Operational Service Manager

NHS; Newcastle upon Tyne; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting an Operational Service Manager to support two clinical boards. You will manage day-to-day operations, oversee waiting lists and capacity, and respond to queries and incidents, ensuring a safe, respectful culture for staff and patients.

The role reports to the Associate Director of Operations and includes leadership across multiple portfolios, with consideration for flexible working arrangements where service needs permit.

Qualifications

• Experience in operational, people and financial management; service strategy; business planning; and performance management.
• Demonstrated leadership ability at a senior level.
• Recent managerial experience in related speciality.

Responsibilities

• Assist the Clinical Board management team with the management of their area(s) of responsibility.
• Lead delivery of agreed performance targets within area(s) of responsibility.
• Deputise for Clinical Board management team members when required.
• Contribute to day-to-day operational management of area(s) of responsibility.

Skills

Change management

Communication

Report writing

Organisation

IT skills

Education

Degree level education

Leadership qualification

Job description

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Operational Service Manager

The closing date is 16 October 2026

Newcastle Hospitals as an organisation seeks to continuously improve our services, we have moved to a strengthened clinically led structure of Clinical Boards, bringing together a range of clinical directorates and specialties and focused on the needs of our patients and staff.

Each Service within the Clinical Board is managed by Operational Service Managers, which are key senior roles that will support in driving delivery and transformation to enable the Trust to remain a recognised centre of clinical, teaching and research excellence.

We are recruiting three Operational Service Managers across two clinical boards:

• x 2 in Medicine and Emergency Care
• x 1 in Peri Operative and Critical Care

Interview date: 29 October 2026

Main duties of the job

The appointed candidate will fulfil the role of Operational Service Manager, reporting into the Associate Director of Operations.

This will entail:

• Assume day to day responsibility for the operational management of all aspects within their specific portfolio
• Managing and controlling waiting lists, breach lists and ensuring adequate capacity within area(s) of responsibility to ensure patients are seen in a timely manner, as per the agreed constitutional and organisational wait targets
• Deal with queries and complaints including from patients who may be distressed and to respond in a timely manner
• Involvement in the investigation of incidents within area(s) of responsibility
• Ensuring a safe, respectful culture whereby all staff patients and visitors are treated with dignity, respect, and compassion

About us

Our staff oversee over 6,500 patient contacts every day, delivering high standards of healthcare from the following sites:

• Freeman Hospital
• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Health Innovation Neighbourhood (on the former Newcastle General Hospital and Centre for Ageing and Vitality site)
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service

These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS.

We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites.

Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under 'Documents to download' or 'Supporting documents'.

For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Job responsibilities

• To assist the Clinical Board management team with the management of all aspects of their area(s) of responsibility and take the lead in specific delegated areas.
• Take the lead in ensuring the delivery of agreed performance targets within area(s) of responsibility.
• Deputise for members of the Clinical Board management team (as appropriate) when required.
• Contribute to the day-to-day operational management of area(s) of responsibility.

Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first months pay.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

Qualifications & Education

• Degree level education or on established pathway supplemented by post graduate diploma level specialist training, management/leadership qualification or equivalent level of experience.
• Recognise leadership / management qualifications / programme of study or equivalent

Knowledge & Experience

• Experience of operational, people and financial management; service strategy; business planning; and performance management
• Demonstrate leadership ability at a senior level
• Recent managerial experience in related speciality

Skills & Abilities

• Change management and practice development skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Effective report writing skills
• Effective organisation and time management skills
• Change management and practice development skills
• IT skills - significant proficiency in use of MS Office Suite and other IT systems

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.

The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust