Service Manager - Service Development

Royal Marsden; Greater London; On-site; GBP 66,000 - 73,000; Full time

Job summary

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Service Development Manager to guide a high‑profile private care programme across Chelsea, Cavendish Square and Sutton. You will work with consultants and operational leaders to expand services and shape new private care pathways, delivering growth while maintaining clinical excellence.

You will lead a team, use performance and market intelligence, and partner with NHS and corporate teams to meet strategic goals and improve patient experience

Qualifications

• Degree and/or an appropriate professional qualification or equivalent.
• Masters level qualification or equivalent specialist knowledge acquired by experience.
• Track record of continuous professional and management development.
• Operational management experience within either private healthcare or NHS.
• Proven ability to lead during transformation and deliver clinical services.
• Experience delivering KPI's and managing budgets.
• Strong IT skills and data analysis capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Develop and promote the Trust's mission, values, aims and objectives.
• Produce accurate, high-quality business cases for service developments with activity and income projections.
• Maintain relationships across the division, Trust, patients, insurers and external partners.
• Strategically develop consultant liaison and account management functions.
• Lead the Service Development team to improve private care services and patient experience.
• Ensure private services meet targets, standards and regulatory requirements.

Skills

Communication skills

IT skills (MS Office)

Data analysis

Leadership

Education

Degree or professional qualification

Masters level qualification

CPD / ongoing professional development

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Employer The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site The Royal Marsden - Chelsea Town Chelsea Salary £66,274 - £73,496 pro rata per annum including inner London HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 22/10/2026 23:59

Job overview

This is an exceptional opportunity to join The Royal Marsden's Private Care team at a time of significant investment, innovation and growth. As Service Development Manager, you will lead a high‑profile programme of service development across our Chelsea, Cavendish Square and Sutton sites, supporting the expansion of existing services and the introduction of new private care pathways.

Working closely with consultants, operational leaders and corporate teams, you will build strong clinical relationships, identify growth opportunities and help shape innovative services that enhance patient experience and deliver sustainable growth. You will oversee a dedicated service development team, utilise performance and market intelligence to inform decision‑making, and drive forward strategic projects that strengthen The Royal Marsden's position as the UK's leading cancer centre.

This is a unique opportunity to make a tangible impact on the future of cancer care, contributing to an ambitious growth agenda that generates investment in world‑class patient care, research and innovation.

Main duties of the job

The Service Manager – Service Development is responsible for providing strong visual leadership to effectively manage the operational delivery & development for a set of Tumour Group Pathways and the Consultant Liaison service within the Service Development portfolio. The post holder will be responsible for the delivery of Tumour Group Pathways, ensuring the service and experience for consultants and private patients is responsive, innovative and provided to the highest possible standard to the needs those who wish to access Private Care at the Trust.

The postholder will work closely with Private Care management, NHS Clinical business unit (CBU) teams and Consultants across all sites to develop their tumour group services in line with Trust & Divisional strategies. They will support the Deputy Director of Operations for Service Development as required to ensure all operational, performance and financial targets are met and support their services in moving forward agreed projects to improve service delivery. The postholder will problem‑solve as appropriate and develop and implement lasting solutions in conjunction with colleagues.

The post holder will directly line manage the Assistant service managers in Service Development and have operational management responsibility for the following services:

• Tumour Group Pathways
• Consultant Liaison and Administration
• Genetics and Genomics

Working for our organisation

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world‑leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals – one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey – as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.

At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.

At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees work life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our on‑going achievements.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Strategic Direction

2.1.To support the development of, and promote, the Trust’s mission, values aims and objectives.

2.2.In conjunction with the Deputy Director of Operations for Service Development, produce accurate, high quality business cases for service developments, utilising activity and income projections.

2.3.To ensure the establishment and maintenance of good relationships and communication throughout the Division, with the wider Trust, and externally with Patients, Insurers & Embassies, promoting a culture where staff are actively involved in decisions on how services are provided and targets delivered.

2.4.In line with the Trust & divisional strategy, to strategically develop the consultant liaison & account management function and allocated tumour group services alongside NHS CBU management teams and Consultants to ensure they are responsive, innovative and provided to the highest possible standard.

Operational Performance Management

2.5.To demonstrate strong leadership within teams to ensure professional and clinical standards of excellence in providing services across the Trust

2.6.Provide management support to the clinical staff to ensure private services are managed efficiently and in line Trust targets

2.7.To specifically work with key stakeholders within the Trust to implement and deliver on approved business cases and ensure that private care standards are maintained and both patients and consultant’s expectations are met.

2.8.Work collaboratively with Consultant’s, giving guidance and support to inform them service improvements, to services with a focus on enhancing patients a high standard.

2.9.To provide excellent customer service and promote a professional and caring environment within clinical and non‑clinical teams to ensure the department is in line with regulatory compliance Care Quality Commission and the Competition Markets Authority.

2.10.To liaise with consultants as required increasing business development, clinical care and service feedback. To manage the consistent delivery of customer expectations in all aspects of the patient experience, and instil a culture of first‑class customer service within all teams across the division

Person specification

Education/ Qualifications

• Degree and/or an appropriate professional qualification or equivalent
• Masters level qualification or equivalent specialist knowledge acquired by experience.
• Track record of continuous professional and management development

Experience

• Operational management experience within either the private healthcare sector or NHS
• Proven ability to work to strict deadlines, including ensuring that the resources of the team are used efficiently to meet all deadlines.
• Experience of being a leader managing and delivering clinical services during a period of transformation change.
• Proven experience analysing and interpreting performance data
• Evidence of proven experience in delivery of service improvement and strategies
• Evidence of proven experience of performance leadership through delivery of KPI’s and management of budgets
• Significant experience of staff leadership and management
• Evidence of project management
• Political and media skills

Knowledge

• Keyboard skills and computer literacy (including knowledge of MS office packages)
• Knowledge of business and strategic planning

Skills Abilities

• Full range of IT skills including spreadsheet analysis
• Excellent communication skills across the organisation and with a wide range of staff with differing levels of responsibility and different professional backgrounds.
• Ability to sensitively and professionally communicate complex information.
• Ability to analyse and interpret data and statistics e.g. activity trends, financial data
• Ability to work pro‑actively and co‑operatively with senior management, clinical and admin staff.
• Ability to demonstrate good judgment in sensitive situations, for instance balancing customer service and empathy with financial risk
• Experience of representing organisations externally
• Responsible of developing policies and processes to support service development
• Commitment to self‑development with ability to demonstrate knowledge of key policies and themes in healthcare provision in the UK
• Commitment to promoting equality and diversity in the workplace and in service delivery and development
• Ability to work effectively within a team and to manage and motivate others.
• Strong sense of quality and ability to lead by example, ensuring that customer service is given high priority.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and proactive approach to problems.
• Be able to implement and manage change
• Be able to influence senior Trust staff
• Be able to motivate self and others
• Be able to make sound judgements and know when to refer
• Be flexible in responding to the demands of the service
• Ability to work well under pressure by prioritising and managing time effectively
• Have experience of dealing with disciplinary matters

The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.

Flu Vaccination – What We Expect of our Staff

At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease.

The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the upmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient‑facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.