Operational Manager Children's Specialist Services

Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust; Warrington; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust invites applications for an Operational Manager to lead the Children’s Specialist Services within the community services clinical business unit. The post focuses on day-to-day operational management, workforce leadership and service development to deliver high quality, safe care.

Reporting to the Head of Children’s Services, you will manage delegated budgets, drive performance against KPIs and build effective networks with partners to secure

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent.
• Leadership and management qualifications or evidence of continuing professional development.
• Experience in operational and financial management within health/social care settings.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operational management of children’s services portfolio.
• Manage delegated budgets and drive cost-improvement plans.
• Ensure safe, high-quality patient pathways and workforce planning.
• Develop and implement service changes with clinical leads and stakeholders.
• Promote governance, reporting and continuous improvement across services.

Skills

Leadership

Financial management

Data analysis

Communication skills

Project management

Staff management

Governance

Problem solving

Prioritisation

Education

Degree or equivalent

Leadership qualification (Level 7)

Management qualification (Level 7)

Professional registration

Job description

Go back North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (BCH)

Operational Manager Children's Specialist Services

The closing date is 11 November 2026

*** Pleasenote this post is internal to North Cheshire and Mersey employees ***

We are seeking to recruit apassionate, knowledgeable and dynamic operational manager to join our energeticand conscientious childrens community services clinical business unit seniorteam.

The post holder will beresponsible for the provision of leadership and operational management to agroup of childrens specialist services.

Candidates must be able todemonstrate a wide range of experience and ability in operational managementincluding service innovation, partnership working, management of change,resource and financial management, achievement of KPIs and outcomes and thedevelopment of a workforce able to deliver the highest quality care.

Main duties of the job

Responsible for the day to day efficient andeffective operational management of portfolio of services,

Manage delegated budget responsibility for theservices, ensuring adherence to agreed budget plans, identifying costimprovement savings and implementing plans to reduce costs safely

Ensure resources are available to meet serviceneeds

Ensure all policies and procedures are adheredto as required by the Trust.

Produce comprehensive project plans to supportthe implementation of service changes.

Ensure services operate within an agreedperformance management framework that complements the Trusts use of keyperformance indicators across the range of metrics

Identify costs pressures, service developmentand cost improvement plans, develop business cases to meet requirements.

Build effective networks with otherdepartments, working in collaboration to support efficient patient pathways.

Analyse service data to monitor activity andreferral rates and identify changes or likely changes that may impact

About us

Flexible working will be considered for all roles.

North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (NCM) serves more than one million residents across the Halton and Warrington boroughs and the wider North West region.

Bringing together community and out-of-hospital services (formerly provided by Bridgewater Community Healthcare) with inpatient and elective care (formerly Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals) we provide services at two hospital sites and more than 70 community hubs and facilities.

Our mission, vision and values are at the heart of North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (NCM).

They underpin everything we do and everything we aspire to be as an organisation.

Our mission

We will be exceptional for our patients, our communities and each other

Our vision

We will be a great organisation providing excellent healthcare and opportunities to work and learn

Our values

• Kind: We are caring, supportive and respectful to everyone
• Open: We are honest, transparent and open to new ways of working
• Fair: We listen, value our differences and are inclusive to all
• One team: We work well together and with our communities

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose:

Reporting to theHead of Childrens Services the Operational Manager will be responsible for theday to day running of a portfolio of services across childrens communityservices clinical business unit. This includes operational management ofclinical and non-clinical staff, management of resources and financialmanagement and achievement of KPIs and outcomes.

Duties and Responsibilities

Operational Management andClinical Leadership

1.Responsible for the day to day efficient andeffective operational management of portfolio of services, linkingappropriately with clinical and multi-disciplinary staff in all mattersaffecting the delivery of core services

2. To work with the clinical leads and team leadersto ensure that clinical skills and skill mix is adequate for each service orpathway.

3.Respond to daily problems and ensure issues areswiftly resolved; implement longer term solutions to issues raised

4. Ensure resources are available to meet serviceneeds, including analysing and managing workforce and space requirements

5. Ensure all policies and procedures are adheredto as required by the Trust.

6.Manage delegated budget responsibilities for theservices, ensuring adherence to agreed budget plans, identifying costimprovement savings and implementing plans to reduce costs safely.

7.Produce comprehensive project plans to supportthe implementation of service changes.

8.Work with the team leader to ensure budgets areup to date and accurately identify changes to budgets as required

9.Ensure services operate within an agreedperformance management framework that complements the Trust use of keyperformance indicators across a number of metrics, using service line reportingto ensure timely and accurate capture of information from which metricsreported, and that these frameworks are understood by staff.

10.Identify costs pressures, service developmentand cost improvement plans, develop business cases to meet requirements.

11.As a member of the management team contribute toBusiness Plans, ensuring staff involvement, in line with Trust objectives.

12.Promote a positive image of the department bothexternally and internally.

13.Participate in and contribute to Trust wideinitiatives and projects as appropriate.

14.Build effective networks with other departments,working in collaboration to support efficient patient pathways.

15.Manage the analysis of data so that themanagement team has access to timely and accurate information on all keyperformance indicators.

16.In conjunction with team leaders, analyseservice data to monitor activity and referral rates and identify changes orlikely changes to this practice that may impact on the Directorates services.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• Evidence of continuing education and management development
• Leadership Qualification (level 7) / or Equivalent
• Management Qualification (level 7) / or Equivalent
• Professional Qualification and registration

Skills & Knowledge

• Strong inter-personal and communications skills
• Well-developed leadership and influencing skills with the ability to enthuse, motivate and involve individuals and teams
• Financial, performance and information management skills
• High level of numerical and data analytical skills, including spread sheets and databases
• Ability to analyse complex problems and to develop practical and workable solutions to address them
• Ability to manage and deliver to deadlines and within resources
• Ability to provide accurate and timely information to meet requests from Senior Managers
• Knowledge around confidentiality and data protection
• Ability to prioritise and organise
• Ability to work independently to interpret and implement organisational policies within portfolio of services managed
• Ability to use initiative and judgement when dealing with complex / risk situations such as being on call
• Knowledge around CQC lines of enquiry

Job Specific Requirements

• The ability to travel independently across the Trust
• The ability to work flexibly in accordance with service needs

Experience

• Significant operational management experience
• Significant experience of effective staff management
• Significant experience of managing a budget
• Experience of managing health and safety, diversity and equality issues
• Experience of managing clinical incidents and risk
• Experience of participating in clinical governance initiatives including audit
• Experience of working collaboratively with other disciplines and teams
• Experience of working successfully with partners
• Experience of leading Trust wide projects including proven experience in project management
• Experience of leading a service change

Relationships

• If you are related to a director or have a relationship with a director or employee of an appointing organisation, please state the relationship.

Right to Work

• Do you currently have the unrestricted right to work in the UK?
• If appointed, will you require sponsorship under a UK work visa route (now or in the future)?
• Please note that sponsorship is not available for all roles. Sponsorship will only be considered where the post meets the relevant UK immigration requirements and where the organisation determines that sponsorship is appropriate for the role.

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.

North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (BCH)