Job summary
As Deputy Operational Head of Service within West Sussex Talking Therapies, you'll take on a key leadership role in shaping and driving forward the Long-Term Conditions arm of our high-performing service.
Working in close partnership with the wider senior management team, you'll support both the operational and clinical Heads of Service to deliver outstanding patient care. This is an exciting opportunity to collaboratively lead a multidisciplinary team of clinical and non-clinical staff--enhancing patient outcomes, championing service excellence, and fostering a compassionate and high-performing team culture.
With your leadership, the service will remain safe, responsive, and consistently high-quality, while your team will be engaged, supported, and empowered to thrive.
We're looking for a dynamic, forward-thinking leader who brings energy, innovation, and resilience to a fast-paced and evolving environment. West Sussex Talking Therapies is one of the leading NHS Talking Therapies services in England--this is your opportunity to lead with purpose and build on our proven success.
Main duties of the job
As Deputy Operational Head of Service, you will take the lead in the operational delivery and day-to-day management of your service portfolio. Working closely with the operational and clinical Heads of Service and wider senior leadership team, you'll ensure the service is safe, effective, financially sustainable, and continuously improving.
From analysing performance data and developing targeted action plans to contributing to demand and capacity planning, your strategic insight will ensure the service remains responsive and meets both patient needs and contractual obligations.
In this collaborative leadership role, you'll manage and develop multidisciplinary teams, promoting a culture of compassionate leadership, staff wellbeing, and continuous development. You'll play a key part in workforce planning, recruitment, and implementing policies that uphold consistency and quality across the service.
Your responsibilities will span governance and risk management, addressing concerns and complaints, and driving service improvement. Whether you're writing business plans, delivering transformation projects, or engaging with system partners, you'll be at the heart of delivering safe, high-quality, and patient-centred care.
About us
We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.
Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.
Why work for us?o Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeingo Varied environments: community hospitals, patients' homes, and bases across Sussexo Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retiremento Excellent training, development, and research opportunitieso Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brightono Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networkso Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trusto Beautiful Sussex location near the South Downs and coast
Our values--Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence--guide everything we do.
We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.
This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.
Job description
Job responsibilities
a) Support the Operational Head of Service to manage the day-to-day, on-goingpatient care, delivery and development of the portfolio of services within remit ensuring delivery of services that are responsive, high quality, value for money and meet contractual obligations.
b) To provide supportive, compassionate and facilitative leadership to the team and colleagues.
c) Contribute to the service delivery of patient care within the availableresources, and monitoring of performance against set targets (activity,finance, outcomes, and utilisation).
d) Analyse performance data highlighting areas of variance and develop action plans to address and improve performance.
e) Implement and monitor improvement plans.
f) Support the Operational Head of Service with demand and capacity work, as required, to ensure services are sustainable.
Please see the attached job description for further information.
Job description
Job responsibilities
a) Support the Operational Head of Service to manage the day-to-day, on-goingpatient care, delivery and development of the portfolio of services within remit ensuring delivery of services that are responsive, high quality, value for money and meet contractual obligations.
b) To provide supportive, compassionate and facilitative leadership to the team and colleagues.
c) Contribute to the service delivery of patient care within the availableresources, and monitoring of performance against set targets (activity,finance, outcomes, and utilisation).
d) Analyse performance data highlighting areas of variance and develop action plans to address and improve performance.
e) Implement and monitor improvement plans.
f) Support the Operational Head of Service with demand and capacity work, as required, to ensure services are sustainable.
Please see the attached job description for further information.
Person Specification
Qualifications/Experience
Essential
- Postgraduate qualification in management or equivalent level of knowledge acquired through experience.
- Evidence of continuous professional/leadership/management development
- Bachelor's degree in a health, social care or related area of study or relevant experience.
Desirable
- Experience in management of health services
Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of multidisciplinary team working and an understanding of differing professional roles boundaries
- Able to translate complex information make it meaningful to staff at all levels and across all professions both verbally and in writing.
- Ability to deal with competing demands, priorities and deadlines
- Ability to engage stakeholders through discussion, presentation and direct liaison.
- Use and interpret varied information to generate new ideas and make effective plans for improvement or change
- Able to use interpersonal and organisational understanding to persuade and build collaboration
Desirable
- Skilled in writing clear and coherent operational business cases, reports, and service plans.
- Passion for working in mental health
Experience
Essential
- Experience in a leadership role including contributing to operational management of services.
- Experience of managing budgets.
- Experience of staff management, including recruitment and retention of staff, performance management, and managing sickness absence, and misconduct.
Person Specification
Qualifications/Experience
Essential
- Postgraduate qualification in management or equivalent level of knowledge acquired through experience.
- Evidence of continuous professional/leadership/management development
- Bachelor's degree in a health, social care or related area of study or relevant experience.
Desirable
- Experience in management of health services
Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of multidisciplinary team working and an understanding of differing professional roles boundaries
- Able to translate complex information make it meaningful to staff at all levels and across all professions both verbally and in writing.
- Ability to deal with competing demands, priorities and deadlines
- Ability to engage stakeholders through discussion, presentation and direct liaison.
- Use and interpret varied information to generate new ideas and make effective plans for improvement or change
- Able to use interpersonal and organisational understanding to persuade and build collaboration
Desirable
- Skilled in writing clear and coherent operational business cases, reports, and service plans.
- Passion for working in mental health
Experience
Essential
- Experience in a leadership role including contributing to operational management of services.
- Experience of managing budgets.
- Experience of staff management, including recruitment and retention of staff, performance management, and managing sickness absence, and misconduct.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
