Switchboard Operator

Greater Manchester Mental Health; Manchester; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 28,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days annual leave + bank holidays

Job summary

Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust is seeking an Operator Lead for the Switchboard division to support 24/7 communications across the Trust. The role involves managing a new call console within MS Teams, monitoring emergency response systems, and coordinating with multiple sites to ensure service continuity.

The post focuses on providing excellent customer service, lone-working during evenings/nights/weekends, and flexible shift coverage.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience in customer service or Switchboard roles.
• Evidence of continuous professional development.

Responsibilities

• Provide excellent customer service to internal and external stakeholders.
• Operate the MS Teams-based call console and the switchboard system.
• Coordinate with sites and respond to EPRR and contingency plans.
• Maintain cover for annual leave and sickness, including evenings, nights and weekends.

Skills

Customer service

MS Teams

Excel

Word

Attention to detail

Tools

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Office

Job description

Main area Mental Health Grade Band 2 Contract Permanent: It is a 4 week pattern, doing Night Shifts (22:00-8:00). Week 1 - MON & SUN; Week 2 - TUE & SUN; Week 3 - WED & SUN; Week 4 - SAT & SUN Hours Part time - 20 hours per week (It is a 4 week pattern, doing Night Shifts (22:00-8:00). Week 1 - MON & SUN; Week 2 - TUE & SUN; Week 3 - WED & SUN; Week 4 - SAT & SUN) Job ref 437-8267044

Site The Curve, Prestwich Town Manchester Salary £25,272 per annum pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 29/09/2026 23:59

Job overview

The GMMH Switchboard division of the directorate provides services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for the Trust's 9 hospitals, including 160 locations. Teams who are embracing a new and exciting future by leveraging technological breakthroughs and reimagining processes to provide an exceptional customer experience. The task will be varied, engaging, and difficult, necessitating creativity, good communication skills, and attentiveness.

The postholder will be part of a dynamic and multifunctional team that is responsible for providing great customer service to all stakeholders of the Trust.

Operator Leads will be responsible for working on the new system, i.e., call console attendants, which is an integrated application within MS Teams, as well as a call handling console, monitoring emergency response systems, and other activities to support communications throughout the Trust.

Maintain effective working relationships with various customers, both internal and external to the Trust. Team members are also expected to respond by the Trust's EPRR, as well as to implement the business contingency plan and coordinate with all sites.

O perators are also known for lone working due to shift patterns being out of normal working hours and weekends. This includes ensuring adequate levels of cover for annual leave and sickness, having a degree of flexibility, and being willing to cover shifts including evenings, nights, and weekends to maintain service continuity.

Main duties of the job

The postholder will be part of a dynamic and multifunctional team that is responsible for providing great customer service to all stakeholders of the Trust. Operator Leads will be responsible for working on the new system i.e., call console attendants, which is an integrated application within MS Teams, as well as a call handling console, monitoring emergency response systems, and other activities to support communications throughout the Trust.

Maintain effective working relationships with a variety of customers, both internal and external to the Trust. Team members are also expected to respond in accordance with the Trust's EPO2 Incident Response Plan, as well as to implement the business contingency plan and coordinate with all sites. Switchboard Operators are also known for lone working due to shift patterns being out of normal working hours and weekends. This includes ensuring adequate levels of cover for annual leave and sickness, as well as having a degree of flexibility and being willing to cover shifts including evenings, nights, and weekends to maintain service continuity (appropriate enhancements will be applied in accordance with NHS Agenda for Change guidelines).

Working for our organisation

Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) Foundation Trust employs over 7000 members of staff, who deliver services from more than 160 locations.

We provide inpatient and community-based mental health care for people living in Bolton, the city of Manchester, Salford, Trafford and the borough of Wigan, and a wide range of specialist mental health and substance misuse services across Greater Manchester, the north west of England and beyond.

Greater Manchester is one of the world's most innovative, original and exciting places to live and work. From the beauty of the surrounding countryside to the heart of the vibrant inner city with great shopping, entertainment and dining options.

Wherever you go you will experience a great northern welcome with people famed for their warmth, humour and generosity.

Our people enjoy their work, have opportunities to learn and develop their skills and are encouraged to generate new ideas that improve care for our service users.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached job description and person specification

• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays rising to 29 after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years

Person specification

Education / Qualifications - to be able to complete the duties as laid out on the Job Description

• Demonstrable experience in customer service or Switchboard roles
• Evidence of continuous professional development

Experience

• Experience of delivering excellent customer support
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office applications including Teams, Excel, Word.
• Knowledge of IM&T procedures or knowledge of telephone equipment or computer and software tools e.g. ECDL

Knowledge

• Dealing with non-routine issues such as problem solving.
• Previous working experience within an NHS or public sector environment.

Skills and Abilities

• An excellent telephone manner and communication skills
• Ability to prioritize workload.
• Experience in contributing to service improvement and development plans.

Flexibility

• Flexible approach to working hours and shift patterns including working unsociable hours, bank holidays and weekends.
• An existing understanding of the organization

Important Information about working for GMMH:

All positions within the Trust are subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks, for further information on the checks required please visit the NHS Employers website www.nhsemployers.org

The Trust mandates all post holders who require a DBS for their role to subscribe to the DBS Update Service. You will be required to enrol for this service for a fee of £16 per year and maintain registration throughout your employment with GMMH.

Applicants are encouraged to apply for posts at Greater Manchester Mental Health who have direct experience of mental health, learning disability or drug and alcohol services either as a service user or a carer.

The Trust is also committed to safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We are aspiring to ensure our workforce is representative of the diverse communities that we serve, and we are strongly committed to removing barriers to employment for candidates from under-represented groups, for example BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ communities. If you would like to have an informal chat about the recruitment process for this role or would value some additional support, we’d love to hear from you.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications

A candidate may utilise the help of AI when writing job application.The assessment of an application is made on its entirety and most times AI-generated content does not fully grasp the context and requirements of the job one applies for thus producing inaccurate and misleading information, especially in the supporting statement section of an application that can lack real life examples of one’s achievements, success and challenges.

We have added a disclaimer to our application process advising that the use of AI is monitored. GMMH reserves the right to follow up with a candidate at the interview on specific responses and those examples used in the supporting statement to explore it further.

Sponsorship

We are proud to be an approved sponsor for the Skilled Worker visa. Applications from individuals who require sponsorship will be considered alongside all other applications. Please be aware that not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible roles and salary requirements on the UK Government’s website – click here .

If you are offered a role with us and you require sponsorship, we will check your eligibility in line with the information on the above website. Your offer of employment could be withdrawn if the role is not eligible for sponsorship, and you are not otherwise able to evidence your right to work in the UK.

The Home Office introduces new changes from 22/07/2025 that impact the health and care sector, you may wish to familiarise with it here .

Do you have experience outside the NHS?

We want to attract and retain people with diverse skills and experience, to deliver inclusive healthcare services to our communities.

We will consider relevant experience outside the NHS to calculate your salary on appointment. Please contact our Recruitment Team for more information.

Please note, this vacancy may be closed at any time if sufficient applications have been received

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

As a service user, relative or carer using our services, sometimes you may need to turn to someone for help, advice, and support.