Director of Healthcare Operations & Income
| Posting date: | 13 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | Up to £110,000 |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 13 March 2026 |
| Location: | EC1M 4BU |
| Remote working: | On-site only |
| Company: | St John Ambulance |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 303671JCP |
Summary
Director of Healthcare Operations & Income
Hybrid
Full Time/Permanent
Our offer to you
We pride ourselves in being a great place to work, providing a supportive culture with opportunities to grow and develop your career, achieve a healthy work life balance and to be recognised for the great work you do. You will receive:
Competitive salary and pension scheme
33 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays) - increasing to 38 days over 5 years
Hybrid, Flexible working
Cycle to work scheme Electric Vehicle Scheme
Health and Wellbeing portal – access to financial, health and wellbeing support and an Employee Assistance Programme
Discounts – you will have access to Blue Light and NHS Discounts as well as discounts on mobile phones, gym membership, cinema tickets, restaurants, holidays and shopping
Job Summary
In a newly refreshed role, were looking for an outstanding individual, someone that will bring robust experience in aligned fields, is used to working in a challenging but rewarding environment, enjoys leadership and is genuinely driven by the cause of St John.
We have huge ambition at St John to increase our income, reach and impact and as lead Director, you will hold overall responsibility and accountability for the Healthcare Operations Directorate encompassing Event Healthcare, Ambulance Operations and Community Healthcare delivery. You will drive the commercial ambition of your portfolio, shaping strategy, setting direction, and delivering against stretching targets. You’ll work closely with volunteer leaders across the organisation, forging strong partnerships that strengthen our impact and help us build new community centred healthcare provision.
You will take the lead on our engagement with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and key external partners, regulators, stakeholders and commissioners, including Event Customers, ICBs, Trusts and the wider NHS. Central to the role is championing innovative, high quality, patient centred services that are reliable, financially viable, effective and continuously improving. You will provide visible, motivational leadership across your directorate, embedding our HEART values and positioning our services as an employer of choice beyond the NHS. Alongside fellow leaders, you will share collective responsibility for delivering the charity’s strategic objectives, while confidently managing a significant P&L of approximately £20m+.
About You
You will be degree‑educated (with a relevant master’s desirable), ideally hold a clinical qualification such as Registered Paramedic. You’ll bring substantial senior leadership experience in large, complex organisations, with a strong track record in delivering ambulance or health service strategies, leading in CQC‑regulated environments, and managing a commercial operation of £20m+ with full P&L accountability. You’ll have experience shaping effective policies and processes, leading large staff and volunteer teams, and delivering complex change programmes. Exceptional interpersonal, influencing and people‑centred leadership skills, underpinned by emotional intelligence and collaboration, are essential.
About the Role
To lead and hold overall responsibility and accountability for our major services including Event Healthcare, Ambulance Operations and Community Healthcare delivery.
To hold overall accountability for a significant P&L and ensure adherence to plan
To ensure that our services are patient focused, responsive, safe, effective, well led, and sustainable, and hold overall accountability for CQC leadership and the highest standards of delivery.
To role model, empower and enable your people. To champion and exemplify compassionate, ethical and accountable leadership and St John HEART values.
Inspire excellence, compassion and commitment in your leadership team
In collaboration with key colleagues, lead on the development of effective business and commercial development and marketing strategies that drive revenue surplus, enhance market share, and strengthen brand value.
