility with peers, partners and Executive Team members.
- Ability to manage a wide range of responsibilities, prioritise effectively and deliver to deadlines.
- Digitally confident and able to use information systems to support operational grip
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Neil Fineberg
- Job title
- Recruitment Consultant
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07500924369
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