Leadership vacancy: Director of Operations, NJR

23 Dec 2025

Following the news of the retirement of Elaine Young, Director of Operations at The National Joint Registry (NJR), we are seeking an outstanding leader to oversee the operational delivery and strategic development of the NJR, which is hosted by HQIP.

This is a rare opportunity to lead one of the UK’s most important national programmes for patient safety and healthcare improvement. The National Joint Registry (NJR) is internationally recognised, and holds around 4.5 million joint replacement records, making it the largest registry of its kind in the world and an exemplar of an implantable medical device registry. Its insights improve care, strengthen clinical decision-making, support rapid learning, and help patients and clinicians to choose the right treatment with confidence.

The successful candidate will lead the NJR’s day to day delivery and performance. They will lead operational delivery, financial management and commercial performance, and will oversee a high-performing directorate that delivers through strategic delivery partners. They will also be a senior ambassador for the Registry, building trusted relationships across the NHS, independent sector, professional bodies, regulators, and patient and public stakeholders. Above all, they will ensure that NJR outputs are credible, usable, and acted upon.

Closing date: 31 January 2026.