Deputy Divisional Director of Operations

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Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.

Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup.

We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 - the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.

To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone. You can read more about our visions and values here

Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as "good" or "outstanding" in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.

LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King's College London's GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.

We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Job overview

In line with our vision to be exceptional, we are recruiting for a dynamic Deputy Divisional Director of Operations for the Surgery Division.

This post, reporting into the Divisional Director of Operations, is a senior leadership position within the division working closely with the Divisional Triumvirate team.

The post-holder will manage delivery of a range of complex and/or time critical service challenges within the Division on behalf of the Divisional Director of Operations.

The key purpose of this position is to provide senior leadership to implementation of service delivery and development plans across the division; it is the nominated deputy role for the DDO within the Surgery senior leadership team.

Main duties of the job

Workforce

Provide leadership to a number of key areas within the division
To support on workforce planning, in conjunction with HR Business Partner, for the Division, including integration of other operational / clinical services.

In a matrix management arrangement, provide support to other Heads of Service / General Managers within the Division.
Line manage, coach and develop leaders within the Division and other senior staff and conduct their annual performance appraisal in conjunction with Clinical Director(s) /Divisional Medical Director.
Support the Division in taking a proactive approach towards tackling HR issues including recruitment and retention, management of sickness absence, skill mix reviews and staff wellbeing initiatives.
Support the development of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion programme within the Division, working with the Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
Ensure that appropriate action is taken to deal with issues of staff discipline, grievance, poor performance and sickness, up to and including dismissal.
Monitor compliance within the division with Trust-wide staff management policies and procedures and take remedial action with accountable managers where shortfalls occur.
As a Senior Trust Manager carry out investigations of staff management issues in other areas of the Trust as requested, and present at meeting held under the trust workforce policies.

Working for our organisation

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
3. Improving the experience of staff with disability
4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
5. Making equalities mainstream

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Leadership and Performance Management:

Together with the Senior Divisional Triumvirate provide support and leadership to the directorate senior management teams, ensuring clear communication of Trust values, vision, priorities and expectations to ensure the engagement of teams to deliver services of the highest quality.

To be responsible for managing the highly complex nature of the projects and programmes assigned by the Divisional Director of Operations and ensuring that the appropriate strategic plans are delivered within the complex operating framework.
Puts the interest of patients / service users at the heart of all managerial decisions.
To hold responsibility for delivery of specific divisional programmes and Trust priority initiatives.

Strategy, Change Management and Service Improvement:

Lead the development of clinical and operational strategy, working collaboratively with Heads of Service and internal corporate teams.

To support and lead on the development and implementation of transformation and service improvements which supports achievement of the Trust's Corporate Objectives.
Contribute to the development and delivery of the Trust's strategy and policies and ensure that the Division supports the delivery of national NHS requirements.
Take a Lead role in change management programmes within the Division and across the Trust, ensuring completion of the most complex and challenging projects to time, budget and quality targets, ensuring successful implementation of programmes and initiatives which may impact Trust.
Provide support to facilitate the development and implementation of a comprehensive estates strategy for transforming environments for the delivery of care.
Manage service improvement projects within the Division and be an active contributor to Trust-wide service improvement projects within agreed timeframes and financial targets
For identified areas of the Division lead in engaging staff in the development and implementation of service reconfigurations, particularly in relation to proposed changes ensuring benefits identified are realised.
Work with all health and social partners in demand and capacity planning (including winter planning) and in developing/changing services accordingly to meet future needs.
To lead the development of the annual Divisional Business Plan. Lead on specific elements of the plan as defined by the Divisional Director of Operations. This will include formation of the divisional five year plan and coordination of business case planning and development across the division.
To develop business cases in support of service improvements, transformation and new business opportunities. Work closely with the divisional Finance and HR Business Partners, along with the Business Development team and other corporate departments to ensure that all implications such as quality, risk, activity, demand, market share, finance and workforce are fully captured and timelines identified for approval, whilst ensuring that the governance processes are fully adhered to. Business cases may be cross-divisional and cross-Trust in nature.
Provide support to services to ensure meeting of GIRFT requirements and any external reviews (e.g. model hospital and peer reviews)
Lead on and develop action plans where required for the turnaround of any specific performance issues; provide project management support to drive through the implementation of action plans, working with the relevant Heads of Service.
Ensure that standards of service set are reviewed to support the delivery of services in line with NSFs national and local guidance and benchmarks, local contractual requirements, activity and financial targets.
Coordinate preparation for monthly Divisional performance reviews (internal) and performance reviews with the Executive Team; ensure action plans are delivered within the division.

Person specification

Qualification and Training

Essential criteria

• Relevant Masters/MBA qualification or equivalent professional experience.
• Formal education to first degree level or equivalent ability
• Supplemented by highly specialised knowledge of service improvement tools and techniques (e.g. service / quality improvement methodology)

Desirable criteria

• Project management qualification e.g. Prince

Experience

Essential criteria

• Demonstrate a successful track record of delivering effective healthcare services as a General Manager or Senior Manager in a large, multifaceted healthcare environment including staff, financial and change management.
• Evidence of delivering successful strategic and operational performance management and clearly demonstrating improvement in the quality of service delivery at a strategic level; including business case preparation, service initiation, contract negotiation, and the development and monitoring of outcome and output measures.
• Experience of managing multiple budgets identified by the DDO within the Division (including specific responsibility for cancer, oncology and haematology, clinical pathology, mortuary and business support functions)
• Leadership of business planning and budget setting process, working with Finance Business Partner, under direction of DDO
• Extensive in-depth demonstrable success in delivering change and performance with and through management teams, 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
• A strong track record of managing complexity and risk whilst maintaining high standards of service delivery.
• A comprehensive understanding of the changing NHS environment and the challenges it faces.

Desirable criteria

• Demonstrable experience of advising executives on strategic options regarding service delivery

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

• Strong leadership, interpersonal skills and authority; able to successfully foster and manage inter-relationships between own unit and other Directorates.
• A proven track record of creating a common purpose and instilling organisational values and behaviours that promotes a corporate vision.
• Strong organisational ability and well-developed resource and staff management skills: able to forecast, plan, develop and manage unit capability in line with business plan and organisational vision.
• Demonstrated competencies to analyse and synthesize complex and diverse budgets.
• Proven ability to foster an organisational culture that is positive about change and committed to delivery of the strategic vision
• Proven ability to manage change effectively within an operational environment, building engagement and involvement and rewarding innovation. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• A proven credible and influential communicator with excellent networking and negotiating skills.
• Experience of working with a diverse range of stakeholders and a successful track record of influence and engagement.
• Ability to collaborate constructively with internal and external partners to create the conditions for successful partnership working.
• Senior experience of developing demand forecasting a continuous business planning and programme/project management programmes resulting in positive value for money outcomes.
• Ability to be intellectually flexible and to look beyond existing structures, ways of working, boundaries and organisations to produce more effective and innovative service delivery and partnerships.
• A commitment to improving patient services through an ability to sustain a clear performance focus on achieving demanding goals.

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria

• Strong sense of commitment to openness, honesty and integrity in undertaking the role.
• High level of work organisation, self-motivation, drive for performance and improvement, and flexibility in approach and attitude

We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.

As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women's staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.

Please note, not all roles will meet the criteria for a skilled worker visa.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

Documents to download

• candidate information pack (PDF, 491.3KB)
• Working at LGT (PDF, 4.2MB)