NHS Blood and Transplant
Head of Strategic Operations
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NHS Blood & Transplant (NHSBT): Head of Strategic Operations (DX Directorate) – Non-Visa Sponsored Vacancy
⚠️ This vacancy is not open to candidates who require visa sponsorship. Applicants must hold the right to work in the UK.
Job Summary
At NHS Blood & Transplant (NHSBT), we save and improve patient lives through the generosity of donors. The Donor Engagement (DX) Directorate is seeking a Head of Strategic Operations to oversee service transformation, operational delivery, and long-term planning—ensuring robust governance underpins the donor experience and compliance.
You will:
- Lead the design, implementation, and refinement of DX’s strategic operations framework.
- Set and uphold governance standards for health, safety, risk, compliance, and ethical practice across donor services.
- Define DX’s strategic direction while ensuring alignment with regulatory, legislative, and NHS requirements.
- Embrace a culture of transparency, continuous improvement, and donor-centric governance.
Main Responsibilities
As DX’s senior governance authority, you will:
- Develop and execute a comprehensive strategic operations framework, ensuring donor services meet safety, quality, and ethical standards.
- Advise the DX SMT, Executive Team, and Board on governance, risk, and strategic assurance—protecting public trust and operational resilience.
- Drive learning, adaptability, and discipline in delivery, addressing complex clinical/operational/regulatory challenges.
- Champion stop failures and system-wide improvements, supporting NHSBT’s long-term strategic ambitions.
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Key priorities:
- Operational excellence: Safeguard donor integrity; meet regulatory duties.
- Strategic leadership: Align operational excellence with public trust, compliance, and resilience.
- Cross-directorate collaboration: Foster alignment between DX and wider NHSBT priorities.
- Risk and assurance: Uphold ISO 22301 (business continuity) standards, if applicable.
About You
Key Requirements
-
Leadership in high-stakes environments:
- Proven ability to lead transformational change, embed best practices, and cultivate a continuous-improvement culture.
- Developed people management at senior level, including coaching, conflict resolution, and performance.
-
Regulatory/governance expertise:
- Masters degree (healthcare, science, management, or relevant field) or equivalent.
- Relevant postgraduate qualifications (e.g., public health, governance, clinical compliance).
- Hands-on knowledge of NHS regulation, clinical safety, and audit methodologies.
-
Operational pragmatism:
- Extensive experience managing large-scale processes across cross-functional teams.
- Competence in MS Office Suite (analysis, reporting, presentations).
Critical Soft Skills
- Strategic influence: Navigate clinical, operational, and regulatory tensions effectively.
- Ethical clarity: Advocate demonstrably for sensitive donor services.
- Holistic thinking: Bridge gaps between strategy, operational delivery, and impact.
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About Us
At NHS Blood & Transplant, we save and improve lives through organ, tissue, and blood donations. With 6,000+ colleagues, we embody three core values:
- Caring
- Expert
- Quality
Our mission is to create an inclusive workplace that mirrors the diverse communities we serve—we actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups.
What We Offer
- Hybrid working flexibility: With a national organisation, we offer tailored arrangements to suit your lifestyle.
- Generous leave: 27 days annual leave (pro-rata for part-time), increasing to 33 days after 10 years.
- Competitive pension: Defined-benefit NHS Pension (transparent, inflation-adjusted) details.
- Learning development: Funding for professional growth via Thrive programs for all colleagues.
- Wellbeing support: Direct access to occupational health, counselling, and adjustments if needed.
We are proud to be an Employer Disability Confident. Adjustments can be discussed confidentially.
Next Steps
- Closing date: 5th July 2026, 23:59.
- Selection process: Likely includes presentation + interview, with anticipated interviews starting week of 20th July 2026.
Informal enquiries: Email Daniel Madzikanda (daniel.madzikanda@nhsbt.nhs.uk).
Full job specifics at NHSBT Careers (click "Apply"). Progress through personas here → NHSBT Person Specification.
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