Director of Operations

Job overview

Director of Operations - VSM

We are seeking an outstanding Director of Operations to join the executive team at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, part of Barts Health NHS Trust. Reporting directly to the St Bartholomew’s Hospital Deputy Chief Executive and our Group Chief Operating Officer, you will be a key member of our hospital executive board, working collaboratively with clinical and corporate leaders.

This is a pivotal role with significant operational and strategic influence, shaping services for some of the most complex patients in the country. St Bartholomew’s Hospital – located in the City of London and the oldest hospital in the UK still on its original site – is now a world‑class centre of excellence for cardiac and cancer care. We are home to Europe’s largest cardiac unit and London’s second‑largest cancer centre, supported by around 350 beds, 60 ITU beds, 10 theatres, 10 catheterisation labs, a chemotherapy and radiotherapy suite, and state‑of‑the‑art diagnostic and treatment technologies.

Alongside our core specialties, we provide additional services including respiratory medicine, endocrinology, fertility, thoracic surgery and a minor injuries unit. You will join us at a significant moment as we open two new hospital buildings, home to a centre of excellence for breast cancer in east London.

Main duties of the job

Our 3,000‑strong workforce – 60% of whom are from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds – deliver exceptional care guided by our WeCare values. We are proud custodians of nationally significant heritage buildings and are consistently recognised for excellence, with multiple HSJ and industry awards placing us among the top hospitals internationally. The Director of Operations will play a central role in strengthening this culture – championing equality, diversity and inclusion, using insight and staff voice to reduce disparities, and fostering an environment where teams feel empowered to innovate and continuously improve.

As part of Barts Health NHS Trust, one of the largest and most diverse NHS organisations with over 20,000 staff across five hospitals, we serve a population of around 2.5 million people in east London. Working as a Group enables us to share expertise, combine strengths and deliver consistent, high‑quality care for more than 7,000 patients every day.

This role offers a rare opportunity to help lead an iconic hospital into its next chapter of innovation, integration and world‑leading care.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.