Marie Curie Deputy Head of Operations Scotland

Company Description

Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end-of-life charity. We are the largest non-NHS provider of end-of-life care in the UK, the only provider across all 4 nations, delivering community nursing and hospice care across the country, while providing information and support on all aspects of dying, death, and bereavement. Our leading research pushes the boundaries of what we know about good end-of-life, and our campaigns fight for a world where everyone gets to have the best possible quality of life while living with an illness, they’re likely to die from. 

The care and support we provide is highly valued by the people we care for and their loved ones, but at present we are only reaching around 10% of dying people at the end of life. Right now, one in four people in the UK with a terminal illness, do not get the care or support they deserve at the end of their lives.  

We want a different society than the one we live in now. Our mission for the next five years is to close the gap in the number of people missing out on what they need at the end-of-life, through 3 ways:  

• Growing and transforming our direct care and support  
• Delivering more practical information and support  
• Leading in shaping the end-of-life experience   

Job Description

We are looking for an experienced and people-focused operational leader to help shape and deliver high-quality services across Marie Curie Scotland based out of Edinburgh Hospice. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about supporting teams, improving services and making a meaningful difference to the experiences of patients, families and carers.

Working collaboratively with colleagues and partners, you will provide operational leadership across a range of services, ensuring they are safe, effective, well-managed and responsive to local needs. You will play an important role in supporting and developing teams, driving continuous improvement and building strong relationships with stakeholders across the health and care system.

We welcome applications from candidates with experience gained in a variety of operational settings. Experience within health, social care, hospice, community care, third sector or public sector services would be particularly valuable and will help you to navigate the opportunities and challenges facing integrated health and care services today.

Success in this role will come from strong people management skills, a collaborative approach, sound operational judgement and a commitment to delivering compassionate, person-centred services that support Marie Curie's mission.

What we're looking for

Essential

• Experience leading and supporting teams within a complex operational environment.
• Strong people management skills, including coaching, performance management, workforce planning, employee relations and developing people to achieve their potential.
• Experience building positive team cultures and supporting colleagues through change and service improvement.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to work effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Ability to prioritise, problem solve and make informed decisions in a fast-paced environment.
• Experience managing resources, budgets and operational performance.
• A collaborative leadership style with a commitment to inclusion, wellbeing and continuous improvement.
• Educated to degree level or able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge and experience.

Desirable

• Experience working within health, social care, hospice, community care, third sector or public sector services.
• Understanding of the challenges and opportunities within health and social care services.
• Experience working with multidisciplinary teams and partner organisations.
• Knowledge of governance, quality improvement and service development approaches.
• Understanding of palliative and end of life care services and the needs of patients, families and carers.
• A recognised management or leadership qualification.

Qualifications

Additional Information

What’s in it for me?  

Salary: Marie Curie Clinical Pay Scale Band 7 £52,845 to £61,466 

Contract:   Permanent 37.5 hours per week  

Base: Onsite 5 days a week at Marie Curie Edinburgh Hospice Frogston Road West EH10 7DR 

Benefits You’ll Love 

• Annual leave allowance 27 days plus 10 public holidays  
• Competitive Policy for parental/sick Leave    
• Continuous Professional development    
• Industry leading training programmes    
• Season ticket loan for travelling to and from work    
• Defined contribution schemes for Pension     
• Marie Curie Group Personal Pension Scheme    
• Loan schemes for bikes; computers and satellite navigation systems      
• Introduce a friend scheme    
• Help with eyecare cost  
• Entitled to Marie Curie Blue Light Card     
• Entitled to Benefit-Hub Discount Scheme     
• 15% staff discount in all Marie Curie Shops  
• Life assurance – for all employees 

Application Process 

• Close date for applications:  23rd October 2026 

• Interview Date:  To be confirmed 

• As part of your online application, you will be asked for a CV.   Please review both the advert and job description and outline your most relevant skills, experience and knowledge for the role.   

 
For an informal conversation about the role please reach out to either of the following:recruitment@mariecurie.org.uk
 

We reserve the right to close this advert early should we receive a sufficient number of applications. 

At Marie Curie, our values are central to everything we do. They guide how we care for people, how we work together, and how we make decisions every day. We are committed to creating a workplace that is safe for everyone — staff and volunteers alike — supportive, inclusive and rewarding.  We take stringent steps to ensure that anyone who joins our organisation are suitable for their roles and are committed to safeguarding all our people from harm. We actively consider our impact on the planet, embedding sustainability into everyday decisions to create a lasting, positive difference for the individuals we care for and the world we share.

We believe everyone should have the opportunity to thrive and fulfil their potential. Marie Curie is deeply committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, recognising both the social justice imperative and the strength a diverse workforce brings.  We actively encourage applications from people of all cultures, perspectives and lived experiences.

We are happy to make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process. If you require any support, please contact us at recruitment@mariecurie.org.uk.

Every application we receive is personally reviewed by a member of our Talent Acquisition team, and in return, we ask that your application authentically reflects you — your experience, perspective and voice.