Operational Business and Performance Lead - Surgery

Job summary

Join us in a role that shapes the future of our services and delivers measurable impact for patients and teams.

We are recruiting for the role of Operational Business and Performance Lead . This role is at the heart of driving operational excellence and transformation within the division. You will lead business and service planning, develop and manage robust business cases with clear financial insight, and identify opportunities for cost improvement and efficiency. Working closely with Directorates, you will oversee projects from planning to delivery, tackle risks and delays, and ensure measurable benefits are achieved through proactive change management. You will also support high-impact initiatives, including national submissions and clinical transformation programs, helping the division deliver innovative, sustainable, and high-quality services.

The role requires strong collaboration with a wide network of stakeholders, including the Trust Executive, Divisional Clinical Directors, Heads of Operations and Nursing, Heads of Transformation, Access, and Business Development, Matrons, Clinicians, Finance Managers, People Partners, and external partners. Success demands exceptional leadership, project management, and analytical skills, along with the ability to influence, challenge, and inspire teams.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will be responsible for producing monthly reports for the Divisional Board, providing updates on the progress of business plan milestones, and tracking all identified business cases and those in the pipeline. They will work closely with Directorate operational teams to support and formulate operational plans, ensuring alignment with divisional objectives, capacity planning models, and benchmarking data. This includes analysing complex and sensitive information, interpreting national policy, and supporting capacity and demand modelling to inform decision-making.

A key focus of the role is the management and delivery of Cost Improvement Programmes (CIPs). This involves project managing the implementation of identified opportunities, tracking tasks and milestones, and working with Directorates to close any CIP gaps. The postholder will challenge staff at all levels to deliver their committed actions, maintain a focus on outcomes, and use strong interpersonal and communication skills to convey, negotiate, and influence highly complex information with internal and external stakeholders, including senior management and director-level audiences. Collaboration with Finance ensures CIP trackers and pipelines are kept up to date, with regular progress reviews conducted with Directorate leads.

The role also supports project and service redesign across the division, particularly clinical transformation programmes and elective care recovery initiatives.

About us

Please submit your application as soon as possible as we reserve the right to close adverts once we have received sufficient applications

Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is on an exciting journey with all of our divisions committed to doing things better, with more efficiency as we update, modernise, and advance. We have also entered a Group Model with neighbouring Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust and become University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN). As part of this collaborative approach, there may be a requirement for you to work across both the Kettering and Northampton hospital sites, depending on the needs of the service.

Our Excellence Values

• Compassion
• Accountability
• Respect
• Integrity
• Courage

We want to recruit the best people to deliver our services across UHN and help to unleash everyone's full potential.

UHN encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups. We understand that we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and make sure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative.

We recognise the valuable contribution that the Armed Forces community make to our organisation. We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and achieved Silver Award under the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme.

We have active Networks that promote and support colleagues from all backgrounds. This ensures everyone feels supported and has a sense of belonging working for UHN.

Employer details

Employer name

Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire - Cross Site

Kettering / Northampton

NN16 8UZ

Employer's website

https://www.kgh.nhs.uk/working-for-us (Opens in a new tab)

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Employer details

Employer name

Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire - Cross Site

Kettering / Northampton

NN16 8UZ

Employer's website

https://www.kgh.nhs.uk/working-for-us (Opens in a new tab)

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