Department Head – Operating Department

About the role

Sykehuset Telemark's surgical clinic is looking for a department head to lead and develop its operating department, which has about 110 full-time equivalents made up of operating nurses, operating planners, surgical office staff and sterile supply. The department head reports through the section heads, takes part actively in key development processes and sits on the clinic chief's leadership group. The position is full-time and permanent.

Key responsibilities

• Overall responsibility for the department's professional development, operations, finance, activity, quality and performance targets
• Lead and further develop the section heads and the department leadership group
• Use deep knowledge of clinical operations to make priorities and strategic decisions
• Initiate and lead professional, organisational and operational development
• Ensure good patient pathways, patient safety, systematic improvement and efficient use of resources
• Develop working methods, task distribution and cross-professional collaboration
• Oversee staff, competence development, recruitment and working conditions
• Ensure good cooperation internally and with other parts of the hospital and health services, including creating smooth patient flow between departments

Required profile

• Higher education, preferably in health care
• In-depth understanding of clinical practice and specialist healthcare operations
• Experience with operating room operations, outpatient clinics or other patient logistics is an advantage
• Experience with improvement work, change processes or patient pathway development
• Good knowledge of business management, economics, prioritisation and resource use
• Knowledge of relevant laws and agreements
• Valid work and residence permit in Norway; leadership training is desirable but not required

Required skills

• Excellent spoken and written Norwegian
• Ability to lead others, make decisions and implement improvements
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to build cross-professional collaboration

What we offer

• Digital competency plans, training and coaching
• Good opportunities for professional and personal development
• Employee welfare programmes
• Pension and insurance schemes for all employees

Applications must be submitted via Webcruiter, with certificates and transcripts attached as PDFs; the deadline is 8 November 2026.