Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

Operational Lead NMHC/MHED
The closing date is 19 November 2026

Job summary
PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT THIS POST IS CURRENTLY ONLY OPEN TO EMPLOYEES OF CPFT
2x part time 18.75hrs per week or 1x full time 37.5hrs per week
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and ambitious operational leader to play a pivotal role in the delivery of CPFT's Mental Health Hub and Mental Health Emergency Department Development Programme.
Following successful approval of investment to develop and transform urgent and mental health services across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, CPFT is seeking two Band 8c 0.5 WTE Operations Lead to lead the separate elements of the programme: one focused on Mental Health Hubs and one focused on Mental Health Emergency Department services. Consideration may also be given to a candidate who can demonstrate the capacity, experience and capability to undertake both functions.
This high-profile role will work across organisational boundaries with CPFT services, Integrated Care System partners, acute hospital providers, commissioners, people who use services and carers to develop and deliver innovative models of urgent and emergency mental health care.

Main duties of the job
Reporting to the Programme Senior Responsible Owner, the Operations Leads will provide strategic and operational leadership across their respective areas of programme delivery, including:

• Programme mobilisation and implementation.
• Operational pathway redesign and service development.
• Stakeholder engagement and partnership working.
• Workforce and service planning.
• Benefits realisation and performance monitoring.
• Risk, issue and dependency management.
• Governance, assurance and reporting to Trust and system forums.
• Development of sustainable operational models for the Mental Health Hub and Mental Health Emergency Department.

The post holders will work closely with clinical leaders, programme managers, commissioners and partner organisations to ensure delivery of programme objectives, milestones and benefits. Applications will also be considered from candidates who feel they have the capacity, experience and capability to undertake both 0.5 WTE functions as a combined full-time role.

About us
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting and empowering them to lead fulfilling lives.
Our clinical teams deliver a wide range of NHS services across inpatient, primary care and community settings, including children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, and research and development.
To achieve our goals, we recruit high calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities' employer, we welcome applications from all sections of the community, particularly under represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.
All appointments for new employees to CPFT are subject to the successful completion of a probationary period.
Please note we reserve the right to close adverts early should we receive sufficient applications.
Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all roles. If you apply for a post that does not attract sponsorship, your application will be withdrawn from the process .
For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at https://www.cpft.nhs.uk

Details
Date posted: 12 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8c
Salary: £79,504 to £91,609 a year per annum pro rata
Contract: Secondment
Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time
Reference number: 310-MASMH-8398399
Job locations: Elizabeth House, Fulbourn Drift, Cambridge, CB21 5EF, United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.
Clinical / Service Specific

• Lead and be accountable for the end-to-end design, commissioning, implementation and operational delivery of Mental Health Hubs and Mental Health Emergency Department services, aligned with Trust strategy, system priorities, statutory duties and agreed clinical outcomes.
• Set the strategic and operational direction for the portfolio, defining scope, outcomes, milestones, dependencies, accountabilities, decision points and benefits.
• Provide authoritative clinical-operational advice and recommendations to executives, Trust committees, programme boards, commissioners and system partners, including options appraisal where evidence, risk or stakeholder views differ.
• Ensure both service developments operate as an integrated pathway with crisis, liaison, inpatient, community and primary care services.
• Lead transition, operational readiness, go-live, stabilisation, handover and post-implementation review.
• Exercise delegated authority to pause, modify or escalate implementation where safety, quality, affordability, workforce readiness or compliance is at risk.
• Lead development and implementation of relevant Trust and system-wide policies.
• Be accountable for delivery through senior clinical and operational managers, with clear delegated responsibilities and assurance arrangement.

Quality & Patient Safety

• Ensure services are safe, effective, trauma-informed and person-centred, supported by robust clinical and professional governance.
• Ensure clinical, operational, safeguarding, equality, information governance, estates and workforce risks are identified, assessed, mitigated and escalated.
• Maintain appropriate safety controls, escalation routes and contingencies throughout mobilisation and transition.
• Embed co-production with service users and carers throughout design, implementation and evaluation.
• Ensure quality and equality impact assessments, audit, incident learning, complaints and evaluation inform decision-making.

Planning / Service Development

• Lead integrated portfolio governance, including boards, workstreams, reporting, decision logs, risk and issue management, change control, gateway reviews and benefits tracking.
• Hold senior leads, managers and delivery partners accountable for outputs, standards, milestones, expenditure, benefits and recovery actions.
• Provide evidence-based assurance and recommendations to executive, Board and system governance, clearly identifying assumptions, decisions, statutory implications and residual risk.
• Coordinate interdependent clinical, operational, workforce, digital, estates, contractual, communications and financial plans.
• Commission and oversee project support, specialist input and task-and-finish groups.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Master's degree in a relevant clinical, health, management or leadership discipline, or equivalent specialist knowledge and experience at master's level
• Evidence of substantial continuing professional development in strategic leadership, clinical service management, system transformation, programme management, quality improvement and financial management
• Current statutory registration with an appropriate clinical professional body. (GMC, NMC, HCPC or GSWC)

Desirable

• Postgraduate management or leadership qualification. Recognised programme/project, quality improvement or change-management qualification
• Additional qualification in commissioning, health economics, improvement science or systems leadership

Experience
Essential

• Extensive senior clinical-operational leadership experience in a large and complex health or care organisation, including accountability for the delivery of clinical services through multidisciplinary teams
• Successful leadership of major, multi-year service redesign and mobilisation spanning multiple services, professions and organisations

Desirable

• Experience of urgent and emergency mental health pathways, crisis care, liaison psychiatry, emergency departments or integrated community hubs

Knowledge & Skills
Essential

• Demonstrable record of leading interdependent programmes from design through mobilisation and transition to business-as-usual.
• Evidence of holding clinical operational accountability for services and leading safe change while maintaining delivery.
• Proven ability to build agreement and deliver across organisational and professional boundaries.
• Ability to lead through ambiguity, challenge, competing professional perspectives and sustained organisational pressure.

Desirable

• Experience of test-and-learn, implementation science, Lean or recognised improvement methodology
• Experience as a clinical service lead within urgent, emergency, crisis, liaison or community mental health services.
• Experience of formal consultation, co-production and public engagement.
• Experience of workforce redesign and formal staff consultation.

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.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details
Employer name: Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Elizabeth House, Fulbourn Drift, Cambridge, CB21 5EF, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.cpft.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Programme Manager, Joe Pinnock, joe.pinnock@cpft.nhs.uk

Details
Date posted: 12 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 8c
Salary: £79,504 to £91,609 a year per annum pro rata
Contract: Secondment
Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time
Reference number: 310-MASMH-8398399
Job locations: Elizabeth House, Fulbourn Drift, Cambridge, CB21 5EF, United Kingdom

Supporting documents
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