Service Manager Ophthalmology

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust; Leigh on Sea; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced Band 8A Service Manager to lead our Ophthalmology service across multiple sites. The role focuses on strong day-to-day management, service improvement, performance and workforce development.

You will work closely with clinical and divisional leaders to ensure safe, effective and patient-centred care, driving pathway redesign, capacity planning and governance.

Qualifications

• Masters degree or equivalent in healthcare management or related field.
• Evidence of continuing professional development in leadership and management.
• Formal leadership or management qualification.
• Project management, quality improvement or Lean qualification.

Responsibilities

• Providing visible and effective operational leadership across Ophthalmology services.
• Managing service performance, capacity and demand, ensuring patient pathways are actively monitored and managed.
• Supporting delivery against national and local access and performance standards.
• Working collaboratively with clinical teams to maximise outpatient, diagnostic, theatre and treatment capacity.
• Leading and supporting service transformation, pathway redesign and continuous improvement.
• Providing leadership for administrative and operational teams.
• Supporting workforce planning, recruitment, retention, development and succession planning.
• Managing delegated budgets and contributing to financial planning, productivity and efficiency programmes.
• Identifying, managing and escalating operational, workforce, quality and patient-safety risks appropriately.
• Using activity, performance and workforce information to identify pressures and develop sustainable solutions.
• Ensuring robust governance arrangements are embedded throughout the service.
• Building strong working relationships with consultants, nursing and AHP teams, administrative colleagues, corporate services and external partners.

Skills

Operational leadership

Performance management

Workforce planning

Multi-site management

Business cases

Digital transformation

Ophthalmology experience

Stakeholder negotiation

Report writing

Education

Master's degree

CPD in leadership

Leadership qualification

PM/QA/Lean qualification

Job description

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Service Manager Ophthalmology

The closing date is 19 November 2026

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and highly motivated Band 8A Service Manager to join our Ophthalmology service at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.

Ophthalmology is a busy, complex and fast-paced service delivering care across multiple sites and a wide range of subspecialties and patient pathways. We are looking for an exceptional operational leader who can provide strong day-to-day management while driving service improvement, performance, workforce development and transformation.

Working closely with the clinical and divisional leadership teams, the successful candidate will take a key role in ensuring that Ophthalmology services are safe, effective, efficient and responsive to the needs of our patients.

Main duties of the job

As Service Manager, you will provide senior operational leadership across Ophthalmology and will be responsible for the effective management and delivery of services within your portfolio.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Providing visible and effective operational leadership across Ophthalmology services.
• Managing service performance, capacity and demand, ensuring patient pathways are actively monitored and managed.
• Supporting delivery against national and local access and performance standards.
• Working collaboratively with clinical teams to maximise outpatient, diagnostic, theatre and treatment capacity.
• Leading and supporting service transformation, pathway redesign and continuous improvement.
• Providing leadership for administrative and operational teams.
• Supporting workforce planning, recruitment, retention, development and succession planning.
• Managing delegated budgets and contributing to financial planning, productivity and efficiency programmes.
• Identifying, managing and escalating operational, workforce, quality and patient-safety risks appropriately.
• Using activity, performance and workforce information to identify pressures and develop sustainable solutions.
• Ensuring robust governance arrangements are embedded throughout the service.
• Building strong working relationships with consultants, nursing and AHP teams, administrative colleagues, corporate services and external partners.

About us

Our ambition is to deliver excellent local and specialist services, to improve the health and well being of our patients, and provide a vibrant place for staff to develop, innovate and build careers.

We aim to make the most of our skills and experiences so we can become the best we can be. As one organisation we will recruit the finest and retain more specialist staff due to more employment opportunities across our Trust.

Job responsibilities

Detailed job description and person specification are attached to provide you with required insight into the role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Masters degree or equivalent level of knowledge and experience in healthcare management, business management or a related discipline.
• Evidence of continuing professional development in leadership and management.
• Formal leadership or management qualification.
• Project management, quality improvement or Lean qualification.

knowledge and experience

• Substantial senior operational management experience within a complex healthcare environment.
• Significant experience of managing clinical services, patient pathways and access performance
• Experience of workforce planning, recruitment, appraisal, attendance and performance management
• Experience of managing services across multiple hospital sites.
• Experience of business cases and digital or pathway transformation.
• Operational management experience within Ophthalmology.
• Highly developed written, verbal, presentation, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Ability to communicate highly complex, sensitive or contentious information to a wide range of audiences.
• Ability to prepare high-quality reports, business cases and formal responses.

personal and people

• Ability to lead, motivate and develop managers and teams.
• Experience of managing organisational change and supporting staff through uncertainty.
• Coaching, mentoring or leadership development experience

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.

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust

£57,528 a yearPer Annum (Pro Rata for Part Time)