Directorate General Manager - Surgical Services

Swbh; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 67,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust in Birmingham is seeking a Directorate General Manager for Surgical Services. This fixed-term role provides senior operational leadership across a diverse portfolio, aligning clinical and managerial priorities with strategic aims and performance standards.

The post requires driving RTT, cancer and diagnostics priorities, improving theatre productivity, workforce and governance, and shaping service redesign across the Trust.

Qualifications

• Experience in acute healthcare management and budgeting.
• Proven track record in transformational change.
• Experience leading surgical services.
• Masters or higher with leadership training.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior operational leadership across the Directorate.
• Maintain performance against RTT, cancer, diagnostics, theatre utilisation.
• Lead transformation and productivity improvements.
• Oversee workforce, financial and governance performance.
• Build relationships with Trust and external partners.
• Ensure safe, efficient, and responsive services.

Skills

Senior leadership

Project management

Change management

Operational leadership

Surgical Services experience

Education

Degree or equivalent

Masters qualification

Leadership qualification

Job description

Directorate General Manager - Surgical Services

NHS AfC: Band 8b

Main area Surgical Services Grade NHS AfC: Band 8b Contract 12 months (Fixed Term) Hours

• Full time
• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week Job ref 381-SS-8324512

Site SWB NHS Trust Town Sandwell/Birmingham Salary £66,582 - £77,368 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 29/10/2026 23:59

Here at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust we’re committed to recruiting and supporting a diverse workforce and we welcome applications from all parts of the community. We are committed to having a team that is made up of diverse skills, experiences and abilities whilst employing people to our organisation who meet our Trust values of ambition, respect and compassion. With the opening of our new hospital, Midland Metropolitan University Hospital, it’s the coming together of expertise from every corner of our organisation and a show of our commitment to provide better healthcare and create more jobs and so much more. We at the Trust actively encourage Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) and disabled applicants, as well as members of the armed forces community and value the positive impact that difference has on our teams. We are committed to equality and diversity within our workforce.

Job overview

An exciting fixed-term maternity cover opportunity has arisen for a Directorate General Manager within Surgical Services, providing senior operational leadership across a diverse portfolio of specialties and helping to shape the continued development of high-quality, productive and well-led services.

We are looking for an experienced and dynamic operational leader who can drive performance, transformation and service improvement, while maintaining a strong grip on day-to-day delivery. The successful candidate will lead on key performance priorities including RTT, cancer and diagnostic standards, theatre productivity and utilisation, workforce, finance and governance, working closely with clinical and managerial teams to identify and resolve operational challenges.

This is a highly visible leadership role with the opportunity to influence both directorate and wider Trust priorities. You will lead service redesign and transformation, support delivery of financial and productivity improvements, develop strong clinical partnerships and contribute to strategic planning and future service development. The role would suit someone who enjoys working at pace, can manage competing priorities and wants the opportunity to make a tangible impact on both patient care and operational performance

Main duties of the job

With a strong focus on patient-centred care, the successful candidate will bring a proven track record of leading complex services, improving performance and delivering high-quality outcomes. You will work closely with clinical and multidisciplinary teams to tackle operational challenges and ensure services are safe, efficient and responsive.

The successful candidate will be expected to:

• Provide senior operational leadership across the Directorate, making autonomous decisions and ensuring effective day-to-day delivery of services.
• Maintain a strong grip on performance, including RTT, cancer, diagnostics, theatre utilisation and other Trust and national standards, taking early action where delivery is off track.
• Lead transformation, service redesign and productivity improvement, identifying new ways of working that improve patient flow, quality and efficiency.
• Troubleshoot complex operational issues, working with clinical and managerial colleagues to remove barriers and maintain safe, effective services.
• Oversee workforce, financial and governance performance, including delivery of savings, effective use of resources and management of risk.
• Build strong relationships across the Trust and with external partners, influencing change and contributing to wider strategic and service development priorities.

Working for our organisation

Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust (SWB) serves Birmingham and the Black Country – one of the country’s most culturally diverse areas. It’s a friendly and welcoming place – a place where you can belong, and a place where you can grow.

We care for our patients, we care about our population, and we care about our people.

Our values – Ambition, Respect and Compassion – are at the heart of who we are. They guide us every step of the way; how we work with each other, and how we look after our patients and their families; how we respect and value the rich diversity of our team and our community.

Our Trust has always aspired to be more than a hospital, more than a healthcare provider. Our purpose is to “Improve the Life Chances and Health Outcomes of our Population.” It is what inspires, drives, and unites us every day. It’s what makes us unique.

We want working at SWB to feel like more than just a job. We want our Trust to be a place where you can feel you belong. A place where you feel happy, safe, and rewarded. A place where you can develop your career in whatever way you choose.When we say we’re ‘with you all the way’ we want that to know .Visit the SWB website to find out more about our ambitions and people plans.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details of what this role entails

Person specification

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• Management/Leadership qualification or evidence of relevant experience
• Masters qualification or in process of obtaining.

Experience

• Substantial line /general management experience within acute services, with responsibility for operational matters, including staff management, budgetary responsibility, performance targets, waiting list management, and discharge arrangements.
• Proven project management experience involving transformational change.
• Proven experience of service development.
• Proven experience of change management ability
• Experience of working in Surgical Services

The four partner Trusts of the Black Country Provider Collaborative (Dudley Group NHS FT, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust, and Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust) are actively working in partnership to deliver a collective vision focused on providing "better, faster and safer care to the population of the Black Country and beyond".

To support this vision, we are (where appropriate and safe to do so) actively looking at new models of care which:

• Better protect elective / planned care service delivery across the system by organising on a 'hot and cold' arrangement
• Consider the optimal use of resources through consolidation and specialisation, and
• Seek to reduce unwarranted variance, level up / standardise care through a 'Networked Service Solution' approach across the four sites

Against this context, although this post is hosted by Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust, there may be an expectation to work flexibly acrossthefour partner Trusts to better meet patient and service needs.

As a major employer in the Black Country and West Birmingham region we are committed to supporting all employees to achieve a healthy work life balance. We want the Black Country and West Birmingham region to be the best place to work and as such will consider all requests to work flexibly taking into account personal and individual circumstances alongside the needs of the service. We encourage all prospective applicants to discuss their individual circumstances with the Recruiting Manager as part of the on-boarding process.

Healthcare services have a significant impact on the environment. We are committed to embedding sustainable practices. We expect all colleagues to support the delivery of our Green Strategic Plan and to drive positive changes in their department by joining our Green Impact (opens in a new tab) programme.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

Application numbers

Please note-If this vacancy receives a high number of applications, it will close before the stated closing date. Please ensure that you have completed and submitted your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.