Job overview

This is a really exciting opportunity for an experienced operational lead in the UK’s largest Specialist heart, lung and critical care services in four prestigious hospitals. The Heart, Lung and Critical Care (HLCC) clinical group comprises the adult services at Royal Brompton, Harefield, St Thomas’ and Guy’s hospitals, as well as a private diagnostic facility at 77-79 Wimpole Street. The group was formed following the merger of Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust with GSTT NHS Foundation Trust in 2021.

You will join the clinical group executive leadership team and also be part of the Operational Leadership team at GSTT, as a member of the Trust Operational Board.

EPIC was implemented across all of the sites in October 2023. Our vision is to be a global leader in academic heart, lung and critical care medicine. The group has close academic links with 2 of the world’s leading universities; Kings College London and Imperial College London.

A key focus at the current time is to accelerate focus on cross site integration and to meet the challenges of growing waiting lists and demand, diagnostic waiting times, alongside improving lung cancer 62 day performance all in a challenging financial climate. If you’re energised by complexity, systems working and visible leadership across multiple sites, this is a rare opportunity to shape strategy and deliver day-to-day performance at scale.

Main duties of the job

You will lead end-to-end operational performance across HLCC (access, flow, productivity); translate strategy into deliverable plans and measurable improvement; and provide senior operational leadership to directorate teams across a geographically dispersed portfolio.

Key skills and qualities we need include; proven senior operational leadership in a large, complex, high-acuity setting; strong performance and financial management with the ability to set expectations, hold teams to account and support improvement; experience of effective site management; confident stakeholder management and partnership working across systems; ability to lead major change and improvement programmes (including digital-enabled transformation); and an inclusive, values-led leadership style.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Scope: Executive operational leadership for HLCC adult cardiovascular, respiratory and critical care services across Royal Brompton, Harefield, St Thomas’ and Guy’s. Member of the Clinical Group Executive Team and the Trust Operations Board; a member of the Clinical Group Board; participates in Trust Silver Commander on-call.

Strategic leadership: shape and deliver HLCC operational strategy and priorities; contribute to Trust-wide objectives; represent HLCC with system partners and key stakeholders.

Operational performance and governance: deliver cross-site operational standards; oversee performance management, quality governance and financial control; lead business planning, productivity, efficiency and capacity planning; ensure business continuity arrangements.

Programme leadership: lead major transformation and service improvement programmes and benefits realisation, including use of digital tools to improve pathways and productivity.

Site management (Royal Brompton & Harefield): ensure effective site leadership and coordination for regulatory/statutory responsibilities, emergency preparedness and incident command; coordinate cross-site escalation and operational planning across shared infrastructure (theatres, cath labs, imaging, critical care); oversee site-level risk and governance processes; provide operational oversight of capital/refurbishment programmes and space management; work with facilities/estates partners to assure site resilience.

Key relationships: Chief Executive HLCC (accountable to), Medical Director and Director of Nursing (close partnership), Trust Chief Operating officer (Professional leadership and Trust Wide Co-ordination) Clinical Domain and Directorate Management Teams, Trust corporate functions (particularly estates/facilities), external partners across the wider NHS system, and charitable and commercial partners supporting services.

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Person specification:

Personal qualities

Essential

• Proven strong communication skills, in particular, in building and managing interpersonal and team relationships, with strong and effective listening skills
• Strong sense of commitment to openness, honesty and integrity in undertaking the leadership role.
• • Demonstrate the ability to work under pressure whilst supporting and getting the most out of staff.

Delivering the service

Essential

• Ability to lead change with and through the Trust’s senior clinical team, by engaging them in the strategic direction and delivery plans, establishing clear work priorities with them, delegating effectively, ensuring a capability to deliver, monitoring performance and giving feedback.
• Demonstrable expertise in clinical, service and business management functions including in the application of HR and finance to achieve outcomes in agreed timeframes.
• Ability to work constructively with internal and external partners to create the conditions for successful collaborations.

Setting direction and leading

Essential

• Highly developed leadership and influencing skills with the ability to enthuse, motivate and involve individuals and teams across multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to work at a very senior level with a multi professional group of staff.
• Ability to problem solve using complex information, setting deliverable goals and monitoring performance.
• • Ability to lead the redesign of services to ensure they are delivered to the highest standard and are cost effective.

Essential qualifications and experience:

Essential

• Educated to masters degree level or with equivalent management experience
• A proven track record of strategic and operational management for a minimum of 5 years with responsibility for the full range of high acuity operational and clinical services.
• Experience of working at senior management level in a large complex environment.
• Evidence of having responsibility for site management, managing multiple clinical services to have effective and efficient services to deliver high quality care.
• Experience of leading services across multiple geographically separated hospital sites

Desirable

• Experience in changing service models to maximise efficiency and patient outcomes, particular in the use of digital tools like Epic.
• Leading change across geographically diverse sites
• : Experience of enabling the development or growth of private patient, commercial or other income-generating clinical services within the NHS or another complex regulated healthcare environment.