Head of Operations: Sponsorship Available

Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital

Job summary

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.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Education

Essential

  • Master’s level qualification or equivalent senior professional experience in a relevant field.
  • Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to senior operational leadership.

Desirable

  • Project, programme, change, improvement or leadership qualification.

Knowledge & experience

Essential

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Experience leading organisational change or contributing to strategy, annual planning or board development.

Analytical judgement and planning skills

Essential

  • 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

  • Experience of impact evaluation, benefits realisation, business intelligence or dashboard/reporting approaches.

Financial, physical & information resources

Essential

  • 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

  • Experience managing contracts, SLAs, procurement, supplier relationships or hosted-service arrangements.

Communication, relationships & influencing

Essential

  • 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

  • Senior presentation, media, stakeholder engagement or public-speaking experience.

Improvement, innovation & digital capability

Essential

  • 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

  • Experience of innovation pipelines, spread/adoption programmes, evaluation, Power BI, SharePoint, Teams, Planner or equivalent tools.

Values and behaviours

Essential

  • 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

  • Experience acting as an organisational ambassador in regional, national or partnership settings.

Work-related circumstances

Essential

  • 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

  • Experience managing contracts, SLAs, procurement, supplier relationships or hosted-service arrangements.

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).

Closing Date: 9 October 2026

To apply for this job please visit apps.trac.jobs.