Operational Lead - 0-19 Service Waltham Forest

Job summary

We are seeking a highly experienced and motivated Operational Lead to join our ambitious 0-19 Service in Waltham Forest on a 12-month fixed-term basis. This is a key senior leadership role supporting the operational delivery of Health Visiting and School Nursing services across the borough. The successful candidate will bring substantial experience of leading children's public health services, managing large teams, delivering service improvement and driving performance against national and local priorities. Applicants must demonstrate a strong understanding of the Healthy Child Programme, safeguarding responsibilities, Health Visiting and School Nursing national agendas, workforce management, quality assurance and service transformation. This is a role for an established leader who can quickly build credibility, provide operational oversight and contribute to the strategic development of the service from day one. Waltham Forest is an exciting place to work. We deliver Universal and Early Intervention services through Health Visiting, School Nursing and Family Nurse Partnership teams, working closely with Family Hubs, Early Help, Early Education and wider partner agencies to improve outcomes for children, young people and families.

Main duties of the job

• Provide operational leadership and management across the Waltham Forest 0-19 Service, including Health Visiting and School Nursing.
• Provide visible clinical and professional leadership, supporting staff to deliver safe, effective and high-quality services for children, young people and families.
• Lead the delivery of the Healthy Child Programme, ensuring services are responsive to local population needs and national priorities.
• Support the strategic development of the service in line with national policy, public health priorities, commissioning intentions and local health needs.
• Lead service transformation, redesign and mobilisation projects, ensuring delivery of commissioned outcomes and contractual requirements.
• Oversee service performance, quality assurance and governance arrangements, ensuring achievement of KPIs, quality standards and statutory requirements.
• Ensure robust safeguarding practices are embedded across the service and provide leadership in relation to safeguarding responsibilities.
• Lead and manage a large multidisciplinary workforce, including workforce planning, recruitment, performance management, attendance management and staff development.
• Develop a positive, accountable and high-performing culture, supporting continuous improvement and excellent staff engagement.
• Ensure effective allocation of resources and capacity management to meet service demand and contractual requirements.

About us

Tower Hamlets GP Care Group (The Care Group) was incorporated as a community interest company limited by shares in September 2014. Every general practice in Tower Hamlets owns one share of £1. The Care Group was formed to manage borough level contracts on behalf of the practices, deliver primary care led services and support general practices, and to be the provider voice of primary care in the wider health and social care system. Read up more about Tower Hamlets here: http://www.towerhamlets.is/. The Care Group is also a member of Tower Hamlets Together, a place-based integrated partnership, which includes Bart's Health, East London NHS Foundation Trust, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and the Council for Voluntary Services. The key priorities for the Care Group are:

• Innovation and support for primary care
• Being a great place to work
• Integrating primary and community care
• Providing of high-quality cost-effective care to local people
• Influencing improvements in health outcomes

Details

Date posted: 04 September 2026

Pay scheme: Other

Salary: £63,883 a year depending on skills and experience

Contract: Fixed term

Duration: 12 months

Working pattern: Full‑time, Part‑time, Job share, Flexible working, Home or remote working, Compressed hours

Reference number: E0136-26-0006

Job locations: Chingford Health Centre, 109 York Road, London, E4 8LF, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

• To create a culture in which innovative ideas can flourish and provide vision and inspiration to enable staff to deliver support effectively.
• To identify and participate in the tendering for new business opportunities.
• To ensure effective performance management and professional and clinical leadership of the workforce
• To ensure services are cost effective and delivered within budget.
• To deliver robust financial management in line with Directorate and organisation targets, including Cost Improvement Programmes.
• To ensure services meet care quality and performance management standards and are compliant with all regulatory requirements and standards.
• To represent the Service and Trust at external meetings with stakeholders when required
• To ensure the safeguarding agenda is firmly embedded in service delivery at all levels.
• To participate in the evaluation of the services provided to children and young people in the Integrated Care Teams and actively promote service development including undertaking relevant audit and research.
• To always act as a positive role model and advocate both for individual staff and the THGPCG.
• To ensure that services are continually monitored, reviewed, and adapted to meet changing service user need and identified commissioning requirements.
• To ensure the delivery of clinical and care quality standards and objectives
• To be responsible for implementing service changes when required