About the job

Job summary

The Director of Operations NHS Wales is accountable for the delivery of national priorities for health and care including driving continuous improvements in quality of care and health outcomes and improvements in performance against NHS standards in line with Welsh Government targets and A Healthier Wales strategy.

Working as a key member of the HSC&EY Executive Director Team the post holder will play a pivotal role in shaping the NHS, driving forward transformation working collaboratively with the NHS Wales Executive and in ever closer partnership working with other stakeholders regionally and nationally.

The postholder will lead the oversight and management of the NHS performance arrangements to ensure delivery of effective services to the people of Wales. This includes the maintenance of appropriate monitoring, support and intervention arrangements, facilitated through the NHS Wales Executive.  

The role will include regular contact with the Cabinet Secretary in an area of high political focus and the postholder will need to build significant confidence and trust to deliver effectively.  

Job description

Accountable directly to the Deputy CEO NHS Wales, the Director will provide assurance to the Welsh Government’s HSCEY Director General/ NHS Wales Chief Executive, and therefore the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care on the performance and delivery of NHS Organisations across Wales in line with Welsh Government strategic priorities and A Healthier Wales.  

Accountable for the oversight and strategic coordination of the intervention and escalation function, which identifies and reports on Health organisations performance and escalation status, making recommendations to the DG/CEO NHS Wales and Cabinet Secretary.

A member of the NHS Wales Leadership Board and the WG Executive Director Team sharing collective responsibility for developing national priorities, managing the overall performance of the NHS and supporting transformation in quality of care, health outcomes and efficiency. Acting as a champion for patients and their interests and involve patients and the public in developing policy and strategy for health services. Managing relationships with Health Boards, Trusts and Strategic Health Authorities, to deliver both national and local priorities, reduce health inequalities and improve population health.

Specifically responsible for oversight, performance management and escalation arrangements in the NHS in Wales, driving quality and improving operational delivery and efficiency to ensure the best models of care and reducing variation in delivery.

Lead the governance and accountability arrangements for the NHS in Wales, such as NHS IQPD, JET and tripartite/ escalation meetings, HSSG policy development and government business, as well as wider WG meetings.

Setting the Annual Delivery and Performance Management Framework for NHS Wales, including the development of appropriate new performance measures and leading the performance management process of the 7 Health Boards and 3 NHS Trusts, holding them to account for delivery against NHS Wales frameworks. 

Working closely with the DCEO and Director of Strategic Planning NHS Wales to ensure the NHS in Wales effectively manages the £11.5 Billion revenue budget ensuring that local health systems meet system and organisational financial controls and have effective plans and systems for achieving clinical and financial sustainability of services, supported by effective cost improvement programmes

Provide strategic direction, delivery and line management of the teams within the NHS Executive  Performance and Delivery Function as well as acting as a key  Welsh Government liaison for the NHS Executive, supporting the development of the mandate and remit..  

Deputise as necessary for the DCEO  NHS Wales, on broad activities as well as specific functions, recognising the external-facing nature of the role with responsibility for NHS Wales.

The postholder is the professional lead for Chief Operating Officers and Directors of Operations in Wales and as such leads the mechanisms for compassionate challenge and support in their planning and delivery aligned to the national programmes, plans at regional and organisational level. Ensure alignment of operational plans to the delivery of WG strategic objectives.

Person specification

We are looking for an individual who will be able to demonstrate through their application and at interview :-

• Personal leadership with immediate credibility – a personal and professional approach to compassionate leadership that builds trust, motivates and empowers people and that will command the confidence of a range of stakeholders including, Ministers and senior officials.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills - with clear confidence around sharing difficult, unexpected, or challenging messages to the most senior Welsh Government and NHS colleagues and external stakeholders. This must include the use of best practice, data and evidence to underpin all strategies.
• A willing exchange of expertise, know-how and skills – listening and working inclusively to continuously explore and adopt the best solutions for Government and the NHS in Wales, operating effectively across the system to bring multidisciplinary teams and organisations together
• An ability to fully engage and work as part of a wider team with senior leaders from across government and the NHS to support strategic decision making. The role requires the ability and appetite to shape the role and purpose of both the Department and NHS Wales in delivering priorities which are in the national interest and meet the diverse needs of all stakeholders.
• An ability to give unbiased evidence-led advice to Ministers and other senior colleagues based on extensive robust analysis, translating strategic objectives into practical interventions that improve performance, while ensuring alignment to broader commitments. This must involve early involvement and partnership working with the right stakeholders when making recommendations or decisions.

You will also be able to demonstrate the key behaviours required for this role which include Leadership, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together, Making Effective Decisions, and Seeing the Big Picture.  

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £125,000, Welsh Government contributes £9,450 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours.

The below activities will form part of the overall assessment required for this recruitment exercise:

• On Line Psychometric Tests - these will include numerical and verbal reasoning and a discussion with a psychologist. You will receive a link to these on-line tests within 10 working days from the shortlisting meeting.

If you have completed the online psychometric test in the last 2 years, for a post at the same grade, it will not be necessary for you to take these tests again for this recruitment exercise.

• Stakeholder Engagement Exercise – these will take place w/c 19th August 2024. Further details will follow.
• Panel Interviews & Presentation – these are scheduled for 30th August 2024. These will also take place virtually via Microsoft Teams. Interviews will last around 45 minutes. The Panel will receive feedback on your psychometric tests and staff/stakeholder engagement exercise before you are interviewed. Your interview will consider how your skills and experience as outlined in your CV and personal statement meet the requirements of the role. Candidates will be given at least one week’s notice of the presentation topic. Please note that presentations are to be delivered without the use of hand-outs or electronic devices unless as part of a reasonable adjustment, however, you are welcome to use prompt cards.

 Please note, recruitment adjustments can be made at any part of the recruitment process for candidates with an impairment or health condition, who are neuro-divergent or who use British Sign Language.  Please get in touch with SCSRecruitment@gov.wales to discuss adjustments for any part of the process. 

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.