Interim Chief Operating Officer

Job overview

9-month secondment / fixed-term

We are seeking an exceptional operational leader to join Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) as our Interim Chief Operating Officer.

This is a pivotal role for a values-driven, delivery-focused leader who is passionate about high-quality patient care, thrives in complex environments, and brings deep expertise in operational improvement across both planned and urgent and emergency care.  Above all, you will lead with compassion and be able to demonstrate a track record of delivering sustainable improvement through inclusive leadership.

As Interim COO and an Executive Director on the Trust Board, you will play a central role in shaping and delivering the Trust’s strategic priorities. You will drive improvements in patient outcomes, quality, operational performance, and financial sustainability, while modelling behaviours that embed inclusion, diversity, and our organisational values.

Main duties of the job

You will join a dynamic, patient-centred executive team committed to improving outcomes for our communities. A key priority will be leading the continued turnaround of our Type 1 A&E performance an enduring challenge across North East London while sustaining our strong delivery in planned care, diagnostics, and cancer performance.

We are making significant progress:

• Delivering against national targets for planned care recovery and diagnostics
• Substantially improving cancer waiting times
• Implementing changes that are putting us on track to achieve 76% all-type A&E performance this year

We are clear about the challenges in patient flow across our hospitals and what is required to address them.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership as a member of the Trust Board
• Lead day-to-day operational performance across the Trust
• Drive improvements in urgent and emergency care, patient flow, and elective recovery
• Champion quality, safety, and patient outcomes
• Ensure financial discipline and operational efficiency
• Foster a culture of inclusion, compassion, and high performance
• Act as an ambassador for the Trust with system partners and stakeholder

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

About You You are an experienced NHS leader with a proven track record of delivering operational improvement in complex health systems. You bring:

• Strong credibility at executive level
• Deep understanding of urgent and emergency care pressures and elective pathways
• Experience of driving patient flow improvements in acute settings
• A collaborative approach, with the ability to build effective system partnerships
• A clear commitment to compassionate, inclusive leadership

Importantly, you will recognise the unique challenges of North East London, where reliance on acute services is higher than in other systems. You will be motivated to work both within the hospital and across the wider system to improve pathways and outcomes for patients.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Fiona Wheeler’s PA, LeeAnn Hamilton, on 01708 435039 ext. 2439 or via email at [email protected].

As part of your application, please submit a covering letter, quoting your application reference number, directly to LeeAnn Hamilton via email at [email protected].

Shortlisted candidates should be available for interviews on 28th May 2026.

Successful applicants would need to commence no later than the 6th July 2026.

If you have any questions about the application process, require support in completing your application, or need any adjustments (for example, due to a disability), please contact Bali Dhani, Recruitment Manager via email [email protected] or 01708 435000 ext. 5718.