South West Secure Data Environment Head of Operations
Job summary
We are seeking an experienced and strategic Head of Operations to lead the operational delivery of the South West Secure Data Environment (SWSDE). This regional initiative enables safe, ethical, and trusted access to health and care data for research and innovation across the South West.
The postholder will provide senior operational leadership, ensuring that the SWSDE runs effectively, efficiently, and in full compliance with NHS and national policy frameworks. The role involves managing complex processes and teams across governance, technical, and research functions, ensuring that the environment delivers measurable benefits to the NHS, researchers, and ultimately patients.
You will have significant responsibility for budget management, contractual oversight, and cross-system governance. This position requires an individual with excellent leadership, analytical, and communication skills who can manage sensitive and high-stakes discussions with senior stakeholders while maintaining a calm focus on delivery and service excellence.
This is a delivery-focused and people-oriented role. It is suited to someone who thrives in complex environments, enjoys building systems that work, and understands that strong, transparent processes are essential for success.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will:
- Provide operational leadership and management of the South West Secure Data Environment (SWSDE), ensuring effective end-to-end delivery of research workflows.
- Design, implement, and maintain robust operational processes supporting data access, governance, and researcher engagement.
- Coordinate cross-functional teams responsible for onboarding, data provisioning, governance checks, and operational support.
- Ensure that the SWSDE runs predictably, efficiently, and in full compliance with national policy and data governance requirements.
- Maintain and improve standard operating procedures, documentation, and audit readiness.
- Oversee case management systems and workflow tracking tools to monitor progress and performance.
- Lead, line manage, and develop operational and administrative staff, fostering a culture of accountability, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
- Manage operational budgets, contracts, and procurement processes to ensure value for money and adherence to financial governance.
- Contribute to strategic planning, service improvement, and performance reporting at regional and national levels.
- Deputise for the Programme Director and represent the South West Secure Data Environment at senior meetings, steering groups, and national forums.
About us
We are committed to creating an inclusive organisation that promotes and values diversity. We know from experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger, more creative workplace that helps us to deliver the best services. We welcome applications which represent the rich diversity of our community; from people of all ages, disabled people, all genders, people from ethnic minority groups, LGBTQ+ people, people with diverse gender identity and expression, people from all religions and beliefs and other diverse characteristics, and we have processes in place to ensure that all applications are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Further details about this position, including a comprehensive Job Description and Person Specification, are available under the Supporting Documents section. Applicants are encouraged to review these carefully before submitting an application.
Person Specification
Essential
- Educated to masters level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area.
- Extensive knowledge of specialist areas, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to master's level equivalent
- Substantial operational leadership experience within the NHS or a similar public sector environment.
- Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams through delivery and change.
- Strong people management skills with a track record of developing and supporting staff.
- Demonstrable experience in building, maintaining, and improving complex processes.
- Comfortable working across technical, analytical, governance, and research domains.
- Strong sense of accountability, service delivery, and performance tracking.
- Familiarity with information governance, UK GDPR, and secure data handling.
- Proven track record of leading large-scale, multi-organisation programmes at a senior level, delivering measurable outcomes in a politically complex environment.
- Experience of working with or influencing senior system leaders (e.g. NHSE, ICB Boards, academic and industry partners).
- Developed communication skills for delivering key messages to a range of stakeholders both internal and external (including outside the NHS) to the organisation, some at very senior level
- Good presentational skills for conveying complex concepts.
- Ability to use informed persuasion to influence others.
- Track record of leading negotiations in environments of contention, conflict, uncertainty, or opposition, demonstrating diplomacy and resilience.
- Proven ability to routinely convey politically sensitive highly complex information, requiring diplomacy, tact, and influencing skills at senior executive and Board level.
- Ability to identify risks, anticipate issues and create solutions and to resolve problems in relation to project or service delivery
- Analyses performance of area of activity in relation to performance targets, and strategic objectives.
- Ability to understand a broad range of complex information quickly and making decisions where opinions differ/no obvious solution
- Required to analyse highly complex situations where information is conflicting, sensitive and incomplete, balancing strategic risks, legal obligations, and stakeholder expectations to determine the most appropriate course of action
- Evidence of planning and delivering programmes and projects and services on time.
- Ability to formulate long term strategic plans, involving uncertainly, impact on the organisation
- Abilities for financial and staff management
- Provides senior line management to operational managers and professional leads, ensuring performance management, workforce development, and succession planning across the function.
- Experience of developing and embedding performance frameworks, with demonstrable improvement in operational KPIs.
- Ability to provide tactical risk leadership, with experience presenting to Boards or equivalent governance forums.
- Advanced stakeholder management skills, with evidence of resolving conflict and building alignment across competing priorities.
- Must have an understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and appreciate the implications of this on engagement
- Should have an appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health, NHSE, the ICB and individual provider organisations
- Experience working in or with Secure Data Environments or research data services
- Knowledge of national NHS data platforms, data governance strategies, and common data models.
- Evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development. Achievement of PRINCE2, ITIL or Agile certification.
- Understanding of academic research governance processes.
- Familiarity with cohort discovery or CRM tools.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details
Employer name
NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board
Address
Bristol
100 Temple Street
Bristol
BS1 6AG
Employer's website
https://bnssg.icb.nhs.uk/
- Company
- NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board
- Location
- Bristol, United Kingdom BS1 6AG
- Employment Type
- Fixed-Term
- Salary
- £76965.00 - £88682.00 a year
- Posted
- Company
- NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board
- Location
- Bristol, United Kingdom BS1 6AG
- Employment Type
- Fixed-Term
- Salary
- £76965.00 - £88682.00 a year
- Posted