Job summary
- Main area
- PES
- Grade
- Band 8d
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 242-4699 - LR
- Employer
- North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Broughton
- Town
- Broughton
- Salary
- £88,168 - £101,677 Per Annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 10/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading

Area Head of Operations
Band 8d
North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We are committed to providing services which embrace diversity and which promote equality of opportunity. We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet our minimum selection criteria at each stage of the selection process. We will not tolerate discrimination on any of the following: gender, marital status, sexual orientation, race, colour, nationality, religion, age, disability, working pattern, caring responsibilities trade union activity or political beliefs-or any other grounds.
The Trust is currently under-represented in terms of staff from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. We encourage applications from all backgrounds to improve the diversity of our workforce and to better reflect the communities we serve to provide the right care, at the right time, in the right place; every time.
The Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy early if a large number of applications are received.
Due to the volume of applications received for our advertisements, we will only contact those candidates shortlisted for interview via email; we aim to do this within 4 weeks of the closing date. If you do not receive the email, it will be that you have not been shortlisting on this occasion. When applying for this position, it is essential that you read the job description and person specification fully. Please use the supporting information space to demonstrate your ability to undertake this role, drawing on your skills, knowledge and experience.
We also offers a range of excellent benefits including a pension scheme, up to 33 days Annual leave (exclusive of bank holidays), training and development opportunities, access to NHS discounts, Car Lease Scheme, Cycle to Work Scheme, NHS Mortgages and Childcare Vouchers.
Job overview
Ready to Lead Urgent and Emergency Care at Scale?
Become our next Area Head of Operations
Base Location: Cumbria & Lancashire – Broughton Area HQ
Salary: (Band 8d) £91,342 – £105,337 per annum (+ on call allowance)
Contract: Permanent, full-time
Step into an influential leadership role where every decision you make helps shape lives.
At North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), we're on the lookout for an exceptional leader to join us as Area Head of Operations for Cumbria and Lancashire – a pivotal senior position overseeing the delivery of 999 and urgent care services across the area.
Main duties of the job
Head of Operations - What’s the role?
You’ll be the operational heartbeat of your area – leading, influencing, and innovating across large, diverse teams and services. Reporting directly to the Area Director, and working closely with the Area Consultant Paramedic, you’ll manage performance, drive transformation, and ensure we’re consistently delivering high-quality, inclusive, patient-focused care.
If you’re passionate about people, delivering excellence, and empowering teams to have an impact that truly matters, this could be your next big move.
Working for our organisation
North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust provides 24 hour, 365 days a year accident and emergency services to those in need of emergency medical treatment and transport.
Our highly skilled staff provide life-saving care to patients in the community and take people to hospital or a place of care if needed.
We also provide non-emergency patient transport services for those patients who require non-emergency transport to and from hospital and who are unable to travel unaided because of their medical condition or clinical need.
Alongside the other emergency services, we also work to ensure the safety of the public and treatment of patients in the event of a major incident.
We also deliver the NHS 111 service in the North West. NHS 111 replaced NHS Direct in 2013. This service was introduced to make it easier for people to access local NHS healthcare services in England. It provides non-emergency medical help fast, and is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
This is your chance to:
Lead strategic transformation and performance across urgent and emergency care.
Work in close partnership with ICS colleagues, wider health leaders, blue light partners, clinical leaders and community stakeholders.
Inspire and support a large team – leading with compassion, courage and vision.
Be a voice for equality, inclusion, and improvement at the highest level of operations.
Work with internal and external stakeholders to help transform the way we deliver patient care and improve health and wellbeing for our teams.
Play a vital role in our on-call Strategic Commander rota and support major and significant incidents across the region.
What you’ll need:
Extensive leadership experience within complex operational settings – ideally within urgent & emergency care.
A passion for inclusive leadership, with the ability to motivate diverse teams through change and challenge.
A proven track record of strategic planning, transformation, performance delivery and budgetary responsibility.
Willingness to participate in our strategic on-call rota and respond to major and significant incidents outside of normal working hours.
Confidence, agility, and emotional intelligence in abundance.
What we offer:
· A senior leadership platform to influence real change at system level.
· A progressive culture that lives our ‘Be Think Do’ leadership philosophy – focused on values, people and purpose.
· Access to NHS benefits including pension scheme, generous annual leave, a lease car, health and wellbeing support.
· A chance to work for one of the UK’s most dynamic, visible and inclusive ambulance services.
We're not just offering a job – we're offering a mission.
If you’re a courageous, compassionate leader who thrives under pressure and wants to leave a lasting positive impact on patients and staff, we want to hear from you.
Apply now. Make your leadership count. Help us be there when people need us most.
Closing Date: 10th July 2025
Interview Date: w/c 4th August 2025
Person specification
Skills / Competencies
Essential criteria
- Able to formulate medium/long term and tactical plans (which contribute to strategic plans) involving uncertainty; this includes planning that may affect the entire Trust and/or geographical area outside the Trusts boundaries
- Able to deal with a number of competing priorities and deadlines on a day-today basis, allocating work to others as necessary.
- Ability to lead a diverse workforce across complex services with proven track record for leveraging the benefit of diversity for service optimisation, using positive action approaches.
- Self-motivated, independent and able to work under minimum supervision to achieve targets – often under pressure
- Being accountable for results/actions and in turn holding others to account.
- Experience in the application of HR processes
- Demonstrable experience of line management responsibilities.
Qualification and Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Educated to master’s level in a relevant subject area (health, leadership, etc) or equivalent experience of working at a senior level in specialist area
- NARU occupational standards Strategic Commander accreditation (MAGIC) or willing to complete this training upon commencement in post.
- Holder of National Security Clearance or able to gain this in post.
- Evidence of relevant continuous professional development including management, organisational development and change management.
- Significant knowledge of the NHS urgent and emergency care landscape, including the delivery of ambulance services.
Experience
Essential criteria
- In-depth knowledge across a number of disciplines within the NHS sector, including performance management, information systems, workforce and financial management
- Experience of successful interpreting key strategies and policies and delivering against complex key performance indicators and improving operational efficiency of services in current post
- Experience of collaboration with other health and care system partners such as NHS ambulance services, commissioners, STP/ICS leads, wider NHS providers and others key stakeholders e.g. Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, NHS England and NHS Improvement
- Experience of negotiating and establishing effective partnerships with local service providers, clinical networks, system providers/partners and trade unions
- Experience of managing high performing diverse clinical and operational teams
- Experience of emergency planning and leading responses at a command level
- Proven record in successful senior leadership of NHS/Health and Care Management and extensive knowledge and experience at strategic level of service delivery, with specialist knowledge in Urgent & Emergency Care delivery
- Experience of managing financial resources/budgets at an area or locality level
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
- Matt Cooper
- Job title
- Area Director for Cumbria - Lancashire
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0345 1122018
- Additional information
To discuss the role further, please contact Carolyn Smith (PA to the Area Director) at [email protected] to arrange a conversation with the Area Director.
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