A rare COO opportunity in one of the UK’s most forward-thinking primary care organisations.
Willows Health is appointing its next Chief Operating Officer. We’re 12 GP practices, 75,000+ patients, and one of the largest providers of NHS primary care in the East Midlands – with a digital-first patient access model, AI-enabled triage through SystmConnect, a growing Urgent Care Service, and our own training academy.
This isn’t a caretaker role. It’s a builder’s role.
Why this role is unusual:
– A 12-month handover with our outgoing COO before they retire – a genuine induction, not a sink-or-swim
– Direct seat on the Executive Board, reporting to the Chair
– Full operational accountability across all 12 sites
– A digitally fluent executive team that thinks in dashboards, AI tools, and operating models
– “Good” CQC rating, growing organisation, strong board support
What you’ll own:
– End-to-end operational leadership across 12 practice sites
– CQC compliance and integrated operational governance
– Senior management and site leadership team development
– Digital transformation programmes – telephony, patient access, AI-enabled triage (SystmConnect), patient communication
– Workforce planning, including ARRS and multi-disciplinary teams
– Board-level reporting, risk management, and operational assurance
– Stakeholder relationships with the ICB, PCNs, NHSE, and CQC
What we’re looking for:
You’ll bring substantial senior operational leadership experience from a complex, regulated, multi-site environment. Primary care experience is welcome but not essential – we’re equally interested in exceptional operators from NHS provider settings, regulated public services, or comparably complex service organisations who can bring fresh thinking.
You’ll be:
– Digitally fluent and confident across modern primary care platforms, BI dashboards, and AI-supported productivity tools
– Forward-thinking and energised by transformation, not just maintenance
– Decisive and accountable, able to operate with high autonomy
– Collaborative and enabling – leading through others, not around them
– Genuinely values-aligned – patient-first, evidence-led, kind, and people-centred
The package:
– Very competitive executive salary, dependent on experience
– Full-time, permanent
– Multi-site Leicestershire base (regular travel between sites)
– EAP, Pension
Closing date: 31st May 2026
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