Care Group Operational DirectorNHS

Job summary

Care Group Operational Director (Band 9) Posts Available:

• Medicine Care Group
• Surgery Care Group
• Women, Children, Young People and Families Care Group
• Mental Health & Learning Disabilities Care Group
• Cancer Centre and Clinical Services Care Group

Swansea Bay University Health Board is implementing a clinically led Care Group model, bringing services together around patient pathways to improve outcomes, experience and sustainability.

As a Care Group Operational Director, you will be a key member of the Care Group triumvirate, working alongside clinical and professional leaders to deliver high-quality, safe and effective services. You will translate strategic priorities into operational delivery, ensuring excellent patient care, staff experience and service performance.

The role includes responsibility for operational performance, workforce planning, resource management and service improvement across the Care Group. We are seeking collaborative and influential leaders who can manage competing priorities, optimise service delivery and support clinically led decision-making.

This is a unique opportunity to help shape the future of healthcare across Swansea Bay and contribute to a significant organisational transformation programme.

Applicants should indicate their top three Care Group preferences within their application and review the accompanying Care Group Structure Document for further information.

Full-time (37.5 hours per week)

Interview dates: 2-4 December 2026.

Main duties of the job

oProvide strategic and operational leadership for all services within the Care Group portfolio, ensuring they are safe, high-quality, efficient, and aligned with the health needs of the population. They will lead service transformation and sustainability programmes, including the development and implementation of medium-term and annual strategic and operational plans, ensuring services remain responsive, effective, and continually improving.oLead and champion a culture of continuous improvement, through compassionate leadership, inclusion, and psychological safety. Play a pivotal part in shaping and sustaining a positive, values-driven organisational culture that supports staff wellbeing, engagement, and high performance across the Care Group.oProvide expert professional, strategic, and operational leadership, ensuring that services deliver high-quality, patient-centred care and that the needs of patients, families, and the wider community are prioritised. Holding comprehensive responsibility for workforce leadership, including alignment with legislation and service standards, and exercising full line management responsibility. This includes undertaking the full range of workforce functions such as recruitment, appraisal, performance management, disciplinary and grievance processes for several diverse teams.oParticipates in the Gold On-Call rota, and deputising for the Executive Director as required.

Job description

You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click Apply now to view in Trac.

The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.

About us

We believe staff are our best asset and wewant you to be happy and confident about starting your career here in Swansea Bay University Health Board.

As one of the biggest healthcare groups in the UK we can offer a wealth of professional training and development opportunities in an innovative, forward-thinking organisation.

You might be a nurse ordoctor, maybe you specialise in a health science/therapy or can offer skills in one of our support services - wehave a job for you.

There are also apprenticeships, work placementsand volunteering roles available.

We are an inclusive employer and welcome applications from everyone whatever their sex; religion or belief; race; age; sexual orientation; gender identity or, whether they are pregnant or have recently been on maternity leave, married or are in a civil partnership; or, whether they are disabled.

Our values - Caring For Each Other, Working Together and Always Improving, show thatour commitment to equality is at the heart of everything we do.

If you want excellent career and training opportunities while living on the doorstep of some of Europe's most spectacular scenery,with all the benefits of a thriving and cosmopolitan city - look no further.