Deputy Operations Manager | East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust


Company:	East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust
Salary:	£32,073 - £39,043 per annum
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Ashford, TN24 0LZ
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	7 Oct 2026
Closing date:	8 Nov 2026

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Summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated and organised individual to join our General Surgery and Colorectal Directorate as a Deputy Operations Manager.

Working closely with the Operations Manager, Clinical Leads, Consultants and multidisciplinary teams, the post holder will play a key role in supporting the delivery of safe, effective and high-quality patient services. The role involves operational management of outpatient and inpatient pathways, performance monitoring, waiting list management, medical staffing coordination and service improvement initiatives.

The successful candidate will lead and support administrative teams, contribute to the delivery of key national targets including RTT, and work collaboratively across services to ensure patients receive timely care. They will be responsible for managing competing priorities, analysing performance data, resolving operational challenges and supporting the day-to-day running of the service.

This role is ideal for an individual with NHS operational management experience, excellent communication and leadership skills, and a passion for improving patient care and service performance. The post offers an excellent opportunity to develop management experience within a dynamic and evolving surgical specialty.

Support the operational delivery of General Surgery and Colorectal services, and cross-cover with Gastroenterology.

Coordinate medical staffing rotas, leave and service cover arrangements.

Monitor performance against national and local targets, including RTT standards.

Lead and support administrative and reception teams.

Manage clinic capacity, waiting lists and patient pathways.

Investigate operational issues and implement service improvements.

Build effective relationships with clinical and corporate colleagues.

Contribute to workforce planning and performance reporting.

We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference’. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It's about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day-to-day. We're looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.

Please note that if you require a Certificate of Sponsorship to work in the UK you must declare this on your application form, even if you currently have a certificate of sponsorship or a work permit for another role and are already working in the country. Please note we are only able to sponsor candidates on a Skilled Worker Visa applying for roles Band 5 and above.

Please scroll down to access the full Job Description and Person Specification located in ‘Documents to download’.

If you have further queries please don’t hesitate to contact the line manager using the contact details below.

This advert closes on Wednesday 14 Oct 2026

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