Service Lead – Operational Readiness

SR2 is recruiting a Service Lead to support a public-sector service preparing for outbreaks and wider health emergencies. This role would suit someone with strong operational delivery and project management experience who can bring together people, plans and services to ensure an effective response when needed.

The Role

Working alongside senior service leaders, you’ll turn strategic priorities into practical readiness plans, coordinate preparedness projects and help shape service improvements. You’ll work across operational, clinical, policy and technology teams, ensuring dependencies are understood and decisions are supported by clear evidence.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate team priorities, track dependencies and escalate risks or decisions requiring senior input.
• Develop mobilisation and readiness plans, identifying gaps and driving actions through to completion.
• Contribute to the service roadmap, balancing user needs, policy direction and operational requirements.
• Define service requirements and support the commissioning of business and technical capabilities.
• Manage preparedness projects, maintaining oversight of budgets, milestones, risks and progress.
• Produce business case inputs, senior briefings and decision papers with clear recommendations.

Essential

• Strong project management and operational delivery experience within complex public-sector organisations.
• Experience preparing services for mobilisation or delivering change linked to pandemics, major incidents or health security.
• Ability to translate policy objectives and operational constraints into achievable delivery plans.
• Experience contributing to business cases and preparing information for senior decision-makers.
• Confident stakeholder management across multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgement and coordinate delivery within delegated responsibilities.

Desirable

• Background in health security, emergency preparedness or incident response.
• Experience supporting service commissioning and operational improvement.

The Details

• Contract role
• IR35 Status: Outside IR35
• Rate: £500-525
• Location: Remote

If you are an experienced operational delivery professional with a background in service readiness and this looks of interest, please apply for immediate consideration.