Divisional Director of Operations for Surgery

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust; Bath; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job description

Job Overview

The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust serves approximately 500,000 residents across Bath and Northeast Somerset, West Wiltshire, Somerset, and South Gloucestershire. With an income exceeding £500m, a workforce of 6,000, and a CQC rating of ‘Good,’ the Trust continues to grow and innovate. Recent developments include the acquisition of Sulis Hospital Bath, the opening of the state-of-the-art Dyson Cancer Centre and new Intensive Care Unit. Additionally, our collaboration with Great Western Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust as part of BSW presents exciting opportunities to redesign services across the system.

We are seeking a Divisional Director of Operations for our Surgery Division, which comprises nearly 1,500 WTE staff and a £120m budget. Reporting to the Divisional Director and working alongside the Divisional Director of Nursing within a triumvirate leadership team, you will oversee operational management, ensuring high-quality care and driving strategic initiatives to enhance efficiency and patient satisfaction.

Main duties of the job

• Leadership & Change Management: Provide strong, compassionate leadership to drive transformational change and strategic development.
• Operational Management: Oversee budget management, resource allocation, and performance monitoring to achieve divisional targets.
• People Development: Foster a dynamic and empowering culture, ensuring effective communication, staff development, and performance management.
• Collaboration & Communication: Strengthen partnerships within the Trust and externally, promoting the Division’s achievements.
• Service & Quality Improvement: Work with clinical teams to enhance patient pathways, integrate service designs, and leverage technology for innovation.

We seek an experienced operational leader from a similarly complex environment. You will be a compassionate leader who embodies our values—Everyone Matters, Working Together, and Making a Difference—empowering teams to excel. Strong strategic, planning, and resource management skills are essential. While healthcare experience is advantageous, we welcome candidates from other sectors with transferable expertise.

This is a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact within a respected Trust, working alongside an ambitious divisional leadership team to shape and enhance our services. We are proud to be in the top 20 best hospitals to work for in the country.

Working for our organisation

At the RUH we put people at the heart of what we do, working together as one team to make a difference for our patients, each other, and our community. No matter what your role is, we value everyone’s contribution in supporting the exceptional, person-centred care we pride ourselves on.

We are committed to creating a compassionate and inclusive environment. This can be seen in our growing community of staff networks – celebrating successes and creating opportunities to listen and learn. We value our differences, champion kindness and civility, and truly believe that diversity makes us stronger.

A culture of learning, developing and innovating is the thread that runs throughout our whole organisation. We want to support you to thrive, taking your career to its full potential.

We value staff wellbeing, with a well-established programme of support. We believe in a holistic approach spanning all aspects of living a healthy life, including physical, emotional, spiritual and financial wellbeing. We’ve even got a pool!

We are committed to supporting you and hope you want to join our team. In the meantime, find out more about living and working the beautiful historic city of Bath, learn about our extensive package of staff benefits, and read about how we’re providing healthcare fit for the future with the landmark Dyson Cancer Centre and our passion for research.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Please find attached a detailed job description and person specification for the role. For further details on the role, including a candidate information pack, or for any queries, please visit this link.

Application will be via a CV and short application form.

Person specification

Education

Essential criteria

• Educated to degree level or equivalent demonstrable experience

Knowledge & Skills

Essential criteria

• Significant operational experience in a similarly complex environment
• Track record of achieving financial and service targets
• Leading change through empowering people and holding them to account

Desirable criteria

• Previous involvement in NHS service development and reconfiguration
• Major project management experience

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

• Divisional Director of Operations Job description (PDF, 444.8KB)
• Join the RUH (PDF, 1.1MB)

Further details / informal visits contact

Name: James Stephens
Job title: Director, Executive Search, Morgan Law
Email address: [e-mail]
Telephone number: 07789 661819