The Chief Operating Officer is the Senior Manager in the Oxford Academic Health Partners (OAHP), an established Academic Health Science Centre with the following Partners:
· University of Oxford,
· Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust,
· Oxford Brookes University,
· Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and
· Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley (HIOTV).
OAHP promotes and enables coordination between the Partners in research and research infrastructure, in teaching, education and workforce and in innovations to support local, regional, and national improvements in patient outcome. OAHP aims to facilitate and accelerate the translation of research into clinical practice to respond to major healthcare challenges such as multi-morbidity, mental health, and the best use of digital tools to improve care and patient self-management. OAHP is at the centre of a dynamic research culture which is strengthen by promotion of multidisciplinary working and collaboration, extending healthcare research and education into new disciplines.
OAHP continues to focus on the emerging priorities of the NHS 10 Year Plan and other key areas highlighted by the Life Science Missions, including the Mental Health Mission already based in Oxford.
The OUH hosts the Oxford Academic Health Partners
See
The Role
The OAHP Chief Operating Officer (COO) is central to the development and delivery of the OAHP’s objectives. The COO requires an unusual blend of skills and experience, most likely gained from working at a senior level in either NHS and University environments, or in related roles allied to health and medical sciences, with a strong track record project initiation, development, operational delivery, and implementation.
The post holder is required to operate at what is effectively Board level across five organisations to deliver against a national agenda and to bring together new and innovative ways of collaboration and partnerships.
The post holder is responsible for ensuring performance, setting, and tracking and overseeing project delivery and managing resources over several years linked to the delivery of the Board’s priorities.
The post holder will oversee and take part in the delivery of OAHP Board agreed objectives and programmes ensuring full engagement of Partners and their teams, their own involvement and leadership, and regular reporting to the Chair of and the OAHP Board and, through its members, to the Partner Boards.
The ability to act with autonomy in representing the views of the Board and the Partners is critical. The COO will be an accomplished, influential and inclusive leader with the ability to work across boundaries, representing all Partners.
Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trustis one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.
Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community.
We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence.
These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via theOUH YouTube channel.
Principal Responsibilities
· Working closely with the Director of OAHP, and the Chair of the OAHP Board, in developing and implementing OAHP strategy, taking the day-to-day lead on all aspects of OAHP objectives, and collaborations between Partners and with external stakeholders.
· Leading operations including management of and accountability for the OAHP Office and the budget, ensuring that funds are brought in from the Partners and ensuring OUH’s financial policies and procedures are met, personnel including HR functions, e.g. annual appraisal for Senior Programme Manager and providing any necessary emotional support in line with OUH values; seeking additional resources for specific work, programmes and projects from across the Partners as may be required and ensuring compliance with the host organisation’s policies and procedures.
· Leading the development of the widest possible engagement with Partners, briefing the Director, the Chair and the OAHP Board appropriately. Providing specific and active support for priorities from individual partners, including, for example, the OUH’s Secure Data Environment and Health Inequalities), the OH’s and University of Oxford’s engagement with the national Life Sciences Mission for Mental Health, and OBU’s work on Nursing, Midwifery and AHPPS Workforce Development. Supporting the development of policies associated with these priorities that benefit patient care across the NHS partners and beyond.
· Formulating five-year strategic plans for the Board’s consideration, addressing uncertainty and prioritisations that may impact across OAHP partners.
· Identifying knowledge nodes (and drawing on personal knowledge and experience) and opportunities for collaboration and negotiating support for initiatives that drive strategic alignment to deliver against the vision and purpose of OAHP.
· Drawing on the work and resources of the rich NIHR infrastructure within the OAHP including two BRCs, the two CRFs, the Southampton-based Research Delivery Network (formerly CRN), the Oxford and Thames Valley ARC, and the HRC, and providing active support to the furthering of the activities of these bodies, including support for any application processes, e.g. the current Oxford Health NHS FT hosted Oxford and Thames Valley Applied Research Collaboration.
· Ensuring continued oversight of and engagement with the Oxford Joint Research Office[1]following its formation in late 2022 in support of research activities and development and the translation of research to patient care across both the OUH and Oxford Health NHS FT.
· Ensuring compliance: analysing information, monitoring performance, and reporting to the Department of Health in accordance with prevailingrequirements.
· Deputising for the Director as required and representing OAHP in discussions pertinent to project and contracts and agreements as needed including a joint working agreement for OAHP.
