About this role
Job summary
We have two exciting opportunities to join our senior leadership structure as Interim Deputy Chief Operating Officers.
We are seeking exceptional operational leaders to oversee our planned care pathways and urgent and emergency care pathways portfolios, until the end of March 2027. These are high-profile leadership roles, accountable for driving delivery against key operational and performance standards, supporting service improvement, and ensuring patients receive timely, high-quality care.
Working closely with a committed Executive Team and Divisional Leadership Teams, the successful candidates will play a pivotal role in shaping operational strategy, improving performance, and leading transformational change across their respective portfolios.
These roles offer a unique opportunity to gain significant exposure at the highest levels of the organisation, including experience of Board and Committee structures, providing excellent preparation for future executive leadership roles.
We are looking for ambitious, collaborative leaders who are passionate about delivering outstanding operational performance, supporting our teams, and making a real difference for patients and staff.
If you are seeking an opportunity to broaden your experience, raise your organisational profile, and contribute to the Trust's strategic ambitions, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Main duties of the job
Deputy Chief Operating Officer (DCOO) is a key role within the Trust's senior leadership team. As the deputy to the Chief Operating Officer (COO), you will be responsible for day-to-day operational management, working with the site office, emergency department, divisions and system partners.
You'll operate independently, overseeing daily management of operations, patient flow, emergency planning and site performance, including the delivery of standards, activity and productivity improvements. You'll have delegated authority on behalf of the COO to ensure operational performance is optimised and services engage in continuous improvement, innovation and transformation.
A highly skilled and experienced individual, you'll demonstrate a track record in transforming UEC flows, cross-organisational change and operational delivery across elective and urgent care. You'll drive innovation and quality of care, working with colleagues across the Trust and partners.
You will support the COO in providing leadership throughout the Trust underpinning a caring, fair and open culture that enables staff to perform at their best. You'll demonstrate compassionate and inspirational leadership and have a track record of promoting inclusivity. You will foster a patient-centred approach and reduce health inequalities.
You'll work flexibly across sites and organisational boundaries and deputise for the COO in executive, Board and system discussions.
About us
At East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general and specialist services we provide and our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible and innovative in the way in which we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now.
We run the following hospitals:
The Lister Hospital, Stevenage New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City Hertford County, Hertford Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), Northwood
We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation and our staff and patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda.
We are committed to a positive work life balance for our employees. This means that any employee is entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns and we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made and considered formally, and will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen.
Job description Job responsibilities
Please refer the attached applicant pack for further details including the Job Description and Personal specification for this post.
Person Specification
Qualifications / Training Essential
Educated to degree level/equivalent professional qualification Evidence of extensive and recent commitment to continuing professional and personal development Postgraduate level management qualification or equivalent Postgraduate level qualification or equivalent in leadership, change management or quality improvement PRINCE2/ Managing successful Programmes qualification, or equivalent
Knowledge and Experience Essential
Significant management and leadership experience at a senior level in an NHS acute and / or community Trust Proven experience and ability in managing operational performance with tight financial constraints demonstrating effective budget management Experience of capacity planning and translating organisation strategy and vision into operational objectives Evidence of successfully leading significant organisational change in developing new models of healthcare delivery Demonstrable experience of building, maintaining and leveraging successful relationships with all staff especially clinicians within complex organisations An understanding of healthcare planning process and key national healthcare issues Demonstrable strong and credible leadership in being able to pull people together across systems and motivate them to deliver common aims and targets Demonstrable significant experience of situational leadership, human resource management, coaching and people development
Leadership and management skills Essential
Highly effective communication skills - must be able to both articulate complex issues to a wide range of recipients, both written and verbally Excellent presentation skills with the ability to engage and influence diverse audiences Strong interpersonal and negotiating skills, with the ability to engage, build, coach and sustain relationships both within the Trust and within external organisations Able to demonstrate sound financial management skills and understand business centred approach to healthcare provision Excellent organisational and time management skills to meet competing priorities Able to take tough decisions and calculated risks and see require action through Demonstrates strong commitment to action to achieve equality and diversity in the NHS workforce and for the community Excellent project management skills as project manager or sponsor. Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
Other requirements Essential
Able to participate in the director on call rota Personal resilience Demonstrates a coaching, compassionate and empowering leadership style Well-developed IT skills Able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with the Trust's values at all times and role model positive behaviours Experience and understanding of the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda. Able to actively support the development of a culture that recognises and promotes equality, diversity and inclusion and actively leads by example in deploying these qualities Understands the impact on equality, diversity and inclusion issues in all aspects of service delivery and planning
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details Employer name East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust
Address Lister Hospital
Corey's Mill Lane
Stevenage
SG1 4AB
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.enherts-tr.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)