Job overview
The Senior Service Manager for the Acute and Emergency Medicine Clinical Service Line is an exciting new role and development opportunity for an aspiring NHS senior manager. The first 12 months of this role will have a strong focus on transformation projects within Urgent and Emergency care to aid the delivery of the national UEC performance targets.
The post holder will lead the operational delivery of clinical services across multiple sites, ensuring high-quality, efficient, and safe care. The Senior Service Manager will work autonomously, proactively identifying and addressing risks, driving service improvements, and ensuring compliance with performance, financial, and governance standards. They will deputise for the General Manager as required and act as a visible leader across the Group, fostering collaboration and accountability.
The post holder will work to build strong relationships with stakeholders and work in partnership across the Trust to deliver corporate objectives. They will lead by example and act at all times as an ambassador for the Trust, upholding values and the highest standards of behaviour and compassion.
This post will be cross site and due to the operational nature of Acute and Emergency Medicine, the expectation is that the post holder will work on site Monday to Friday. The successful candidate will be expected to join the senior manager on call rota.
Main duties of the job
Support the General Manager in delivering high-quality, efficient services across clinical and non-clinical areas.
Provide visible operational leadership, working collaboratively with senior clinical and managerial colleagues to motivate, guide, and support staff in delivering strategic and operational objectives.
Deputise for the General Manager, making informed decisions and representing the service at internal and external forums.
Develop business and planning processes with the General Manager to ensure services meet required performance and safety standards.
Embed systems for continuous improvement in performance, quality, and financial sustainability in line with the Trust’s agenda, collaborating across clinical and managerial teams.
Analyse complex performance data, benchmark against national standards, and drive continuous service improvement initiatives.
Oversee the implementation of patient pathways that support best practice and achievement of wait time standards.
Lead demand and capacity planning, balancing competing priorities to meet operational and strategic targets.
Contribute to annual business planning, budget setting and long-term service development for the Clinical Specialty.
Act as a change agent, promoting innovation, sharing learning, and embedding service modernisation across the Group.
Working for our organisation
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology.
Our Values
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.
Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
See the job description attached for full details and main responsibilities for this post in all core aspects of leadership, service improvement, finance and performance management, risk management and governance, workforce management and application of knowledge.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. Educated to Degree level or equivalent experience
2. Management/leadership qualification or equivalent experience
3. Evidence of continued professional development
4. Further relevant training
Experience
Essential criteria
5. Experience of working in an NHS management/leadership role
6. Experience of managing, leading and motivating a team
7. Experience of leading service changes to improve performance
8. Experience of NHS budget management experience
9. Experience of business case development and annual planning, longer term planning
Desirable criteria
10. Project Management Qualification
11. Proven experience working in an NHS secondary care management/leadership role
12. Proven experience working in urgent and emergency care
Knowledge
Essential criteria
13. Financial procedures including budget setting and working knowledge of financial processes
14. Business planning/annual planning
15. Understanding of change management
16. Able to use IT systems including Microsoft Office
17. Good understanding of the current NHS agenda and healthcare policy
18. Knowledge of service improvements/transformation and project management
19. Risk management and governance
Desirable criteria
20. NHS IT systems
Personal Skills
Essential criteria
21. Good analytical and problem solving skills – ability to analyse highly complex data/information and make judgements/draw conclusions – including ability to respond to unexpected demands
22. Ability to work independently and make autonomous decisions
23. Ability to embrace, lead and drive change
24. Strong communication skills both written and verbal – able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive information and use persuasion, influencing and negotiation with individuals and groups including stakeholders
25. Able to work flexibly to meet the demands of the role
26. Demonstrates a strong desire to improve performance and services
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.