Establish and drive continuous improvement of KPIs and dashboards to measure and drive effectiveness across the various teams, including Events and Ambulance Operations, and the business and to ensure we meet compliance of all Healthcare Operations contracts, continually measuring and acting on customer/stakeholder feedback
Cultivate relationships with external stakeholders, partners and customers (including key Event customers, Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), ICB’s, and NHS England), ensuring the Charity is well positioned to capitalise on potential business and funding opportunities
Please see the job description for more detail (this can be viewed on our website or once you click apply)
If you are a current St John Ambulance employee, please apply here: Click here
For all other candidates, or St John Ambulance volunteers wishing to apply: please apply below
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive high volume of applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
Hybrid
Full Time/Permanent
Our offer to you
We pride ourselves in being a great place to work, providing a supportive culture with opportunities to grow and develop your career, achieve a healthy work life balance and to be recognised for the great work you do. You will receive:
Competitive salary and pension scheme
33 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays) - increasing to 38 days over 5 years
Hybrid, Flexible working
Cycle to work scheme Electric Vehicle Scheme
Health and Wellbeing portal – access to financial, health and wellbeing support and an Employee Assistance Programme
Discounts – you will have access to Blue Light and NHS Discounts as well as discounts on mobile phones, gym membership, cinema tickets, restaurants, holidays and shopping
Job Summary
In a newly refreshed role, were looking for an outstanding individual, someone that will bring robust experience in aligned fields, is used to working in a challenging but rewarding environment, enjoys leadership and is genuinely driven by the cause of St John.
We have huge ambition at St John to increase our income, reach and impact and as lead Director, you will hold overall responsibility and accountability for the Healthcare Operations Directorate encompassing Event Healthcare, Ambulance Operations and Community Healthcare delivery. You will drive the commercial ambition of your portfolio, shaping strategy, setting direction, and delivering against stretching targets. You’ll work closely with volunteer leaders across the organisation, forging strong partnerships that strengthen our impact and help us build new community centred healthcare provision.
You will take the lead on our engagement with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and key external partners, regulators, stakeholders and commissioners, including Event Customers, ICBs, Trusts and the wider NHS. Central to the role is championing innovative, high quality, patient centred services that are reliable, financially viable, effective and continuously improving. You will provide visible, motivational leadership across your directorate, embedding our HEART values and positioning our services as an employer of choice beyond the NHS. Alongside fellow leaders, you will share collective responsibility for delivering the charity’s strategic objectives, while confidently managing a significant P&L of approximately £20m+.
About You
You will be degree‑educated (with a relevant master’s desirable), ideally hold a clinical qualification such as Registered Paramedic. You’ll bring substantial senior leadership experience in large, complex organisations, with a strong track record in delivering ambulance or health service strategies, leading in CQC‑regulated environments, and managing a commercial operation of £20m+ with full P&L accountability. You’ll have experience shaping effective policies and processes, leading large staff and volunteer teams, and delivering complex change programmes. Exceptional interpersonal, influencing and people‑centred leadership skills, underpinned by emotional intelligence and collaboration, are essential.
About the Role
To lead and hold overall responsibility and accountability for our major services including Event Healthcare, Ambulance Operations and Community Healthcare delivery.
To hold overall accountability for a significant P&L and ensure adherence to plan
To ensure that our services are patient focused, responsive, safe, effective, well led, and sustainable, and hold overall accountability for CQC leadership and the highest standards of delivery.
To role model, empower and enable your people. To champion and exemplify compassionate, ethical and accountable leadership and St John HEART values.
Inspire excellence, compassion and commitment in your leadership team
In collaboration with key colleagues, lead on the development of effective business and commercial development and marketing strategies that drive revenue surplus, enhance market share, and strengthen brand value.
Establish and drive continuous improvement of KPIs and dashboards to measure and drive effectiveness across the various teams, including Events and Ambulance Operations, and the business and to ensure we meet compliance of all Healthcare Operations contracts, continually measuring and acting on customer/stakeholder feedback
Cultivate relationships with external stakeholders, partners and customers (including key Event customers, Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), ICB’s, and NHS England), ensuring the Charity is well positioned to capitalise on potential business and funding opportunities
Please see the job description for more detail (this can be viewed on our website or once you click apply)
If you are a current St John Ambulance employee, please apply here: Click here
For all other candidates, or St John Ambulance volunteers wishing to apply: please apply below
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive high volume of applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.