Deputy Director of Operations: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

Sheffield Health Partnership University NHS Foundation
Trust (SHPU) is an ambitious, values-led organisation with a growing reputation
for delivering high-quality mental health, learning disability & community
services, underpinned by strong partnerships, innovation & a commitment to
continuous improvement. As we continue to respond to increasing demand, deliver
transformational change & strengthen integrated working across primary care,
local authorities, provider collaboratives & the wider health & care
system, we are seeking an exceptional Deputy Director of Operations to join our
senior leadership team.

Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, this
pivotal role will provide strategic and operational leadership across a complex
portfolio of services, leading improvements in flow, performance, quality,
safety and productivity. The postholder will play a key role in shaping the
future of services, driving innovation and transformation, supporting the
delivery of key operational and financial objectives, and ensuring the
meaningful involvement of service users and carers in service development. The
role also offers the opportunity to represent the Trust at senior system forums
and work collaboratively with partners across Sheffield and South Yorkshire to
improve outcomes for the populations we serve.

We are looking for an
experienced, compassionate and resilient leader with a strong track record of
delivering improvement within complex healthcare environments.

Main duties of the job

you will provide strategic and operational leadership for
the Trusts inpatient mental health services, ensuring the delivery of safe,
effective and high-quality care. You will lead service performance, patient
flow, access and discharge arrangements, while driving service improvement and
transformation to achieve better outcomes for service users and carers.

Working closely with clinical leaders, local
authorities, commissioners and wider system partners, you will develop
integrated pathways and innovative models of care that supportrecovery, quality and operational excellence. You will
represent the Trust within local and regional partnerships, helping shape the
future of mental health services and strengthening collaborative working across
health and social care organisations.

You will provide visible and compassionate leadership to
senior teams, ensuring strong governance, financial stewardship, workforce
management and performance delivery. The role requires a resilient and
influential leader who can manage complex challenges, lead large-scale change
programmes and create a culture of continuous improvement.

We are looking for an
experienced senior leader with a strong understanding of healthcare and social
care services, excellent communication and partnership-working skills, and a
proven track record of delivering improvement, managing resources and leading
high-performing teams. Most importantlyyou will demonstrate
our values.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Knowledge & Skills
• Understanding of the provision and delivery of
• health and social care services, particularly
• mental health and inpatient services, including
• patient flow, access, discharge and quality
• requirements.
• Environmental and political awareness.
• Knowledge of our business, inpatient portfolio and
• associated pathways, and how these support
• patient care, safety, quality and performance.
• Highly effective collaborative leadership skills.
• Ability to influence across a range of diverse
• stakeholder groups, including system partners,
• Local Authority, commissioners, provider
• collaboratives and VCSE partners.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to
• develop and maintain strong working
• relationships, both within and outside the Trust.
• We are inclusive
• Highly effective change management and
• transformation skills, including service redesign continuous improvement and implementation of
• new operating models.
• Excellent management skills, including financial
• management, workforce accountability,
• governance, risk and performance management.
• Ability to analyse complex situations, including
• operational, quality, risk, workforce and financial
• information.
• Common sense approach to problem solving.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Process redesign and control skills.
• Ability to promote equality of opportunity for
• service users and staff.
• Self-belief maintaining a can do attitude.
• Self-awareness knows strengths and limitations
• and is aware of personal impact on others.
• Self-management ability to manage a complex
• and busy agenda.
• Drive for improvement.
• Identifies with the values of the NHS and Local
• Government, as well as the values of the Trust.

Experience

Essential

• Experience
• Significant senior level experience within a
• complex organisation delivering clinical/social
• care services, preferably including mental health
• or inpatient services.
• Experience of directly managing significant
• resources, including budgets, workforce capacity
• and operational performance.
• Experience of multi professional collaboration at a
• senior level.
• Experience of working collaboratively with other
• organisations, including system partners, Local
• Authorities, commissioners and
• voluntary/community sector partners.
• Strong track record of leading complex
• organisational change, transformation or service
• redesign.
• Significant experience of line managing staff
• Experience within mental health, with
• understanding of inpatient pathways, patient flow,
• discharge or crisis/emergency interfaces.

Other

Essential

• Empathy for individuals who have experienced
• mental health problems.

Closing Date: 31 August 2026