Chief Operating Officer

Job summary

As Chief Operating Officer for the NIHR London Applied Research Collaboration (ARC), you will provide strategic and operational leadership to a £22m pan-London programme spanning more than 20 partner organisations. Working at the interface of research, policy and practice, you will ensure the ARC delivers measurable improvements in population health, tackles inequalities, strengthens health and care systems, and drive innovation across London.

Central to the role is translating research into real-world impact. You will lead the development and delivery of a multi-year strategy, ensuring alignment with regional and national priorities including prevention, neighbourhood health, economic growth and data-driven innovation. You will oversee programme direction, resource allocation and partnership development across a complex multi-organisational environment.

Operating at the most senior levels across the NHS, academia, local government and national bodies, you will influence policy, shape investment priorities and strengthen London's position as a leader in applied health research. As a key member of the ARC Executive, you will act as a trusted advisor to the ARC Directors and Board, ensuring strong governance, performance and accountability.

This is an exceptional opportunity to lead at system scale, bringing together world-class organisations to deliver innovation and measurable benefits for more than nine million people across London, with national and international influence.

Main duties of the job

The Chief Operating Officer will lead the strategic and operational delivery of the NIHR London ARC, ensuring the programme delivers maximum impact across health, care and research systems.

You will provide executive leadership for strategy and delivery, co-developing and implementing a multi-year vision aligned with regional and national priorities, including population health improvement, reducing inequalities, innovation and economic growth. You will oversee a diverse portfolio of research and improvement programmes, ensuring strong performance, effective prioritisation and measurable outcomes.

A key part of the role is system leadership. You will build and maintain influential relationships across the NHS, Integrated Care Systems, local authorities, universities, voluntary sector organisations and national bodies. As a senior ambassador for the ARC, you will represent the partnership in high-level forums, influencing policy, shaping investment priorities and working across organisational boundaries.

You will ensure robust governance, risk management and financial stewardship, including delegated responsibility for a £22m budget.

Leading a distributed multidisciplinary team, you will foster a high-performing, collaborative culture and drive organisational development. You will accelerate the translation of research into practice and policy, delivering tangible improvements in health outcomes and system performance across London.

About us

The ARC Director team comprises Director, Co-Director, and Deputy Director: Professors Laura Shallcross (UCL), Ingrid Wolfe (KCL), and Dr Ana Luisa Neves (Imperial), respectively. The ARC is hosted by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust; we provide specialist care for patients including heart and lung, cancer and renal services and local community services for people in Lambeth and Southwark. We have a long tradition of clinical and scientific achievement and - as part of King's Health Partners - we are one of England's eight academic health sciences centres.Our organisational values--Caring, Ambitious and Inclusive--underpin everything we do, shaping how we work with patients, partners and each other.

NIHR London ARC is a flagship pan-London initiative, bringing together universities, NHS organisations, local authorities and partners from across the voluntary and industry sectors. ARC represents a unique platform for delivering system-wide change at scale.

You will work as part of a highly collaborative executive leadership team, operating across organisational boundaries and engaging with regional and national leaders. The environment is intellectually stimulating, fast-paced and strategically focused, offering the opportunity to work at the forefront of applied research and system leadership. You will play a central role in shaping the future of applied health research in London, developing partnerships with lasting impact across health and care systems.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The COO will:

• Be accountable for operational delivery and strategic execution of the London ARC on behalf of the Partnership Board and Host Trust.
• Hold delegated executive authority for delivery of ARC objectives, performance management, and cross-partner programme coordination.
• Exercise independent judgement on matters with significant financial, reputational, research, and system-wide implications across London health and care organisations.
• Be responsible for ensuring delivery of the ARCs objectives across a highly complex partnership environment involving NHS, academic, local government, voluntary sector and industry partners.
• Be accountable for ensuring ARC delivery aligns with NIHR contractual, governance, financial, and performance requirements.
• Be accountable for operational delivery and strategic execution of the London ARC on behalf of the Partnership Board and Host Trust.

The COO will act as a senior ambassador and the principal operational and strategic advisor to the ARC Directors and Board, influencing policy, practice, and research translation, while supporting governance and ensuring delivery aligns with the expectations of National Institute for Health and Care Research.

The COO will:

• Hold delegated executive authority for delivery of ARC objectives, performance management, and cross-partner programme coordination.
• Exercise independent judgement on matters with significant financial, reputational, research, and system-wide implications across London health and care organisations.
• Be responsible for ensuring delivery of the ARCs objectives across a highly complex partnership environment involving NHS, academic, local government, voluntary sector and industry partners.

Be accountable for ensuring ARC delivery aligns with NIHR contractual, governance, financial and performance requirements.

Guys and St Thomas celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or studys at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity , gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership.

Applications are welcomed from applicants with a disability. We can make reasonable adjustments and offer support and advice in a variety of ways throughout the application process. Equality of opportunity is our policy.

As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends.

Flexible working

We are committed to supporting all employees to achieve a healthy work life balance and to work in a way that is best for them and our patients. We will consider all requests to work flexibly, taking in to account the individuals personalcircumstances as well the needs of the service. We encourage all prospective applicants to discuss their individual circumstances with the recruiting manager as part of the on-boarding process.

Due to recent changes inthe UK immigration rules which affect Skilled Worker Visas, Global Business Mobility, Higher Skill Level and Increased Salary Thresholds, please ensure that you are able to meet the requirements to live and work in the UK before applying. Further informationabout eligibilityis available on the UK Government website.

Your e-mail address is important to us -We communicate to all job applicants via the e-mail address which has been provided on the application form. Please ensure that you check your e-mail on a regular basis.

Please apply for this post by clicking "Apply Online Now."

Person Specification

Knowledge / Qualifications

Essential

• Doctoral degree or equivalent experience in health, public policy, management, or related field
• Evidence of extensive senior leadership development including self-directed and continuous professional development

Desirable

• Masters degree in health, public health, management, or related field.
• Leadership or management qualification (e.g., NHS Leadership Academy, Executive programmes)

Experience

Essential

• Significant senior leadership experience in complex health, care, research, or public sector systems
• Extensive experience within NIHR or applied health research infrastructure
• Proven track record of stakeholder engagement at system or national level
• Experience leading or influencing strategy, policy, or large-scale programmes including across multi-organisational boundaries.
• Experience managing substantial budgets and complex resource allocation processes.

Desirable

• Research coordination and management including large scale programmes

Skills

Essential

• Deep understanding of health and care systems, including ICS structures
• Strong influencing, negotiation, and partnership-building skills
• Strong and effective communications abilities at system level
• Strategic thinking and ability to operate at system level
• Understanding of research implementation and knowledge mobilisation
• Advanced understanding of governance, financial accountability and partnership arrangements for programmes of research.
• Ability to operate with high levels of autonomy in politically complex environments.
• Ability to lead through influence across systems without direct line authority.
• Strong understanding of organisational development, workforce strategy and system leadership.
• Ability to manage significant organisational and reputational risk.

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Highly credible, resilient, and politically astute executive leader with the ability to influence at Board and national level
• Collaborative and inclusive leadership style
• Commitment to reducing inequalities and improving population health
• Demonstrates resilience and sound judgement in highly ambiguous and politically sensitive environments.
• Able to balance competing strategic priorities across complex stakeholder groups

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Becket House

1 Lambeth Palace Road

LONDON

SE1 7EU

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/careers/careers.aspx (Opens in a new tab)

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