GatenbySanderson
Interim Chief Operating Officer
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Interim Chief Operating Officer | Health | Start ASAP | Until end of March 2027 | VSM | Hybrid (3-4 days per week on site)
We are currently working on an exclusive, retained search basis with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in the search for an Interim Chief Operating Officer. This is a high-profile executive leadership role, providing operational leadership during a critical period of recovery, improvement, and organisational development.
The successful candidate will be responsible for driving performance improvements across urgent and emergency care and planned care services, while ensuring strong operational governance, leadership stability, and delivery against key organisational priorities. Working closely with the Chief Executive, Executive Team, and Board, the Interim COO will play a pivotal role in supporting the Health Board's recovery journey, including progression towards the de-escalation of special measures.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide visible and credible executive leadership, maintaining a strong on-site presence (minimum 3-4 days per week)
- Lead operational performance improvement across Urgent and Emergency Care and Planned Care services, delivering measurable improvements against key targets, particularly ambulance handover performance and waiting times
- Work closely with Interim Recovery Directors to ensure delivery of agreed recovery and transformation objectives
- Ensure stability, capability, and effective leadership across Integrated Health Communities (IHCs) and operational management teams
- Drive improvement activity in support of special measures de-escalation and organisational recovery
- Lead operational preparedness and resilience planning for winter pressures
- Contribute to Board preparation and readiness for the Well-Led Review
- Support delivery of the Health Board's financial recovery objectives, ensuring operational services are aligned to financial sustainability plans
- Strengthen safety, governance, and assurance arrangements, delivering measurable improvements against key quality and safety indicators
- Lead the operational response to HIW inspection findings, developing and embedding clear improvement actions across services and teams
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Experience Required
- Significant Board-level operational leadership experience within a large NHS acute healthcare organisation
- Extensive experience leading complex acute hospital operations and delivering sustainable performance improvement programmes
- Demonstrable success in improving Urgent and Emergency Care and Planned Care performance against national standards and operational targets
- Strong understanding of the challenges associated with system recovery, organisational turnaround, and regulatory improvement programmes
- Proven experience of delivering improvement within highly scrutinised healthcare environments, including governance, quality, and safety agendas
- A credible and visible leadership style, with the ability to engage clinical and operational teams while building strong relationships with executive colleagues, regulators, and external stakeholders
- Experience contributing to financial recovery programmes and delivering operational efficiencies within complex healthcare systems
- Excellent stakeholder management, influencing, and communication skills, with the ability to operate effectively at Board level
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How to Apply
If you would like to apply for this Interim Chief Operating Officer position, please submit an up-to-date CV demonstrating how you meet the criteria outlined above, together with your contact details, availability, and desired rate.
Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we will only contact candidates who meet the required criteria to discuss the opportunity further.
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