Education/Training/Qualifications
Essential criteria
North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) have merged as of 1st July 2026 to become Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. This creates an exciting future that brings together the best of both organisations. As a single, strong and sustainable organisation, we will not only be able to deliver better outcomes for our patients and fairer care for our population, but it will also provide greater opportunities for our people.
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust recognise the value of a healthy work-life balance. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate flexible working, so your work life fits around your home life.
We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under‑represented within the Trust.
Our job adverts may close as soon as sufficient applications have been received. Considering this, if you are interested in this role, please do apply as soon as you can.
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Job Overview
The Divisional Operations Director is the senior operational lead for the Neurosciences and Musculoskeletal Division at North Bristol NHS Trust. Working with the Clinical Director and Head of Nursing, the role ensures effective operational, clinical, and financial performance across all services. The post holder leads development of the Division’s annual business plan, aligning it with Trust objectives and national NHS priorities, and is responsible for turning strategy into operational delivery. They oversee safe day‑to‑day service functioning, patient flow, waiting times, and capacity management.
The role also represents the Chief Operating Officer on matters relating to the Division and contributes to trust‑wide and system‑wide programmes, engaging with external partners. Acting with significant autonomy, the Director makes complex decisions affecting service quality, finances, and patient outcomes. They promote a culture of high‑quality, patient‑centred care, ensure compliance with national standards, and drive continuous improvement. The post requires strong leadership to shape long‑term service strategy, lead service redesign, and influence multidisciplinary teams, combining strategic direction with operational oversight to deliver safe, effective, and efficient clinical services.
Main duties of the job
The Divisional Operations Director leads operational management, strategic planning, performance delivery, and workforce development across the Division. They are responsible for achieving national and local performance targets, creating recovery plans, and driving improvement. The role oversees long‑term service strategy, ensuring clinical specialities align with Trust objectives, NHS policy, and population needs, while analysing complex information to support the Divisional Triumvirate.
Operational duties include resolving cross‑departmental issues, interpreting national guidance, supporting business cases, and ensuring delivery of the Trust’s bed model and patient flow strategies. The Director ensures compliance with waiting time standards, effective capacity planning, and robust RTT and cancellation management, and participates in the on‑call rota to support site operations out of hours.
Financial responsibilities include managing a £150m budget, delivering savings plans, setting annual budgets, and ensuring strong financial governance. Workforce duties involve line‑managing the Divisional People Partner, leading workforce planning, promoting strong leadership behaviours, overseeing appraisals and development, and driving succession planning. The role also requires building strong relationships, representing the COO externally, and ensuring clear communication across teams and partners.
Working for our organisation
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations, operating from three main sites at Southmead, Bristol city centre and Weston.
With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer.Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
The job carries broad and complex responsibilities, requiring the Divisional Operations Director to ensure the delivery of high‑quality patient care, sound governance, financial stewardship, and strategic alignment. They must establish a culture that reflects the Trust’s values—caring, ambitious, respectful, and supportive—while ensuring that services are safe, sustainable, and continuously improving. They are responsible for leading the Division’s operational performance, ensuring national standards are met, including patient flow, waiting time compliance, and RTT targets. A significant responsibility is translating national and corporate strategy into operational plans and ensuring these plans are effectively implemented.
The Director must manage risk, maintain robust monitoring systems, and ensure policies are implemented appropriately. They act as a key point of authority across the Division, independently making decisions that impact service delivery and financial performance. Responsibilities extend to developing long‑term strategic plans, supporting system‑level initiatives, and representing the Trust with external partners.
Financially, the Director ensures delivery of annual savings plans, effective budget management, and rigorous financial oversight. They support workforce development by ensuring the divisional structure is fit for purpose, promoting effective leadership, and overseeing talent management and disciplinary processes. They also ensure compliance with governance, health and safety, equality, safeguarding, and confidentiality policies, reflecting the Trust’s legal and organisational obligations.
Person specification
Education/Training/Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Scored against Essential Person Specification
Desirable criteria
- Scored against Desirable Person Specification
Work Experience
Essential criteria
- Scored against Essential Person Specification
Desirable criteria
- Scored against Desirable Person Specification
Knowledge/Skills/Ability
Essential criteria
- Scored against essential person specification
Desirable criteria
- Scored against desirable person specification
Personal Qualities
Essential criteria
- Scored against essential person specification
We hope that you will decide to join us and become part of this exciting journey, helping us to shape our future together.
- As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
- The Trust is committed to investing in and caring for all our staff. We will support you in maintaining and improving your health and wellbeing, as well as your career development through management and training support – developing exceptional people for exceptional careers.
- BFT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
- To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 all applicants must be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed at Interview.
- If you require sponsorship for a visa to work in the UK, to avoid disappointment, please check to ensure you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.
- The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.
- By applying for this post, you are agreeing to Bristol NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
- Please be aware of scams – unless specified above, we will only communicate with you via @recruit.trac.jobs or nhs.net e-mails and we will never ask you for any payments.
Important
Please note that if you apply for a position with this Trust, you may be contacted via Trac or via email. This includes invites for job interviews. We therefore recommend that you regularly check your Trac account and email accounts. We may also contact you by texting the mobile number, if provided, on the application form.
Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date.
Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.
As a guide interviews should usually take place within 3 weeks of the closing date.
When providing employment reference details, please provide correct work-related email addresses so references can be sought promptly when we are looking to progress your application. Your referee must all be known to you in a line manager or professional lead capacity.
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