About this role
Job summary
Responsible for ensuring optimum use of capacity and resources and to align the processes across both legacy sites. Working in conjunction with their counterpart on the Southport site to achieve a clear plan of operations for the Department to work to and support the Directorate Manager by negotiating additional capacity where appropriate with Consultants.
The post holder will provide operational management support, both generally and for specific time-limited projects to the Directorate Manager, working in collaboration with the Assistant Directorate Manager on the opposite site to develop specific services using a business-focused approach.
Successful candidates must have substantial experience of operational management and supporting services environment (or a comparable role), possess comprehensive knowledge of RTT, and demonstrate expertise in managing capacity in response to operational pressures, with a focus on reducing waiting list initiative expenditure'.
Job description and person specification subject to change as per AfC review.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will work closely with the Directorate Manager for Surgery Division to ensure that the service is responsive, innovative and meet performance and quality targets and standards, including financial and operational management of the services.
The post holder will be expected to exercise initiative, prioritise conflicting work demands and communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, with the multi-disciplinary team, internal departments and external partners to ensure continuity in achieving excellence in patient care.
About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018 Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal) National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Job description Job responsibilities
Please see Job Description and Person Specification attached.
Advertising Date: 24th August 2026
Closing Date: 31st August 2026
Shortlisting Date: 1st September 2026
Proposed Interview date: TBC
Please note this vacancy may close early if a high number of applications is reached.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Degree level education or equivalent experience. Evidence of further study and professional development to post graduate diploma level or equivalent experience
Desirable
Management, professional or other recognised academic or vocational qualification
Knowledge Essential
Proven operational management skills Good understanding of the changing Health and Social Care environment, including adult NHS medicine services in an acute Trus Understanding of financial management with ability to analyse and interpret data and statistics e.g. activity trends, financial data. Knowledge and understanding of service improvement and practical use of tool that has led to service improvement Experience of supporting service delivery Experience of using process mapping to change a service
Desirable
Experience in operational and project management
Skills Essential
Excellent IT skills including Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint Proven ability to achieve demanding tasks and objectives against tight timescales Highly-developed oral communication skills with the ability to adapt to the stakeholder audience Ability to work on own initiative and schedule work to meet deadlines Demonstrate ability to successfully support, manage and sustain change in a complex organisation. Ability to develop empathetic relationships with a wide range of people. Able to understand and retain written and spoken information Ability to contribute to complex written reports, business cases for internal and external stakeholders Evidence of developing stakeholder relationships at a service and operational level To think laterally to identify innovative solutions to problems
Other Essential
Highly self-motivated, conscientious in approach and pays attention to detail Possess high internal work standards, setting goals and helping others to do so Desire to do things better, to improve, to be more effective and efficient. Able to measure progress against target
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details Employer name Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Address Whiston Hospital
Warrignton Road
Prescot
L35 5DR
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)