Chief Operating Officer
| Posting date: | 26 August 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | Competitive |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 25 September 2025 |
| Location: | Oxford |
| Company: | inploi |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 75731822 |
Summary
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a accomplished and forward-thinking Chief Operating Officer to lead our broad portfolio of mental health and learning disability services, as well as our provider collaboratives. This is a unique opportunity for an experienced leader who thrives in the mental health sector and is ready to help us realise our full potential.
We are proud to be rated ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission, but we remain ambitious in the face of rising demand. What sets Oxford Health apart is our deep-rooted partnership with the University of Oxford, which drives innovation and research for the benefit of our patients. We are committed to values of kindness, respect, innovation and diversity, and we are looking for a transformational leader with the energy, vision and drive to make a lasting difference to the communities we serve.
Main duties of the jobOur Board is made up of dedicated executive and non-executive directors, led by an experienced Chair. We play a leading role in provider collaboratives and are actively engaged in two integrated care systems. The Chief Operating Officer will be instrumental in motivating and supporting our clinical workforce, streamlining internal processes, and building strong relationships with local government, voluntary organisations, primary care and other NHS partners. The role also involves representing Oxford Health in regional and national conversations, ensuring our voice is heard and our contributions recognised.
Our services span a wide geographical area, from the outskirts of Bristol to the Chiltern Hills of Buckinghamshire and include a diverse range of care settings, such as forensic mental health wards and prison healthcare. We are deeply committed to staff development and learning, and we recognise the work still needed to meet our ambitions around equality, diversity and inclusion.
Working for our organisationWe provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and North East Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people’s homes, delivering care as close to home as possible. Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: “Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team”
Our values are: “Caring, safe and excellent”
At Oxford Health we offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:
- Excellent opportunities for career progression
- Individual and Trust wide learning and development
- 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
- NHS Discount
- Pension scheme
- Lease car scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Mental Health First Aiders
- Staff accommodation (waiting lists may apply)
- Staff networking and support groups
Please see attached candidate brief which includes detailed instructions for submitting your CV and expression of interest.
Key dates
Closing date – Midnight, Sunday 14th September
Focus Group Assessment – Wednesday 8th October, in person at Unipart House, Oxford
Panel Interview –Thursday 9th October, in person at Unipart House, Oxford
Person specification Knowledge and experience Essential criteria
- Significant relevant experience at a senior level
- Evidence of continued professional development
- Extensive knowledge and expertise relevant to transforming mental health within complex Health and Social care systems
- Experience of delivering complex change in a politically sensitive and complex environment
- Experience of delivering complex change in a politically sensitive and complex environment
- Significant provider related expertise and knowledge across all elements of health and social care system
- Ability to build trusted stakeholder relationships and wide support networks across health, social care & the Third Sector
- Can convey key messages clearly and concisely and able to adapt communication style effectively and with agility
- Exceptionally strong external communications skills in a politically sensitive environment and experience in handling media
- Ability to prepare and produce concise yet insightful communications for dissemination to senior stakeholders and a broad range of stakeholders as required
- Extensive experience of delivering presentations to large groups of stakeholders
- Outstandingly high ability to analyse highly complex issues where material is conflicting and drawn from multiple sources; and demonstrate, through the use of information and data how improvement can be achieved
- Demonstrated capability to act upon incomplete information, or where the way forward is not known, using experience to make inferences and decision making
- Highly developed analytical skills to analyse numerical and written data, assess options and draw appropriate initiatives
- Experience of creating, developing & motivating teams inspiring workforce to work together to achieve a common objective
- Ability to delegate effectively and efficiently
- Ability to work on multiple activities, manage under intense pressure or times of uncertainty and work between strategic and operational activities where required
Candidate Brief (PDF, 754.9KB)
Recruiter Contact DetailsName: Grant Macdonald
Title: Chief Executive
Email: grant.macdonlad@oxfordhealth.nhs.uk
Telephone: 07741102795