Job summary
- Main area
- Administration
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8c
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 410-HINW-8293015
- Employer
- Liverpool Heart & Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Health Innovation North West Coast, Sci-Tech Daresbury
- Town
- Warrington
- Salary
- £79,504 - £91,609 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 09/10/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Head of Operations
NHS AfC: Band 8c
Job overview
Lead Change. Shape the Future. Enable Innovation.
Are you a dynamic and forward-thinking operational leader who thrives on solving problems, driving improvement and turning ambition into action? Health Innovation North West Coast (HINWC) is seeking an exceptional individual to join our leadership team as Head of Operations.
This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping the systems, governance, processes and organisational infrastructure that support the delivery of our ambitious strategy. We are looking for a highly motivated, solutions-focused leader who can combine strategic thinking with operational excellence and who is passionate about creating the conditions that enable people and organisations to thrive.
As Head of Operations, you will lead a broad portfolio spanning operations, corporate services, programme management, digital transformation and organisational improvement. Working closely with colleagues across the organisation and the wider Health Innovation Network, you will help ensure HINWC remains resilient, effective and well positioned to maximise its impact across health and care.
Main duties of the job
About the Role
Reporting to the Associate Director of Operations, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across a diverse portfolio that is central to the effective running of the organisation.
You will:
- Lead and develop high-quality operational and corporate services functions.
- Provide leadership and oversight of the Programme Management Office (PMO).
- Drive digital transformation and organisational improvement programmes.
- Strengthen governance, assurance and reporting processes.
- Support organisational performance management and business intelligence.
- Lead the development of systems, processes and ways of working that improve organisational effectiveness.
- Work collaboratively with the Senior Leadership Team to deliver strategic priorities and organisational change.
This role will be instrumental in delivering our Target Operating Model and ensuring the organisation has the capability, resilience and infrastructure required to achieve its ambitions both now and in the future.
Working for our organisation
About Us
Health Innovation North West Coast is one of 15 Health Innovation Networks across England.
We work with health and care organisations, academia, industry, local authorities and system partners to identify, develop, test and spread innovations that improve outcomes, enhance productivity and tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing health and care.
Visit our website -Health Innovation North West Coast - Home page
Why Join Us?
This is an opportunity to help shape the future of a respected and ambitious organisation that is making a real difference to health and care.
At HINWC, you will:
- Play a key leadership role in delivering our long-term strategic ambitions.
- Lead significant transformation programmes that strengthen organisational effectiveness, digital capability and sustainable growth.
- Work alongside a supportive, ambitious and forward-thinking Wider Leadership Team.
- Collaborate with colleagues across the Health Innovation Network, sharing learning and contributing to collective success.
- Influence how we work, helping to build an efficient, resilient and high-performing organisation.
- Be part of a values-led culture that encourages innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement.
Our Values
We are proud to be an organisation that is:
- Collaborative
- Innovative
- Brave
- Caring
- Inclusive
We are looking for a leader who shares these values and is committed to creating an environment where people feel empowered, supported and able to do their best work
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
About You
You will be an experienced senior leader with a strong track record of operational leadership, organisational development and delivering complex change programmes.
You will bring:
- Significant experience of leading operational and corporate services functions within a complex organisation.
- Strong knowledge of governance, risk management, organisational performance and corporate assurance.
- Experience of delivering transformational change and service improvement.
- Excellent communication, influencing and relationship-building skills.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
- The ability to balance strategic leadership with practical delivery.
Most importantly, you will be a proactive and collaborative leader who is energised by continuous improvement, motivated by achieving results and committed to finding practical solutions to complex challenges.
Ready to Make a Difference?
If you are an ambitious, solution-focused leader who enjoys driving improvement, building organisational capability and enabling others to succeed, we would love to hear from you.
Join Health Innovation North West Coast and help create the systems, culture and capability that allow innovation, people and great ideas to flourish.
Person specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential criteria
- Master’s level qualification or equivalent senior professional experience in a relevant field.
- Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to senior operational leadership.
Desirable criteria
- Project, programme, change, improvement or leadership qualification.
Knowledge & experience
Essential criteria
- Significant senior management experience in a complex health, care, public sector, academic, innovation or partnership environment.
- Experience leading operational/corporate services such as HR, finance, estates, IT/digital, governance, planning, contracts or SLAs.
- Strong understanding of the NHS/care system, integrated care, governance, risk, equality and information governance
Desirable criteria
- Experience in a Health Innovation Network or equivalent innovation environment.
- Experience of funding routes, bids, estates, agile working or digital workplace transformation.
Leadership & service development
Essential criteria
- Able to lead, modernise and improve a high-quality operations and corporate services function.
- Able to translate strategy into clear plans, milestones, measures and delivery arrangements
- Able to manage risks, competing priorities and represent the organisation professionally. Able to manage risks, competing priorities and represent the organisation professionally.
Desirable criteria
- Experience leading organisational change or contributing to strategy, annual planning or board development.
Analytical judgement and planning skills
Essential criteria
- Highly developed analytical and judgement skills, able to interpret complex information and make balanced recommendations.
- Highly developed analytical and judgement skills, able to interpret complex information and make balanced recommendations. Able to develop workplans, logic models, SMART objectives, milestones, financial profiles and performance measures. Able to use evidence, data and insight to support decisions and improvement.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of impact evaluation, benefits realisation, business intelligence or dashboard/reporting approaches.
Financial, physical & information resources
Essential criteria
- Strong financial and budget-management skills, including planning, monitoring and value-for-money decisions.
- Able to oversee responsible use of estates, digital/IT and information resources.
- Able to ensure accurate reporting and maintain information governance/confidentiality standards.
Desirable criteria
- Experience managing contracts, SLAs, procurement, supplier relationships or hosted-service arrangements.
Communication, relationships & influencing
Essential criteria
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to explain complex information clearly.
- Highly developed influencing, negotiation and facilitation skills.
- Able to build trusted relationships across health, care, academia, industry, local government and national partners.
Desirable criteria
- Senior presentation, media, stakeholder engagement or public-speaking experience.
Improvement, innovation & digital capability
Essential criteria
- Knowledge and practical application of improvement, change, modernisation, innovation adoption or service redesign.
- Able to identify opportunities for innovation, productivity, service improvement and improved outcomes. Able to identify opportunities for innovation, prodAble to identify opportunities for innovation, productivity, service improvement and improved outcomes. uctivity, service improvement and improved outcomes.
- Confident user of Microsoft 365 and digital collaboration tools, supporting efficient hybrid working and digital adoption.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of innovation pipelines, spread/adoption programmes, evaluation, Power BI, SharePoint, Teams, Planner or equivalent tools.
Values and behaviours
Essential criteria
- Demonstrates NHS values and HINWC behaviours: brave, innovative, collaborative, caring and engaging all voices.
- Works across boundaries, listens, involves others, acts with integrity and values diversity and inclusion.
- Actively develops self and others, with self-awareness, accountability and resilience.
Desirable criteria
- Experience acting as an organisational ambassador in regional, national or partnership settings.
Work-related circumstances
Essential criteria
- Strong financial and budget-management skills, including planning, monitoring and value-for-money decisions.
- Able to oversee responsible use of estates, digital/IT and information resources.
- Able to ensure accurate reporting and maintain information governance/confidentiality standards.
Desirable criteria
- Experience managing contracts, SLAs, procurement, supplier relationships or hosted-service arrangements.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Claire Hodgson
- Job title
- Associate Director of Operations
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07599101415
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