Senior Switchboard & Reception Supervisor
The closing date is 21 April 2026
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Senior Switchboard & Reception Supervisor to oversee Switchboard and Reception services across Worthing, Southlands, and St Richard's Hospitals.
In this role, you will provide day‑to‑day operational supervision, ensuring these essential front‑line services run smoothly and efficiently across all sites.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will provide day‑to‑day operational supervision of Switchboard and Reception services across the designated hospital sites.
You will help ensure the safe, responsive and effective delivery of 24/7 telecommunications and front‑of‑house reception services, supporting smooth daily operations, good staff performance and compliance with Trust policies.
You will also act as the first point of escalation for operational issues, staffing matters and service incidents, escalating any significant risks or concerns to the Switchboard & Reception Manager when required.
Job responsibilities
Please note: This role does not meet the minimum criteria for visa sponsorship under the current UK immigration rules, which set specific salary and skill thresholds. As such, we are unable to provide sponsorship for this post. Applicants will therefore need to already have the right to work in the UK to be considered.
If you do not meet the sponsorship requirements, and you are applying using a Graduate visa as your right to work, you must have a minimum of 18 months remaining on your visa at time of application.
Main duties and responsibilities
Communication
Provide day‑to‑day operational leadership to the Switchboard and Reception teams. Act as the first point of escalation for service issues, incidents and complaints, ensuring clear communication with clinical and corporate teams during service disruptions. Maintain confidentiality and support incident reporting and investigation in line with Trust policy.
Service delivery and improvement
Oversee the daily delivery of switchboard, alarm, paging and reception services to ensure safe and effective operations. Monitor call handling performance and service standards, ensure emergency communication systems are operational, and escalated faults promptly. Support service improvements and the implementation of new systems or processes.
People management and development
Provide line management to designated staff, including recruitment, induction, appraisal and performance management. Manage staff rotas using e‑rostering to ensure adequate service cover. Monitor sickness absence and annual leave, conduct return‑to‑work meetings, and ensure staff complete mandatory training while maintaining high standards of customer service.
Person Specification
Experience and Qualifications
* Experience of supervising staff within a customer‑facing or telecommunications environment.
* Experience of managing rotas and service delivery.
* Experience of handling complaints and incidents.
* Experience of working at management level within a customer service environment.
* Knowledge of switchboard systems and associated functions (fire alarms, panic alarms etc.).
People Management and Development
* Experience of recruitment, appraisal and performance management.
* Knowledge of sickness absence and workforce management processes.
* Ability to motivate teams and support change.
Skills
* Strong organisational and prioritisation skills.
* Ability to analyse and interpret operational performance information.
* Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
* Confident decision‑making and problem‑solving ability.
* Good IT skills, including Microsoft Office and relevant systems.
EDI
* Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role).
* Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
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