General Manager - SHCG Theatres and Paediatric Anaesthetics

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust; Manchester; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A major NHS Trust in Manchester is seeking an experienced General Manager to oversee Theatres and Paediatric Anaesthetics. This role involves leading service delivery, managing performance, and driving service improvements within a high-impact clinical setting. The ideal candidate will possess extensive knowledge in NHS management and have a strong aptitude for leadership and project management. Competitive salary of £64,455 to £74,896 per annum offered.

Qualifications

• Highly specialist knowledge of managing within an NHS healthcare setting.
• Experience in managing performance, capacity, demand, and activity.
• Ability to analyse and interpret complex financial information.

Responsibilities

• Lead service delivery and ensure excellence in clinical standards.
• Manage performance targets including waiting lists and quality metrics.
• Develop and implement transformation plans and service improvements.

Skills

Complex information presentation

Leadership adaptability

Project management

Negotiation

Analytical skills

Education

Graduate or equivalent experience

Managerial qualification equivalent to postgraduate diploma

Master's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Overview

General Manager - SHCG Theatres and Paediatric Anaesthetics

The closing date is 06 October 2025

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced General Manager (Band 8B) to join the SHCG Theatres and Paediatric Anaesthetics Care Division and manage a portfolio of high-impact clinical specialties across the Specialist Hospitals Clinical Group, in particular our Theatres.

As part of the triumvirate leadership team alongside the Clinical Head of Division and Lead Nurse, you will be responsible for the operational delivery, strategic planning, and performance management of these services. You will play a pivotal role in ensuring high-quality patient care, meeting national and local performance standards, and driving service transformation.

Main duties

• Lead service delivery across the assigned specialties, ensuring excellence in clinical standards and patient experience.
• Manage performance targets including waiting lists, finance, and quality metrics.
• Develop and implement transformation plans and service improvements.
• Engage and motivate multidisciplinary teams to deliver best practice care.
• Oversee financial planning, budget management, and resource allocation.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders including commissioners, local authorities, and patient groups.
• Ensure compliance with clinical governance, safeguarding, and health & safety policies.
• Participate in the Specialist Hospital Clinical Group associated oncall duties.

About us

MFT is one of the largest NHS Trusts in England with a turnover of over £3bn and is on a different scale than most other NHS Trusts. We're creating an exceptional integrated health & social care system for the 1 million patients who rely on our services every year.

Bringing together 10 hospitals & community services from across Manchester, Trafford & beyond, we champion collaborative working & transformation, encouraging our 30,000 workforce to pursue their most ambitious goals. We set standards that other Trusts seek to emulate so you'll benefit from a scale of opportunity that is nothing short of extraordinary.

We've also created a digitally enabled organisation to improve clinical quality, patient & staff experience, operational effectiveness & driving research, and innovation through the introduction of Hive; our Electronic Patient Record system which launched in September 2022.

We're proud to be a major academic Research Centre & Education provider, providing you with a robust infrastructure to encourage and facilitate high-quality research programmes. What's more, we're excited to be embarking on our Green Plan which sets out how MFT continues to play its part in making healthcare more sustainable.

At MFT, we create and foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, provide equal opportunities for career development that are fair, open, and transparent, protecting your health and wellbeing and shaping the future of our organisation together.

Job responsibilities

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience youll need, take a look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the Supporting Documents heading. So that youre even more equipped to make an informed decision to apply to us, youll need to read the Candidate Essentials Guide that sits with the Job Description and Person Specification. This document provides you with details about the Trust, our benefits and outlines how we care for you as you care for others. Most importantly, it also contains critical information youll need to be aware of before you submit an application form.

Diversity Matters

MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating, and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, email our team at [e-mail].

Were looking forward to hearing from you!

Person Specification

Knowledge

• Highly specialist knowledge of managing within a NHS healthcare setting
• Detailed knowledge and experience of managing performance, capacity, demand and activity
• Knowledge of managing staff within a healthcare setting and experience of managing a service
• Knowledge and experience of project/programme management

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to present highly complex and emotive information clearly
• An open and facilitative style of leadership which can be adapted when necessary to ensure delivery of objectives
• Able to hold professionals and peers to account
• Good project management skills and the ability to see through tasks to their successful conclusion within timescales and budgets
• Good performance management skills combining clarity around expectations, direction and holding others to account
• Ability to analyse and interpret highly complex performance and financial information
• Excellent numerical and presentational skills
• Negotiating and influencing skills
• Ability to make calm rational decisions in the face of adversity
• An understanding of effective systems for integrated governance and the management of clinical and non-clinical risks
• Strong analytical skills and ability to consider the wider picture

Qualifications

• Graduate or equivalent level of experience.
• Managerial experience or qualification equivalent to post graduate diploma
• Master's degree or equivalent experience
• Experience or qualification relating to specialty

Attributes

• Open minded, treats colleagues with dignity and respect
• Capacity to work with clinicians and staff at all levels
• Exemplary personal standards of conduct and behaviour
• Inspires others and leads by example

Other

• Inspires others and leads by example
• Can use constructive criticism and openly seeks to review and reflect on own style and presentation
• Resilient and self-motivated with drive and vision, a can do attitude and is able to work on own initiative and manage a range of priorities against competing agendas

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.

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

£64,455 to £74,896 a year, per annum