Head of Operations
| Posting date: | 10 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £84,489 to £94,857 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 12 March 2026 |
| Location: | Bolton, Greater Manchester |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 3 days per week |
| Company: | Royal College of Nursing |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | REQ000050 |
Summary
There is more to the RCN than you might think. We’re a professional organisation and trade union with a membership of over half a million nurses, midwives, nursing support workers and students. We support their practice, represent them, lobby on their behalf, and develop them. We exist to make a positive difference to the working lives of our members and ultimately to standards in patient care.
Our employees are drawn from many walks of life – we are nurses, marketers and communicators, administrators, IT professionals, policy and finance experts, lawyers… together we are so much more. We couldn’t do what we do without our people.
Our people are our greatest asset, and we want people who can contribute to our purpose in line with our values.
As our Head of Operations for the North West Region, you’ll bring energy, positivity and strong leadership to support and guide our local team. You’ll champion truly integrated working across the professional and trade union elements of the RCN, collaborating closely with colleagues across departments to ensure a seamless and high‑quality service for members.
As a core member of the Regional Management Team, you’ll play a vital role in shaping and delivering the region’s services. You’ll ensure that members receive exceptional advice, support and representation, while modelling inclusive leadership and driving our commitment to challenge discrimination wherever it occurs.
You’ll lead and develop our Senior RCN Officers and oversee the work and growth of our reps and activists. Working with fellow regional leaders, you’ll help drive member and activist recruitment, retention and engagement across the North West.
Every day will bring new opportunities to support, coach and strengthen your team. While championing the needs of our existing members, you’ll also recognise the potential of new ones—bringing fresh ideas, insight and innovation to help us grow and extend our reach.
As an experienced operational leader, you’ll bring a solid understanding of contemporary nursing and the wider health and social care landscape. You’ll also have a strong grasp of best practice in employment matters, including equality, diversity, human rights and fair workplace practice.
Central to your success will be your ability to build effective professional relationships and foster genuine collaboration across teams and departments.
A commitment to trade union values and to protecting and advancing workers’ rights is essential. Equally important is your personal dedication to promoting and embedding equity, diversity and inclusion in everything you do.
At the Royal College of Nursing, we achieve our best when we think bigger, better and brighter. Bring that mindset, and together we’ll make anything possible.
What we offer you
We expect you to look after our members. And we expect you to be rewarded for it. We offer an impressive range of benefits, a broad range of learning development opportunities and an award-winning health and wellbeing programme. We offer annual leave up to 32 days plus bank holidays and three additional days for the Christmas break plus generous maternity, adoption, paternity, and shared parental leave packages.
*We offer a competitive pay structure with annual pay progression until you reach the top of the salary scale. We normally offer new employees the first point of the salary range, although you may be able to negotiate a higher starting salary depending on your skills, experience and current salary.
We’re a diverse organisation, and we recognise that people work best in different ways. Many of our colleagues benefit from flexible working arrangements that help them deliver great results while maintaining a healthy work–life balance.
Our hybrid working model allows you to work from home for up to 60% of your time. The remaining 40% will be spent working in person—whether at the Regional Office, other RCN locations, or out in the region with our members and key stakeholders.
Our employees are drawn from many walks of life – we are nurses, marketers and communicators, administrators, IT professionals, policy and finance experts, lawyers… together we are so much more. We couldn’t do what we do without our people.
Our people are our greatest asset, and we want people who can contribute to our purpose in line with our values.
As our Head of Operations for the North West Region, you’ll bring energy, positivity and strong leadership to support and guide our local team. You’ll champion truly integrated working across the professional and trade union elements of the RCN, collaborating closely with colleagues across departments to ensure a seamless and high‑quality service for members.
As a core member of the Regional Management Team, you’ll play a vital role in shaping and delivering the region’s services. You’ll ensure that members receive exceptional advice, support and representation, while modelling inclusive leadership and driving our commitment to challenge discrimination wherever it occurs.
You’ll lead and develop our Senior RCN Officers and oversee the work and growth of our reps and activists. Working with fellow regional leaders, you’ll help drive member and activist recruitment, retention and engagement across the North West.
Every day will bring new opportunities to support, coach and strengthen your team. While championing the needs of our existing members, you’ll also recognise the potential of new ones—bringing fresh ideas, insight and innovation to help us grow and extend our reach.
As an experienced operational leader, you’ll bring a solid understanding of contemporary nursing and the wider health and social care landscape. You’ll also have a strong grasp of best practice in employment matters, including equality, diversity, human rights and fair workplace practice.
Central to your success will be your ability to build effective professional relationships and foster genuine collaboration across teams and departments.
A commitment to trade union values and to protecting and advancing workers’ rights is essential. Equally important is your personal dedication to promoting and embedding equity, diversity and inclusion in everything you do.
At the Royal College of Nursing, we achieve our best when we think bigger, better and brighter. Bring that mindset, and together we’ll make anything possible.
What we offer you
We expect you to look after our members. And we expect you to be rewarded for it. We offer an impressive range of benefits, a broad range of learning development opportunities and an award-winning health and wellbeing programme. We offer annual leave up to 32 days plus bank holidays and three additional days for the Christmas break plus generous maternity, adoption, paternity, and shared parental leave packages.
*We offer a competitive pay structure with annual pay progression until you reach the top of the salary scale. We normally offer new employees the first point of the salary range, although you may be able to negotiate a higher starting salary depending on your skills, experience and current salary.
We’re a diverse organisation, and we recognise that people work best in different ways. Many of our colleagues benefit from flexible working arrangements that help them deliver great results while maintaining a healthy work–life balance.
Our hybrid working model allows you to work from home for up to 60% of your time. The remaining 40% will be spent working in person—whether at the Regional Office, other RCN locations, or out in the region with our members and key stakeholders.
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.