· Overseeing communications including effective, regular updates for partners; development and maintenance of appropriate means of communications e.g., website and social media. Approving the procurement process for the appointment of Communications Support.
· Working closely with the HIOTV Chief Executive, Chief Operating Officer, and senior team to support development, evaluation, and dissemination of innovation and translation of research facilitating and supporting an environment to evaluate technologies for implementation in the NHS.
· Enabling the development of engagement across the BOB ICB with reference to Research and Innovation and impact on patient care working directly with the Chief Executive of Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley.
· Active participation in relevant internal and external working groups/projects, including (as examples) the Oxford Health BRC Steering Group, the OBU Steering Group for the development of NMAHP Workforce and the Living Lab, services, and initiatives, convening and chairing meetings, advising, and mentoring colleagues, maintaining, and sharing personal networks etc.
· Providing support, with the Director of OAHP, for the current AHSCs Directors and COOs group, working in support of the development of policies across the AHSCs and acting as a member of national AHSCs COO Group ensuring the OAHP’s views and plans are represented accordingly.
· Providing oversight of the OAHP registered charity #1174725, and accountable for delivering its objectives and complying with all and any reporting requirements.
Relationships
OAHP relies on strong, collaborative relationships with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders across and within the five partner organisations and the local community through the BOB-ICS.
The COO will work closely with the OAHP Director and the Chair of the OAHOP Board to develop and sustain these links, to explore and initiate new links across a wider geography, and to achieve regular attendance at high level meetings for the exchange of information and the development and delivery of plans.
Relationships for the COO include:
Director of the OAHP – this relationship is critical in determining the direction of the Strategic Plan and the delivery of the objectives as agreed by the Board.
Chairman of the OAHPBoard – the COO will provide support and briefing for the Chairman together with the Director, OAHP Boardmembers and those in attendance including the Senior Programme Manager (as the Secretary to the Board).
In addition, the COO will work closely with the following:
HIOTV Chief Operating Officer and senior leadership team
Functional and senior leaders across all Partners, including the COOs and Executive Directors
NIHR organisations locally and the NIHR nationally – NIHR BRCs, HRC, RDN, ARC
External funding bodies: Department of Health, Medical Research Council, and the Wellcome Trust; MHRA and the national Health Innovation Network
Other Academic Health Science Centres and similar groupings.
Members of the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board
The Person Specification (see also attached Person Specification)
Skills and experience:
Extensive knowledge of the academic/research/NHS environment, specifically in relation life sciences research, the life sciences industry, education, and translational research, innovation, external partnerships that foster external impact
Strategic management and planning, with the ability to present highly complex information to large/senior groups and empathy when working with smaller/functional teams
Creative thinker with demonstrated analytical and data driven decision making skills as well as an understanding of relationships between, for example, patient care, research, and education at national level.
Highly collaborative team player and leader with strong interpersonal skills who works well in a cross institutional environment. Sound organisational skills as well as the ability to direct and work effectively in a devolved management structure, to interface at all levels
Capable of delivering results by working with colleagues outside of formal reporting lines; leading and influencing, mentoring, supporting, and empowering, developing, and influencing as required, ability to deal with time pressure and deadlines
Significant expertise in communication and the ability to negotiate priorities within and between organisations and across multiple stakeholder groups to deliver collaborative initiatives
Postgraduate, qualified to at least Master’s level with formal management qualification or significant operational and strategic experience and track record of implementing complex change management projects to develop or improve performance. Experience of delivering major projects within complex organisations, specifically the NHS and research or education settings is highly desirable
Judgements involving highly complex facts or situations, which require the analysis,
interpretation and comparison of a range of options.
Personal aptitude:
Responsive and operates with a high level of integrity; able to handle confidential and sensitive issues in an appropriate manner.
Ability to act with autonomy, ensuring the interests across the Partners and the OAHP are delivered
Inclusive, acting as a champion for diversity and commitment to developing diverse and inclusive teams that are motivated and inspired to work together to achieve a common objective
Ability to manage uncertainty and working with ambiguity, able to work autonomously and confident making sound decisions.
Structure for the OAHP
BOARD of OAHP
Chairman, Professor Sir Jonathan Montgomery
Director, Professor Keith Channon
Chief Operating Officer, VACANT
Senior Programme Manager, Megan Turmezei
Communications Support, Dan Richards Doran
[1]JRO consists of research management and governance teams from OUH, OH, OU and OBU
This advert closes on Wednesday 2 Apr 2025
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