Job summary Working Full Time : 37.5 hours per week This is an exciting opportunity for a Service Manger to join the Acute Directorate within the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The successful candidate will manage Acute medicine and the SDEC (Same Day Emergency Care unit) which opened its doors in December 2022. Accountable to the Directorate Manager, the Service Manager will be responsible for operationally managing the Acute Medicine and SDEC portfolio. We are looking for an enthusiastic, dynamic and innovative manager, with a strong operational background who is passionate about improving healthcare services. In this role you will influence and drive patient experience, safety, performance and staff wellbeing. Working closely with service leads, clinicians, managers and other staff across the Trust, you will support the ongoing transformation and recovery workstreams whilst providing clear leadership and expert advice to your teams to help deliver patient-centered services with an ethos around continuous improvement. The post holder will need to have experience in operational service delivery and needs to be flexible and adaptable to the requirements of managing a dynamic and fast-paced service. Main duties of the job To support the Directorate Manager in completing annual capacity and demand modelling for contract discussions, leading on individual specialty capacity and demand plans. Oversight of the Directorate activity plans will be given by the Directorate Manager. To manage all issues related to medical rota vacancies, liaising closely with the Medical Staffing department regarding recruitment of junior doctor posts. Providing assurance to the Directorate Manager that gaps are covered, and providing evidence to the DirectorateManager where rotas may no longer be fit for purpose. To be responsible for the 18/26 week RTT performance of a designated portfolio of specialties, providing assurance to the Directorate Manager that performance management tools are utilised effectively in managing national access targets. To manage and monitor Cancer 14/31/62 day standards and building robust plans for the effective compliance of these national mandated targets, escalating to the Directorate Manager where there is deviation from these standards within identified tumour sites. To develop Cost Improvement Programme (CIP) for delegated cost centres within identified specialties, working with departmental leads to identify savings opportunities to provide financial sustainability for the service. About us The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides services to West Cheshire and to Welsh patients covered by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. Its services are provided from three locations: The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 438 general and acute beds Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 56 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population. The Trust employs over 6258 staff (headcount) which includes temporary bank staff and provides acute emergency and elective services, primary care direct access services and obstetric services to a population of approximately 407,000. This includes 357,000 residents in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire which has a population of approximately 50,000. The Trust is a busy district general hospital and in 2022/2023, there were more than 503,342 patient attendances (inpatient, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery. This is an increase of nearly 10,000 compared to the previous year when there were 494,387 patient attendances. Date posted 15 January 2025 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 7 Salary £46,148 to £52,809 a year pa Contract Permanent Working pattern Full-time Reference number 210-2024-1121 Job locations Countess of Chester Hospital Liverpool Road Chester CH2 1UL Job description Job responsibilities See Job Description for further details. Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £27.50(standard) or £55.50(enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first three months of employment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16per year applies. New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above. Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date. Good luck with your application. Job description Job responsibilities See Job Description for further details. Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £27.50(standard) or £55.50(enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first three months of employment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16per year applies. New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above. Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date. Good luck with your application. Person Specification Qualifications Essential Management or Professional qualification at postgraduate level or equivalent relevant experience Evidence of continuous professional development Desirable Qualified to Masters level or equivalent operational experience in an associated field. Project Management Professional Accreditation e.g. PRINCE, PMP, or Significant relevant experience Knowledge Essential Specialist knowledge of service improvement methodology in a healthcare setting Experience in presenting & communicating complex, sensitive and/or contentious information to groups of staff Post qualification experience in an operational management role Experience in developing and implementing procedures and change control processes Experience of interpreting legal / national guidance and requirements and implementing appropriate processes / procedures to conform with these Experience of target management Experience of financial and budgetary management Experience of people/HR management Proven ability in analytical skills and managing and analysing information and data IT literate - Proficient in using Microsoft office applications and other software applications Desirable Substantial Professional specialist knowledge of different disciplines Experience of supporting complex, multi-disciplinary, cross functional projects Experience in healthcare management Extensive Project management experience using a standard PM methodology Knowledge of lean methodology Experience of change management Experience of planning and management of project resources, including budget and procurement Skills Essential Analyse complex problems relating to service issues; making judgements regarding allocation of resource Ability to assess and interpret complicated and conflicting project issues which may require negotiation and communication skills to cope with conflicting situations Ability to execute judgements around conflicting views and is able to make decisions on complex issues Ability to work under pressure dealing with changing and sometimes conflicting priorities Well-developed leadership and motivational skills The ability to deal with and respond effectively to change within a fast-moving environment, adopting a flexible approach Excellent written and verbal communication skills including the ability to deliver clear and professional presentations to all levels of staff Ability to present information logically, concisely and with an impact Excellent planning and organisational skills Ability to self-motivate and motivate others Ability to work autonomously Ability and willingness to work flexibly and as part of a team Ability to lead, motivate and develop staff Ability to network and seek out best practice pathways Excellent communication and interpersonal skills Ability to prioritise own and others workload and a flexible approach to changing priorities Desirable Ability to interpret new NHS guidance and develop hospital wide system / process requirements in accordance with this Understanding and awareness of the political and strategic health agendas including the impact of such at operational level Person Specification Qualifications Essential Management or Professional qualification at postgraduate level or equivalent relevant experience Evidence of continuous professional development Desirable Qualified to Masters level or equivalent operational experience in an associated field. Project Management Professional Accreditation e.g. PRINCE, PMP, or Significant relevant experience Knowledge Essential Specialist knowledge of service improvement methodology in a healthcare setting Experience in presenting & communicating complex, sensitive and/or contentious information to groups of staff Post qualification experience in an operational management role Experience in developing and implementing procedures and change control processes Experience of interpreting legal / national guidance and requirements and implementing appropriate processes / procedures to conform with these Experience of target management Experience of financial and budgetary management Experience of people/HR management Proven ability in analytical skills and managing and analysing information and data IT literate - Proficient in using Microsoft office applications and other software applications Desirable Substantial Professional specialist knowledge of different disciplines Experience of supporting complex, multi-disciplinary, cross functional projects Experience in healthcare management Extensive Project management experience using a standard PM methodology Knowledge of lean methodology Experience of change management Experience of planning and management of project resources, including budget and procurement Skills Essential Analyse complex problems relating to service issues; making judgements regarding allocation of resource Ability to assess and interpret complicated and conflicting project issues which may require negotiation and communication skills to cope with conflicting situations Ability to execute judgements around conflicting views and is able to make decisions on complex issues Ability to work under pressure dealing with changing and sometimes conflicting priorities Well-developed leadership and motivational skills The ability to deal with and respond effectively to change within a fast-moving environment, adopting a flexible approach Excellent written and verbal communication skills including the ability to deliver clear and professional presentations to all levels of staff Ability to present information logically, concisely and with an impact Excellent planning and organisational skills Ability to self-motivate and motivate others Ability to work autonomously Ability and willingness to work flexibly and as part of a team Ability to lead, motivate and develop staff Ability to network and seek out best practice pathways Excellent communication and interpersonal skills Ability to prioritise own and others workload and a flexible approach to changing priorities Desirable Ability to interpret new NHS guidance and develop hospital wide system / process requirements in accordance with this Understanding and awareness of the political and strategic health agendas including the impact of such at operational level 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. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab). Additional information 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. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab). Employer details Employer name Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Address Countess of Chester Hospital Liverpool Road Chester CH2 1UL Employer's website https://www.coch.nhs.uk/working-with-us.aspx (Opens in a new tab)