Associate Director People and Operations | Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust
| Posting date: | 28 January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £76,965 - £88,682 per annum |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 27 February 2026 |
| Location: | Sale, M33 7FT |
| Company: | Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 7768194/236-HOS-AC010-26 |
Summary
In this role you will play a pivotal part in shaping our organisational culture and ensuring operational excellence. Reporting to the Executive People Director, you will support organisations within and beyond the NHS. Your work will involve the generation and delivery of your consultancy to improve how they lead teams, develop workforce capabilities and lead on people strategy, workforce development, and organisational effectiveness, while overseeing the smooth running of our core operations.
This is a unique opportunity to influence how improvement is delivered across the NHS, ensuring teams are empowered and equipped to make a difference.
We are looking for a dynamic, values-driven leader with:
Proven experience in senior people and operations roles, ideally within health or public services.
Strong leadership skills with the ability to inspire, influence, and build trust across diverse teams.
Expertise in HR and OD, with a track record of delivering workforce strategies that support organisational success.
Operational management capability, including governance, planning, and performance oversight.
Commitment to NHS values and passion for improvement, equity, and collaboration.
What We Offer
A chance to shape the future of NHS improvement at national level.
Professional development opportunities and support for career progression.
Flexible working arrangements.
Inclusive culture where diversity is celebrated and every voice matters.
Key Responsibilities
· Strategic leadership: Deliver with our people leaders, the people plan, and operations strategy aligned with our work
· Business development: Come to us with a track record of performance and delivery so that your credibility and influence is clear
· Workforce development: Lead initiatives across organisations to attract, retain, and develop talent, fostering a culture of inclusion and growth.
· Operational excellence: Ensure that our people team have clear business planning, governance, and performance management to ensure efficiency and impact
· Partnership working: Collaborate with NHS, Commercial and Third Sector partners to build and strengthen people and improvement capability
Change management: Drive organisational transformation across organisations, embedding best practice in leadership, engagement, and delivery.
Advancing Quality Alliance (Aqua) are a national improvement agency within the NHS, dedicated to driving better outcomes for patients, staff, and communities. Our mission is to support health and care organisations to deliver high-quality, sustainable services through innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
To read more information about the advertised role, and the main job duties/responsibilities please open the Job Description and Person Specification located under the supporting documents heading.
This advert closes on Wednesday 11 Feb 2026
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