Chief Operating Officer

Go back Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust

Chief Operating Officer

The closing date is 19 October 2026

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation TrustChief Operating OfficerLocation: West Park Hospital, DarlingtonSalary: Attractive VSM

As Chief Operating Officer, you will be a voting Executive Director and a key member of the Trust Board and Executive Team. Reporting to the Chief Executive, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across our clinical services, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective, responsive and sustainable care. You will play a pivotal role in leading operational performance, quality improvement, transformation and recovery, while strengthening partnerships across the wider health and care system. This is a high-profile leadership opportunity at a critical point in the Trust's journey, requiring a leader who can provide operational grip, pace and assurance whilst inspiring teams to deliver meaningful and lasting improvement.

Main duties of the job

We are seeking an accomplished operational leader with substantial experience in large and complex NHS or healthcare organisations. You will bring a successful track record of leading large-scale operational services and managing complex quality, workforce, financial and performance challenges. Experience leading across mental health, learning disability, autism, community services, or similarly complex pathways will be essential, alongside the credibility to influence at Board level and build strong relationships with clinicians, staff, partners and regulators. Above all, you will be a visible, values-led leader with the resilience, compassion and ambition to help deliver outstanding care and outcomes for our patients, carers and communities.

About us

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health, learning disability and autism services to more than 2 million people across County Durham, Tees Valley, North Yorkshire and York. Our dedicated staff operate from more than 90 sites, working in partnership with patients, carers, communities and system partners to deliver high-quality care. Whilst we have made significant progress in improving our services, we remain rated 'Requires Improvement' by the CQC.

With a new Chair and Chief Executive, a refreshed Board, and a renewed focus on transparency, learning and improvement, we are committed to building a stronger, safer and more compassionate organisation. Guided by Our Journey to Change and our values of Respect, Compassion and Responsibility, we are determined to continue improving outcomes and experiences for the communities we serve.

Job responsibilities

We want our Board to be as inclusive and diverse as possible, and we are keen to attract candidates who can bring diverse perspectives. We warmly welcome expressions of interest from the widest possible range of backgrounds, particularly those who are under-represented at board level in the NHS.

We are working in partnership with Gatenby Sanderson to manage the recruitment process for this role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Educated to master's level, or able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge and experience gained through senior operational leadership, supported by evidence of externally accredited postgraduate leadership or management development
• Degree or equivalent professional qualification
• Evidence of significant continuing professional development

Skills

• Highly developed leadership, communication, negotiation and influencing skills
• Ability to communicate complex, sensitive and contentious information clearly and credibly
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex operational, financial, workforce and quality information
• Ability to make sound executive decisions under pressure
• Ability to provide grip, pace and clarity in complex and ambiguous situations
• Ability to build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to lead through change with compassion, credibility and resilience
• Ability to provide constructive challenge and hold senior leaders to account
• Ability to translate strategy into operational delivery and measurable outcomes
• Strong written and verbal presentation skills, including Board-level reporting

Knowledge

• Extensive knowledge of NHS operational delivery within a large, complex healthcare organisation
• Knowledge of mental health, learning disability, autism and community service delivery, including national priorities and operational challenges relating to access, urgent and emergency mental health care, crisis pathways, inpatient flow, discharge, safeguarding, restrictive practice, out of area placements, community transformation, health inequalities and partnership working
• Significant understanding of NHS performance, quality, safety, regulatory and governance frameworks
• Significant understanding of CQC requirements, NHS England oversight, national access standards and operational planning
• Extensive knowledge of service transformation, performance recovery, productivity, efficiency and improvement methodologies
• Knowledge of EPRR, business continuity, incident response and senior or executive on-call arrangements
• Understanding of financial management, workforce planning, business planning and risk management
• Strong understanding of partnership working across integrated care systems, local authorities, commissioners and provider collaboratives

Experience

• Extensive senior operational leadership experience in a large, complex NHS or other healthcare organisation
• Significant experience operating at or close to Board, Executive Director or equivalent senior leadership level within a large, complex organisation
• Experience of leading operational delivery across mental health, learning disability, autism, community or similarly complex multi-service pathways
• Proven experience of leading large-scale operational services and delivering measurable improvement
• Track record of managing complex operational performance, quality, workforce and financial challenges
• Experience of leading operational recovery, escalation and transformation in a complex environment
• Experience of providing assurance to Executive Teams, Board committees or equivalent senior governance forums
• Experience of working effectively with system partners, regulators, commissioners and external stakeholders
• Experience of leading and developing senior leaders and multidisciplinary teams
• Experience of managing significant risk, complexity and competing priorities

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.

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust