Head of Service Development in Oxford

Closing Date for application: Friday 17th July 2026 however, we may close the advert sooner if we get inundated with high-quality applications. Don’t delay your application, apply now

Who are we?

Newmedica, part of the Specsavers group, is one of the leading providers of NHS ophthalmology services in England, delivering outpatient appointments, diagnostic testing and eye surgery to change lives through better sight and eye health.

We’re proud to have been certified as a Great Place to Work for the third year running and listed among the UK’s top 30 Best Workplaces™ for 2026 —recognition that reflects how colleagues feel about working here.

Our Purpose is to change lives through better sight and eye health, and our Vision is to end avoidable sight loss in every community we serve; we live our values every day – Commercial, Courageous, Compassion, Collaborative and Curious.

Role Overview

Are you a driven, commercially astute leader with a passion for driving business performance?

We are seeking a Head of Service Development to join our team. In this exciting role, you will be responsible for supporting our partners drive profitable growth through developing annual and 3-year plans, identifying opportunities for performance improvement and developing partner ways of working, ensuring that we continue to deliver high-quality, patient-focused care. You will work closely with our Ophthalmology Joint Venture (OJV) partners, providing strategic guidance and support to help them achieve their business goals.

What Will I Be Doing?

As the Head of Service Development, you will act as a vital conduit between the partners at the OJVs and support office, understanding their specific needs, and working with them to drive business growth and profit and deliver exceptional patient care.

You’ll be accountable for ensuring engagement and follow-through on the annual plan. You will partner with approximately five OJV businesses, in the South division, to develop and implement 3-year growth plans and identify opportunities for performance improvement such as or launching new treatments, incremental gains and performance analysis, location strategy and cost management. You will travel to the OJVs in your division regularly and will be based in the local area.

You will be responsible for working with partners and developing growth plans for new service openings. Additionally, you will support partners in delivering a "Newmedica standard" approach to patient pathways, ensuring high standards of patient care and efficiency. You will also lead and support the implementation of change projects, sharing best practices and knowledge across the organisation.

On a daily basis, you will work with and support the partnership, focusing on business improvement and protecting the brand. You will handle relationship management, manage conflict, and deal with challenging situations, ensuring that partners are working together and sharing best practices.

What Skills and Experience Do I Need?

We are looking for someone with experience in strategy development and business performance coaching. You should have strong commercial acumen, with experience in profit and loss accounts and working within a multi-site clinical environment. Comfortable with matrix leadership and willing to take accountability for driving change. Experience of a partnership model is beneficial, and knowledge of ophthalmology service provision would be beneficial.

You will need to be a strategic thinker with excellent stakeholder and relationship management, facilitation, and team-building skills. Strong verbal and written communication skills are essential, as is the ability to motivate, challenge, and engage individuals and teams. You should be comfortable working in a fast-paced, results-oriented organisation, with the ability to manage and influence complex relationships and prioritise tasks effectively.

With natural gravitas you’ll be adept at managing conflict and dealing with challenging situations. You’ll have a keen eye for process improvement and driving the business forward and will be an advocate and custodian of the brand.

If you are excited by our agenda and demonstrate our company values of being commercial, courageous, compassionate, collaborative, and curious, we would love to hear from you!

If you are shortlisted, you will be asked to complete a short video interview as the next stage of the process. There will then be face to face interviews in London or Nottingham.

What we’re offering

• Up to £95,000 depending upon experience
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays plus 1 day birthday leave
• On target bonus of 20%
• Annual car allowance £6,600
• Group profit share scheme
• A company pension scheme
• Private health and dental care
• Access to a range of benefits including free eye tests, discounted or free glasses, a free 24/7 well-being/counselling/advice service and a retail/technology discount scheme.
• An environment where your learning and development is supported through a range of various learning tools and courses.

Our employment offers are subject to receipt of satisfactory pre-employment checks. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK and a Disclosure and Barring Service check will be necessary in the event of a successful application which we will pay for.

At Newmedica, we actively promote diversity and equal opportunities, and we are committed to this in both the running of our services and how we recruit our staff. We actively encourage applications from everyone with the essential requirements of the job, regardless of any protected characteristics.

Newmedica is fully committed to safeguarding the welfare of all people, irrespective of gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, race, language, religion, ethnic or social origin.