Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Surgery Division, at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The role of the Deputy Divisional Director of Operations is to be responsible for the strategic and operational management and delivery of all services and contracts within their portfolio. The role comprises of the day-to-day operational delivery of sustainable, high-quality services, maintaining and delivering against all performance targets and standards, as well as leading and overseeing the development and implementation of business cases and plans, whilst ensuring in partnership with the transformation team, the implementation of the service redesign programme.
This role requires significant engagement and working in collaboration with a number of different stakeholders, including commissioners, acute, primary care, and mental health providers as well as the public, voluntary and community sector organisations. The post holder is expected to provide visible leadership and promote high standards by modelling the values and behaviours expected of a senior manager in the NHS. They will have a professional and management line of accountability to the Divisional Director of Operations and Performance.
Please note, this Recruitment Process will include an Assessment Centre which will take place on 5th August 2026.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be responsible for the efficient and effective day-to-day running of their portfolio within the Division; ensuring the delivery of key operational performance targets (finance, activity, workforce and quality/safety). Working in partnership with the Divisional and wider leadership team, the Deputy Divisional Director of Operations will be responsible for the provision of leadership and direction for all services within their portfolio. This will include delivery of local and national targets as well as operational service objectives. As Deputy Divisional Director of Operations, the post holder will work as part of a dynamic team in delivering an effective service supporting clinicians, managers and other staff across the organisation. The post holder will develop and role model strategic and operational practice for promoting strong leadership and innovation across the specialities within their portfolio.
About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
- Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
- Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
- National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please see Job Description and Person Specification attached.
Advertising Date: 9th July 2026
Closing Date: 26th July 2026
Shortlisting Date: 27th July 2026
Proposed Interview date: 5th August 2026
Please note this vacancy may close early if a high number of applications is reached.
Person Specification
Values
Essential
- We are kind
- We are open
- We are inclusive
Qualifications
Essential
- Masters Level Education or equivalent experience
- Evidence of recent professional and / or managerial Development experience
Desirable
- Professional qualification or equivalent experience
- Management qualification or equivalent experience
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Substantial leadership and operational management experience in a medium/large acute hospital.
- Significant senior management experience within a complex service provider organisation
- Experience of managing clinical services.
- Demonstrably track record of achievement of performance management improvement and delivery at a senior management level.
- Involvement in NHS service
Skills
Essential
- Advanced IT skills including experience with Microsoft Office
- Ability to develop and deliver effective business and operational plans which are financially sound.
- Proven ability to plan/implement effective projects and work- streams.
- Ability to write and present Board papers which are meaningful and concise.
- Sound financial management skills and proven experience of managing resources and budgets effectively.
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).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details
Employer name
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Address
Whiston Hospital
Warrington Road
Prescot
L35 5DR
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
This listing was aggregated from publicly-available sources. The employer holds an A-rated sponsor licence at the time of this listing, but sponsorship of this specific role is not guaranteed — the employer's offer and UK Visas and Immigration are the final authority. Details may have changed since our last update — verify with the employer via the Apply link.