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Assistant Service Manager General Surgery
The closing date is 10 April 2026
Hours: Full time, 37.5 per week, all MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working
We have an excellent opportunity for a motivated and methodical individual to join the Surgical Division as a Band 5 Assistant Service Manager. The post holder will support the Service Manager in ensuring the smooth day to day operational running of General Surgery, helping to deliver a high quality, efficient, and patient focused service in a fast paced and dynamic environment. The post holder will also support the coordination of medical rotas, help manage leave, ensure forward planned rota production, and act as a key link with Medical Staffing and doctors regarding rota queries and requirements. Working closely with clinicians, divisional management, medical staffing and administrative teams, the Assistant Service Manager will help coordinate activity, support workforce processes and assist in managing patient pathways. This role is ideal for someone with strong organisational skills, excellent communication, and a proactive approach to problem solving.
Please note: We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.
Interview date: 22 April 2026
Main duties of the job
Join #TeamSurgery at Milton Keynes University Hospital
The surgery division at MKUH, which covers specialties including theatres and the Intensive Care Unit, offers a variety of roles and opportunities, both clinical and non‑clinical. The division are looking for passionate, enthusiastic and forward‑thinking professionals to join the team.
MKUH is one of the leading hospitals in Europe for implementing robotics to assist in surgery, becoming the first in the continent to use the CMR Versius robot for gynaecological surgery. Since its introduction in 2019, the theatres team have completed over 500 surgical cases, the first hospital in the UK to reach this milestone, achieving this in March 2023.
As well as being an innovator in robotics, the Trust is proud to be part of the New Hospital Programme, with plans to expand and increase our surgical capacity to meet the health needs of our communities now and in the future.
With a leading benefits package, and a growing hospital estate to meet one of the fastest growing populations in the country, it is a great time to join MKUH.
Find out more about working in #TeamSurgery at MKUH from the people who work across the division in the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mYel-Y9nrU
About us
Milton Keynes University Hospital, in proud partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital committed to advancing patient care through cutting‑edge research and education. With a "Good" rating from the CQC and significant investment underway, this is an exciting time to join our team and grow your career.
As a medium sized general hospital, we provide a full range of general medical and surgical services, including a busy Emergency Department, Maternity, and Paediatrics. As the population of our city and surrounding areas continues to grow rapidly, we are expanding and enhancing our facilities to meet rising demand and improve access to care for all our communities.
We are also proud to offer a growing portfolio of specialist services. In January 2025 we opened our state‑of‑the‑art Radiotherapy Centre, bringing advanced cancer treatment closer to home. Our services also include neonatology, specialist surgical care, and a wide range of diagnostics, supported by the new Community Diagnostic Centre at Whitehouse Health Centre.
Further investment is underway, including the construction of Oak Wards – a new ward block featuring two 24‑bed wards – and the recently approved Women and Children’s Centre, set to open by 2030.
Job responsibilities
* NHS Staff Survey: This staff group feels strongly supported in maintaining a good balance between a home and work life, scoring 57.1%.
* Rota: To manage processes for capturing and recording annual, sick, study and professional leave.
* Agency and Locum Spend: Monitoring and completion of RTAs, escalation forms and MDO forms.
* Operational Management: To assist the Operational team, in the delivery of capacity plans that provide sufficient capacity to meet anticipated demand and ensure activity and performance targets are met. This will include management of PTLs and Cancer tracking information.
* Service Development: To act as a change agent and role model to challenge, motivate and overcome barriers to improve the effectiveness of the departments.
* Information and Data Management: To utilise quantitative and qualitative information to develop metrics against which the performance of the services can be measured.
* Financial Responsibilities: Working with the operation team, ensuring the services are financially compliant i.e. reducing reliance on Waiting List Initiatives and additional hour payments.
* Communication: To lead, manage, motivate, and develop staff so as to maintain the highest level of morale and to create a climate characterised by high standards and openness.
We believe success lies in the diversity of our employees and are committed to promoting equality, encouraging diversity, and embracing inclusion. We welcome applications from everyone interested in working for us.
MKUH is committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and as such we offer a range of flexible working practices.
We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once enough applications have been received.
MKUH uses identification scanning technology to confirm the authenticity of documents; all prospective employees of MKUH will have their original documents verified using this technology.
By applying for this role, you accept if successful, that information from your application will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) system. Your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which aims at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.
Upon commencing employment with the Trust, all employees (except Medical & Dental Staff on national terms and conditions) are subject to a probationary period lasting a period of six months with an option to extend for a further six months to a total of 12 months.
Person Specification
Qualifications and knowledge
* Educated to HNC/Equivalent Diploma/equivalent experience
* ECDL or equivalent
* Minimum of 5 GCSE's or equivalent experience
* Ability to develop and deliver action plans to deliver the NHS and or local agendas
* Knowledge of financial processes
Skills
* Ability to work to deadlines
* Ability to prioritise own workload
* Ability to adapt to fluctuating deadlines and workloads
* Ability to work in a structured methodical manner
* Ability to work as part of a team
* Flexible approach
* Leadership and influencing skills
* Undertake light physical effort such as sitting, standing and walking
Personal and people development
* Evidence of Continuous Professional Development
Communication
* Ability to communicate effectively with all staff groups
* Ability to influence and engage others effectively
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.
Employer name
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
£31,049 to £37,796 a year – per annum, pro rata
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