Head of Community Services Operations

This position exists to provide operational leadership, performance grip and integration discipline across Community Services, ensuring services are safe, contractually controlled, financially understood, and aligned to PML's neighbourhood / community development priorities. The postholder will provide the management layer between the Executive Team and Community Services leads, translating strategic and assurance priorities into stable service delivery, clear accountability, disciplined follow-through and proportionate governance.

Operational leadership and service delivery

• Provide

day-to-day operational leadership across Community Services.

• Line

manage and support service leads / operational leads, ensuring services have

clear objectives, escalation routes, action ownership and timely

follow-through.

• Maintain

service continuity and resilience, escalating material operational, workforce,

quality, finance or contract risks through the agreed route.

• Own

the Community Services performance rhythm, ensuring monthly service outputs are

completed, reviewed and converted into useful assurance for Exec, Corporate

Governance and Board reporting.

Workforce

• Work

with Finance, People & Culture, BI and service leads to maintain a clear

view of funded, approved, filled and usable establishment across Community

Services.

• Support

the development of service-level capacity and demand baselines, including workforce

constraints, flexible-working implications, mileage / travel impact and cost of

delivery.

• Ensure

workforce changes, new posts and service developments are supported by clear

role purpose, affordability, governance and implementation plans.

Finance, contracts and commercial discipline

• Work

with Finance to understand and explain the Community Services cost base.

• Support

service leads to understand contract requirements, activity assumptions,

deliverables, risks and the operational implications of changes in commissioner

expectations.

• Monitor performance

against financial and operational targets, identifying variances and supporting

corrective actions.

Service development and integration

• Lead

the operational development of Community Services priorities agreed through the

Exec route, including CCT frailty / Ageing Well opportunities, neighbourhood

integration, Community Gynae sustainability, UTC contract matters and OCNS

service assurance.

• Translate

strategic priorities into service development ideas and controlled

implementation plans with clear risks, milestones, owners, benefits and

governance route.

• Represent

PML in delegated operational / commissioner discussions where appropriate.

Clinical governance

• Work

closely with the Medical Director, Quality Director and clinical leads to

ensure operational arrangements support safe scope of practice, clinical

escalation, supervision, safeguarding, incident learning and CQC readiness.

PML is a successful not-for-profit, GP-led organisation providing various NHS community and primary care clinical services to patients across Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire. We have evolved as a NHS healthcare provider since 2004 and in the last few years have grown significantly, now employing around 300 staff with a turnover of circa £16m. PML holds GMS contracts, as well as being a GP Federation representing circa 50 GP practices covering approximately 650,000 patients.

We welcome applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds and circumstances and people with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010

Essential: - Able to operate with calm authority in ambiguous or pressured situations, with the ability to keep delivery moving in difficult environments;; - Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to; - produce concise reports, governance updates, business cases and; - stakeholder briefings;; - Understanding of NHS commissioning, ICB relationships, primary care networks, neighbourhood health policy and multi-neighbourhood provider development.

Essential: - Relevant degree or equivalent professional experience in operations, healthcare, or business-related field.

Desirable: - NMC or GMC registered professional;; - Formal management, leadership, quality improvement, project / programme management or healthcare operations qualification.

Essential: - Significant operational leadership experience in healthcare, community; - services, primary care, urgent care, neighbourhood / integrated care, or a comparable regulated service environment;; - Proven ability to lead multiple services or operational teams through service stabilisation, performance improvement, workforce change and governance scrutiny;; - Strong people leadership skills, including line management of managers / leads, setting objectives, holding accountability, supporting development and managing performance issues fairly;; - Strong financial and commercial literacy, including experience interpreting budgets, P&Ls, contract income, workforce establishment, forecast variances and service cost drivers.

Desirable: - Experience of working on service redesign, same day access, complex care or integrated care models.