Deputy Director of Operations

Responsibilities:

Professional Standards, Culture & Safeguarding

• Set and uphold clinical, operational / performance, financial and behavioural standards across Operations. This includes responsibility for clinical service delivery standards across all operational areas.
• Champion a positive, inclusive culture, embedding Trust behaviours/values and promoting psychological safety.
• Ensure robust safeguarding policies and practices, compliance with Duty of Quality, Duty of Candour, Civil Contingency Act and all other regulatory requirements.
• Lead on culture change programmes and organisational development initiatives.
• Responsible for leading directorate-wide cultural transformation programmes.

Financial Sustainability

• Own Operations Directorate budgets, lead cost improvement and efficiency plans, ensuring financial governance.
• Deliver financial recovery plans, monitor expenditure, and report on financial performance, risks, and opportunities.
• Ensure value for money and compliance with Trust and NHS Wales financial frameworks.
• Frequent access to Oracle systems to support operational and strategic functions when acting in a deputy capacity for the Executive Director of Operations.

Strategic Leadership & Transformation

• Lead and integrate the work of all Assistant Directors, aligning portfolios to strategic objectives and operational effectiveness.
• Lead initiatives to enhance system and pathway flow and performance within our organisational remit, while fostering collaboration with external partners to influence broader system outcomes.
• Lead major service transformation, improvement programmes, and strategic projects as delegated by the Executive Director.
• Resolve conflicting expert opinions through advanced judgement and interpretation of highly complex data.
• Develop and implement service/business development plans, business cases, and innovation initiatives.
• Utilise analytical tools, including Excel and Power BI, on a daily basis to manage data and support informed, data-driven decision-making across Operations.

Operational Oversight & Performance Management

• Ensure effective management of all operational delivery areas.
• Oversee business management, risk, and audit functions, ensuring compliance with governance standards. Ensure and sustain effective governance across the directorate.
• Responsible for directorate-level policy implementation and development.
• Drive achievement of KPIs/targets, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement.
• Lead on EPRR, major incident response, business continuity (to fulfil Civil Contingency Act requirements) and participate in Gold/Strategic on-call rota. This includes acting autonomously during high-risk organisational scenarios.
• Accountable to the Executive Director of Operations for the delivery of technical and operational service delivery within the portfolio.

People Leadership

• Line manage Assistant Directors via ESR (Electronic Staff Record), booking annual leave, managing sickness absence, supporting development, succession planning, and PADR compliance.
• Foster a culture of professionalism, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
• Lead directorate workforce planning, talent development, and people engagement initiatives.
• Provide and foster efficient and effective leadership to the Volunteer Service.
• Responsible for formal HR processes, including dismissals, restructures, organisational redesign, and chairing complex casework.

System Partnership & Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain effective relationships with internal and external partners, commissioners, regulators, and multi-agency stakeholders.
• Represent the Trust at regional and national forums, promoting integrated care and system working.
• Develop and sustain effective trade union partnerships as part of stakeholder engagement.
• Work with the Communications Team to manage communications and organisational reputation, acting as a Trust spokesperson.
• Ensure programme and project management best practices are embedded across directorate initiatives.

Governance, Risk and Assurance

• Ensure robust governance, risk management, and assurance frameworks are in place.
• Maintain up-to-date risk registers, audit compliance, and statutory reporting.
• Lead on clinical governance, patient safety, and quality improvement.
• Lead on information governance, including Freedom of Information for the directorate.
• Responsible for policy implementation and development for the directorate.
• Contributes to organisation-wide policy development.

Freedom to Act

• Exercise autonomy, independent decision-making, and responsibility for interpreting and implementing policy.
• Setting goals and standards for others and interpreting national policy.
• Act as a role model for organisational behaviours, inclusion, and people wellbeing.
• Responsible for daily use of systems and MS Teams channels to collaborate effectively and manage information within various confidential and operationally relevant WAST groups.