# Deputy Chief Operating Officer > NHS job listing from Job Clerk for London Ambulance Service NHS Trust. ## Canonical URLs - **HTML:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/deputy-chief-operating-officer/4024e260-b4f8-43cf-a6cb-7e59a5568dfa - **Markdown:** https://www.jobclerk.com/job/deputy-chief-operating-officer/4024e260-b4f8-43cf-a6cb-7e59a5568dfa.md ## Summary - **Status:** Live - **Employer:** London Ambulance Service NHS Trust - **Location:** London Ambulance Service Headquarters - **Workplace type:** onsite - **Profession:** Chief operating officer - **Salary:** Dependent on Experience - **Contract type:** Permanent - **Employment type:** Full time - 37.5 hours per week - **Closing date:** 2026-09-25T22:59:00.000Z - **Posted:** 2026-09-02T10:23:12.082Z - **Source information URL:** https://www.healthjobsuk.com/job/UK/London/London/London_Ambulance_Service_NHS_Trust/Chief_Operating_Officer/Chief_Operating_Officer-v8267192 - **Application URL:** https://apps.trac.jobs/job-advert/8267192?ShowJobAdvert=&feedid=9002 - **Employer website:** https://www.londonambulance.nhs.uk ## Job Content ### Job overview Very Senior Manager (VSM) London Ambulance Service NHS Trust Location: Waterloo, London London Ambulance Service is one of the busiest ambulance services in the world, serving more than nine million people across the capital. We are looking for an exceptional leader to join our Trust Operations senior leadership team as Deputy Chief Operating Officer. This is a high-profile role at the heart of one of the NHS's most complex and demanding operational environments. Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, you will act as their principal deputy, providing the critical link between strategic ambition and operational delivery. You will help lead performance, planning, resilience and improvement across Trust Operations while also building and maintaining strong relationships with partners across London's health and care system. Please note that informal discussions with the recruiting manager will not take place prior to longlisting. Candidates selected for longlisting will be invited to discuss the role in more detail before shortlisting decisions are made. For further information and to apply, please refer to the full Job Description and Person Specification. We welcome applications from all communities and are committed to building a diverse workforce that reflects the population we serve. Assessments & Interviews will take place w/c 2nd November 2026 ### Main duties of the job As Deputy COO, you will provide visible and inspiring leadership across the organisation. You will work alongside operational leaders to drive performance, improve patient outcomes and ensure that the Trust remains focused on delivering safe, compassionate and high-quality care. You will also play a key role in major incident management, emergency preparedness, workforce planning, organisational improvement and system-wide transformation. We are looking for an experienced senior leader with a proven track record of delivering results in a large, complex healthcare or public service organisation. You will bring substantial experience of operational leadership, performance improvement, partnership working and leading through change. You must demonstrate the ability to influence at the most senior levels, build credibility quickly and make sound decisions in fast-paced, high-pressure environments. The successful candidate will be a visible and values-led leader who champions inclusion, collaboration and psychological safety. You will have the confidence to provide constructive challenge, the ability to engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders and a commitment to developing a culture where people can perform at their best. This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of ambulance services in London and contribute to improving outcomes for patients across the capital. ### Detailed job description and main responsibilities Essential requirements include: - Significant senior leadership experience within an NHS provider or similarly complex organisation. - Extensive experience leading large-scale operational services and delivering performance against key standards and targets. - Experience of working across organisational boundaries with partners, regulators and stakeholders. - Strong strategic, operational and financial leadership skills. - Experience of leading major change programmes and service improvement initiatives. - Ability to work as part of the Trust's Executive/Strategic On-Call rota. Why join us? This role offers the opportunity to: - Help shape the strategic direction of one of the UK's largest ambulance services. - Lead significant operational improvement and transformation programmes. - Influence system-wide planning and delivery across London's urgent and emergency care system. - Work alongside a dedicated team committed to providing outstanding care to patients every day. This vacancy is open to both internal and external candidates. In line with the Trust's organisational change policies and its commitment to supporting colleagues affected by organisational change, preferential consideration will be given to applicants who are formally at risk of redundancy and who meet the essential criteria for the role. ### Applicant requirements This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service. ## Person Specification ### Experience **Essential** - Significant senior leadership experience within an NHS provider organisation, operating at or near Board/VSM level. - Extensive experience of leading large-scale operational services, including urgent and emergency care, with demonstrable delivery of performance against national standards and KPIs. - Significant experience of system leadership, working with ICS partners, NHS England, emergency services and other stakeholders to improve outcomes - Experience of workforce planning at scale, aligning workforce models to activity, performance and financial parameters - Proven experience of translating strategy into operational delivery, including development and delivery of operating plans and service improvement programmes - Experience of leading and managing performance frameworks, driving improvement in complex, high-pressure environments - Experience of leading major incident response and/or operating within EPRR frameworks, including multi-agency working. - Experience of managing substantial budgets and delivering productivity and efficiency improvements. - Experience of leading organisational change and transformation across multi-disciplinary teams. - Experience of operating at a senior level in governance, risk management, and assurance, including engagement with regulators ### Qualifications **Essential** - A recognised ambulance clinical response qualification and evidence of ongoing professional development relevant to the clinical grade or commitment to achieving this within 12 months. - A full UK driving licence with no more than 3 penalty points with a recognised emergency driving qualification or commitment to achieving this within 12 months - Educated to Master’s level or equivalent experience in a relevant field (e.g. healthcare leadership, management, or clinical discipline). - Evidence of continued professional development at a senior leadership level. - Evidence of senior leadership development (e.g. NHS Leadership Academy programmes or equivalent). ## Documents - [using artificial intelligence (ai) (pdf, 378.6kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?edoc=2945) - [job description & person specification (pdf, 672.5kb)](https://www.healthjobsuk.com/documents?vdoc=10581816) ## Agent Notes - This Markdown page is generated from the same Job Clerk job record as the HTML job detail page. - Use the canonical HTML URL for user-facing references. - Use the application URL when the user wants to apply on the source NHS site.