Head of Excellence and Improvement
Salary: £70,000 – £90,000
Team: Operational Excellence
Location: 30 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf
Working Pattern: Hybrid – work from home 1-2 days per week
Reports to: Chief Operating Officer
✨ Join Us at The Centre for ADHD Research and Excellence
At CARE ADHD, we’re revolutionising healthcare by making ADHD assessments and treatment more affordable and accessible to those who need it.
Our client-centred approach, combined with lean methodology and a focus on continuous improvement, drives our commitment to excellence. We embrace an innovative mindset, encouraging rapid learning and adaptation through our ‘fail fast’ ethos.
With ambitious plans to become the largest ADHD service provider outside the NHS within the next five years, we’re committed to pushing boundaries and fostering innovation.
Care is at the heart of who we are—in how we support patients and how we treat each other as colleagues. We believe the way we show up for each other is just as important as what we do. Skills matter, but it’s our mindset, behaviours and willingness to learn, adapt and improve that protect the supportive culture we’ve built and help us thrive together.
Job Purpose
The Head of Excellence and Improvement is the operational counterpart to Product.
Product determines what should be built and improved. This role ensures our organisational capability, processes, systems, training and adoption are aligned to successfully deliver those changes at scale.
You will:
- Own the operational standards that make care consistent, safe and scalable.
- Use data, judgement and continuous improvement methodologies to solve today’s operational challenges while ensuring future services are designed for success.
- Lead a team of improvement, process and enablement specialists, ensuring operational excellence is understood and embedded across the organisation.
- Shape how Clinical Care, Client Services and Operations are designed and governed through influence, expertise and evidence rather than formal authority.
- Build operational readiness into every new service, pathway and change programme, ensuring infrastructure is in place before go-live.
- Act as the COO’s delegated authority for operational readiness, process excellence and improvement delivery, escalating only where executive decisions are required.
- Ensure improvements are successfully delivered, adopted, measured and sustained.
Core Duties and Responsibilities
Planning & Organising
- Develop and embed operational frameworks, controls and adoption mechanisms that ensure new products, services and process changes deliver measurable improvements.
- Design and embed operational processes and training that support successful delivery across all services.
- Plan improvements aligned with our strategic ambitions for growth, experience and patient safety.
- Ensure all redesign, improvement initiatives and new pathways meet the requirements of a regulated healthcare environment, including CQC expectations.
Service Improvement
- Partner closely with the Head of Product to design and implement service improvements and new care pathways.
- Co-manage operational risk alongside operational leaders.
- Identify recurring operational issues, address root causes and implement sustainable solutions.
- Own organisational change adoption to ensure improvements become embedded in day-to-day practice.
- Develop measures to monitor adoption, operational impact and realised benefits.
- Lead operational transformation by simplifying, automating and digitising processes through effective use of systems, technology and data.
Analysis & Judgement
- Introduce best practice and innovation from healthcare and other industries.
- Foster a culture of experimentation, learning and continuous improvement while maintaining governance and patient safety.
- Continually review and improve operational systems and processes.
- Lead projects requiring detailed analysis, option appraisal and sound judgement.
- Interpret complex operational information to inform strategic decisions.
Communication
- Act as the operational subject matter expert across the organisation.
- Build effective relationships with stakeholders across all functions.
- Communicate confidently on complex and sensitive issues.
- Influence and negotiate with colleagues at all levels, including senior leadership.
- Build strong relationships with strategic internal and external stakeholders.
People Management
- Lead, coach and develop the Operational Excellence team.
- Foster a collaborative, supportive and innovative culture.
- Work closely with Global Capability Centre colleagues on improvement programmes.
- Lead recruitment, performance management, development and employee relations within the team.
Research & Development
- Conduct research and analysis to identify the most effective improvement approaches.
- Promote innovation and best practice across the organisation.
- Identify and champion new approaches to operational learning and development.
Person Specification
Alongside the knowledge, skills and experience required for this role, we’re looking for someone who:
- Leads with integrity, humility and authenticity, building trust through actions as well as expertise.
- Is naturally curious, using data, insight and collaboration to understand problems before implementing solutions.
- Thrives in a fast-paced, evolving environment and is comfortable working with ambiguity and change.
- Balances pace with quality, making sound decisions while keeping patient safety and experience at the forefront.
- Brings a continuous improvement mindset, always looking for better ways of working and encouraging others to do the same.
- Influences and inspires others through credibility, collaboration and strong relationships rather than hierarchy.
- Takes ownership, follows through on commitments and delivers meaningful, sustainable outcomes.
- Champions learning, innovation and experimentation, recognising that continuous improvement comes from testing, adapting and sharing learning.
Knowledge & Experience
⭐ Essential
- Significant senior-level experience in strategy, leadership, operational excellence, service improvement and resource management.
- Strong understanding of governance and executive assurance.
- Ability to influence without formal authority through credibility, expertise and relationship building.
- Experience working within a high-growth or scaling organisation.
- Experience leading operational transformation, business improvement or service redesign.
- Experience partnering with Product, Technology or Digital teams.
- Experience delivering large-scale operational, process or systems change.
- Experience establishing governance, adoption and benefits realisation frameworks.
- Proven ability to influence senior leaders and drive cross-functional change.
Desirable
- Healthcare, HealthTech or other regulated industry experience.
- Experience leading organisation-wide policy or service development.
Skills & Abilities
⭐ Essential
- Connects their work to wider organisational goals.
- Demonstrates sound judgement when navigating ambiguity.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex information.
- Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities.
- Comfortable making autonomous decisions.
- Passionate about quality and continuous improvement.
- Seeks innovative and proven ways to improve processes.
Desirable
- Lean, Six Sigma or equivalent continuous improvement qualifications.
- Experience delivering digital transformation, workflow automation or AI-enabled operational improvement.
Interpersonal Skills
⭐ Essential
- Exceptional communication skills.
- Collaborative, respectful and supportive approach.
- Commitment to personal development and developing others.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
🙏🏻 What You Can Expect From Us
- Competitive salary of £70,000-£90,000.
- Hybrid working with 1-2 days from home each week.
- 33 days annual leave (including UK public holidays).
- Paid day off for your birthday.
- £500 home office setup allowance.
- Office equipment provided.
- Pension contribution.
- Regular team socials and events.
- The opportunity to be a senior leader in one of the UK’s fastest-growing HealthTech organisations.
🗓️ Our Hiring Process
We aim to make our recruitment process straightforward and transparent.
Timeline
- 🚀 Applications close at 8:00am on 10th July.
- 📩 Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by the end of 10th July.
- 💻 Initial Microsoft Teams interviews with Talent Acquisition will take place on 13th & 14th July.
- 👥 Final panel interview and skills assessment will be held on 22nd July at our Canary Wharf office.
🩵 Apply With Confidence
Studies show that men apply for roles when they meet around 60% of the criteria, whereas women and people from other underrepresented groups often wait until they meet every requirement.
If you think you’d be a great fit, even if you don’t meet every single requirement, we’d love to hear from you.
At CARE ADHD, we’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued, respected and supported. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds as we continue to create a more equitable future.
