Divisional Operations Director

Job Overview

The Divisional Operations Director is the senior operational lead for the Neurosciences and Musculoskeletal Division at North Bristol NHS Trust. Working with the Clinical Director and Head of Nursing, the role ensures effective operational, clinical and financial performance across all services. The post holder leads the development of the Division’s annual business plan, aligns it with Trust objectives and national NHS priorities, and turns strategy into operational delivery.

They oversee safe day‑to‑day service functioning, patient flow, waiting times and capacity management. The Director represents the Chief Operating Officer on matters relating to the Division, contributes to trust‑wide and system‑wide programmes, and engages with external partners. Acting with significant autonomy, the Director makes complex decisions affecting service quality, finances and patient outcomes. They promote a culture of high‑quality, patient‑centred care, ensure compliance with national standards and drive continuous improvement.

The post requires strong leadership to shape long‑term service strategy, lead service redesign and influence multidisciplinary teams, combining strategic direction with operational oversight to deliver safe, effective and efficient clinical services.

The Divisional Operations Director leads operational management, strategic planning, performance delivery and workforce development across the Division. They are responsible for achieving national and local performance targets, creating recovery plans and driving improvement. The role oversees long‑term service strategy, ensuring clinical specialities align with Trust objectives, NHS policy and population needs, while analysing complex information to support the Divisional Triumvirate.

Operational duties include resolving cross‑departmental issues, interpreting national guidance, supporting business cases and ensuring delivery of the Trust’s bed model and patient flow strategies. The Director ensures compliance with waiting time standards, effective capacity planning and robust RTT and cancellation management. The Director also participates in the on‑call rota to support site operations out of hours.

Financial responsibilities include managing a £150 m budget, delivering savings plans, setting annual budgets and ensuring strong financial governance.

Workforce duties involve line‑managing the Divisional People Partner, leading workforce planning, promoting strong leadership behaviours, overseeing appraisals and development and driving succession planning. The role also requires building strong relationships, representing the COO externally and ensuring clear communication across teams and partners.

North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset from our award‑winning Southmead hospital. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.

North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti‑discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives and skills. We welcome applicants from all under‑represented groups.

The job carries broad and complex responsibilities, requiring the Divisional Operations Director to ensure the delivery of high‑quality patient care, sound governance, financial stewardship and strategic alignment. They must establish a culture that reflects the Trust’s values—caring, ambitious, respectful and supportive—while ensuring services are safe, sustainable and continuously improving. They are responsible for leading the Division’s operational performance, ensuring national standards are met, including patient flow, waiting time compliance and RTT…