About this role
Job summary
Are you an organised, proactive problem-solver who thrives in a fast-paced healthcare environment? Do you want a role where your work genuinely makes a difference to women every single day?
We're looking for an Operational Coordinator to join our Gynaecology and Maternity Services at Colchester Hospital. This is a fantastic opportunity to play a key operational role within a supportive, multidisciplinary service at the heart of patient care.
As an Operational Coordinator, you'll be central to the smooth and safe running of our Gynaecology and Maternity services. Working closely with clinical teams, managers, and support services, you'll help coordinate day-to-day operations, manage patient flow, and respond effectively to the changing demands of a busy service.
You'll be a calm, confident presence who can prioritise, communicate clearly, and keep services running efficiently -- even when things get busy.
Main duties of the job
Coordinating daily operational activity across Gynaecology and Maternity services including managing a large team of administrators.
Supporting patient flow, capacity management, and escalation processes
Liaising with midwives, clinicians, ward teams, and corporate services
Monitoring staffing levels and supporting safe workforce deployment
Using data and systems to support effective decision-making
Contributing to service improvement and quality initiatives
What we're looking for
Experience in an operational, administrative, or coordination role (NHS or healthcare experience desirable)
Strong organisational and time-management skills
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
Ability to remain calm under pressure and adapt to change
Confidence working with data, systems, and multiple stakeholders
A genuine commitment to delivering high-quality patient care
About us
We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes.
We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.
We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.
Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.
Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.
We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what's widely regarded as the world's best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.
Find out about living and working here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkPu7HphU8A
Job description Job responsibilities
For full details of the responsibilities and duties of this role please see the attached job description.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
oManagement/Business/Administration degree or proven management experience at equivalent level. oLeadership courses/ qualification or commitment to work towards
Desirable
oPrince 2 or project management course
Experience Essential
oPrevious experience of managing staff. oProven ability to achieve objectives. oWorking to short time scales and meeting deadlines. oWorking in a multidisciplinary environment. oDealing with patients and handling difficult situations.
Desirable
oPrevious experience of managing staff within the NHS. oPrevious medical secretary experience.
Knowledge Essential
oWider knowledge of DOH and NHS oKnowledge of performance management oKnowledge and expertise in all Microsoft applications.
Desirable
oNHS 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.
Employer details Employer name East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Address Colchester
Turner Road
Colchester
CO4 5JL
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.esneft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)