Deputy Operations Manager - Clinical

Job summary

We are seeking an exceptional Deputy Operations Manager for Clinical Administration to join our divisional leadership team on a fixed term / secondment basis until 31 March 2027.

We are seeking a dynamic and motivated Deputy Operations Manager to lead our Booking, Secretarial and Outpatient teams and help deliver exceptional patient care across a range of specialist services.

Working closely with clinical and operational leaders, you will play a key role in ensuring patients receive timely access to care, delivering performance against national standards, and driving continuous service improvement. This is an exciting opportunity to influence strategic and operational priorities, lead transformational change, and develop innovative solutions in a fast-paced, highly specialised healthcare environment.

We are looking for a collaborative and resilient leader with strong operational management experience, excellent communication skills, and a passion for improving services for patients and staff. If you thrive on challenge, enjoy leading teams, and want to help shape the future of services within a world-renowned hospital, we would love to hear from you.

This role will include some out of hours and weekend working. For an informal chat contact Laurence Fisher, Operations Manager -- Clinical Administration.

Main duties of the job

The Deputy Operations Manager will provide operational leadership for the Booking, Secretarial and Outpatient teams, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective and efficient services across multiple specialties. You will work in partnership with clinical, nursing and operational colleagues to manage performance against access and waiting time standards, improve patient pathways, oversee workforce planning, and ensure the delivery of commissioned activity within available resources.

You will lead service development and transformation initiatives, contribute to business and capacity planning, manage budgets and resources, and support the delivery of cost improvement and efficiency programmes. The role will also involve analysing performance data, managing risks, investigating incidents and complaints, implementing quality improvements, and building effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders. We are looking for a proven operational manager with experience of NHS service delivery, line management, performance management, RTT/PTL processes, and leading teams through change, with the ability to influence, motivate and deliver sustainable improvements.

The role is based at the Kingfisher House, Huntingdon, with a requirement to work at Royal Papworth Hospital, Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

About us

Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is the UK's leading heart and lung hospital, delivering care to more than 50,000 patients a year in its new state-of-the-art hospital in Cambridge. We perform the most heart and/or lung transplants in the UK and carried out the UK's first successful heart transplant in 1979. It also offers emergency heart attack treatment, sleep centre care and is one of just five centres nationally for those in severe respiratory failure.

Based on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus the largest centre of medical research and health science in Europe the Trust is at the heart of treatments of the future. Royal Papworth became the first hospital trust in the country to be rated outstanding in all five areas assessed by the Care Quality Commission - a rating it still holds today. The Trust holds its values of compassion, excellence & collaboration at its core, and all colleagues joining the team are expected to uphold these in their day-to-day roles & interactions. Royal Papworth is proud of its diverse workforce and encourages people to embrace their individuality.

The Trust values difference and welcomes all applications irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race, religion & belief, sex and sexual orientation. Providing they meet the minimum post criteria, applicants with disabilities will be offered an interview.

For a street view tour: https://royalpapworth.nhs.uk/virtual-tour

Details

• Date posted: 08 October 2026
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 8a
• Salary: £57,528 to £64,750 a year
• Contract: Fixed term
• Duration: 5 months
• Working pattern: Full-time
• Reference number: 175-2627-2032
• Job locations: Kingfisher House, Huntingdon, Kingfisher Way, Hinchingbrooke Business Park, Huntingdon, Cambridge, PE29 6FH, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

On this page you will find a Role Profile which provides information about the hospital and full details about the role. We recommend that you review this and refer to it as you complete your application. Please include how you will meet the Trust Values Compassion, Excellence and Collaboration. If you would like more information about the role or working at Royal Papworth Hospital, please get in touch with the contact for this role.