About this role
Job summary
Can you bring calm, clarity and connection when health services are under pressure?
As a Senior Manager in Central East's System Coordination Centre (SCC), you will help turn a complex, changing operational picture into coordinated action that supports safe patient care.
Working with Trusts across Central East, you will bring partners together to understand pressures, tackle barriers to patient flow and agree practical responses. From ambulance handover delays to hospital capacity and discharge challenges, your work will connect individual services with the wider system response.
We are looking for someone who combines sound operational judgement with excellent relationship skills. You will be able to interpret information, ask the right questions and influence action while remaining calm and solution-focused.
Alongside managing today's pressures, you will help us anticipate tomorrow's challenges using data, learning and forecasting to strengthen preparedness and improve how the SCC works.
This role is home-based with occasional travel to ICB offices and hospitals across the Central East area. Two posts are available with different shift patterns, working across the 8am - 6pm seven day a week service operating times.
Main duties of the job
You will combine daily operational leadership with work to improve system resilience:
Build the operational picture: bring together real-time information on capacity, demand and patient flow, identifying risks and where coordinated support is needed.
Turn discussion into action: lead operational calls and conversations, agree clear actions with partners and follow through on delivery.
Coordinate responses to pressure: support escalation, surge and incident responses, ensuring risks reach the right decision-makers promptly.
Connect services and people: work with hospital, ambulance, community, mental health and wider partners to address barriers and support safe patient flow.
Look ahead: contribute to winter and surge planning, using trends and forecasting to identify opportunities for earlier intervention.
Provide clear assurance: produce accurate situation reports and briefings for senior leaders and NHS England.
Improve how we work: develop SCC processes, digital tools and use of data, while providing supportive leadership to colleagues and sharing learning across the system.
About us
We are committed to promoting equal opportunities to achieve equity of access, experience and outcomes and to recognising and valuing people's differences. We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity; we see this as a strength and part of our founding mission, values and behaviours. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers patient outcomes.
We are committed to creating the best place to work, where your contribution is valued, your wellbeing is supported and all our colleagues can reach their full potential. We welcome and encourage applications from all areas of the community, who meet the criteria for the role, regardless of their protected characteristic. We work to ensure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible to everyone, including making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition and support with the recruitment process for people with lived experience.
We are happy to discuss flexible working options for all roles.
We operate a Carer friendly working environment that is supportive and inclusive. We actively encourage Carers to self-identify themselves.
We are a Disability Confident Employer and commit to shortlisting suitable applicants who meet the essential criteria for an interview. Please inform us of any adjustments you may require.
Job description Job responsibilities
Specific responsibilities:
Manage the day-to-day operations of the System Coordination Centre (SCC) ensuring effective coordination across health and care services in Central East.Maintain real time oversight of system capacity, flow and performance.Lead operational responses to system pressures, including surge and escalation management.Work collaboratively with providers, commissioners and partners to resolve operational challenges, implement best practice approaches to enhance efficiency and responsiveness.Monitor key operational metrics, identifying trends and risks, recommending action to maintain system resilience, ensuring timely reports and escalation to senior leaders as appropriate.Drive continuous improvement in SCC processes, including use of digital tools and data analytics, increasingly focused on forecasting and risk identification for preventative interventions.Act as the primary point of contact for operational coordination across the ICS, contributing to operational planning, development of winter and surge processes and procedures. Ensure timely and accurate reporting to NHS England and other bodies to provide assurance on real time operational pressures, mitigations and risk management.
Person Specification
Educated to degree level or equivalent experience in a relevant field. Essential
Degree, equivalent qualification or ten years experience within health and care systems
Desirable
Qualifications in operations, control and command, EPRR, UEC or related disciplines
Experience in senior management within a complex organisation, ideally in health or public services. Essential
Extensive experience at B7 or equivalent
Desirable
Operational experience at B7 or equivalent in a UEC health services role
Strong relationship-building and partnership-working skills across organisational boundaries. Essential
Experience in public sector and /or cross-sector environments
Desirable
Experience of working with acute NHS and non-NHS partners
Excellent communication and influencing skills, able to present complex information clearly. Essential
Very effective written and verbal communication skills
Desirable
Ability to influence without hierarchy
Analytical ability to interpret complex data and use insights to inform decisions. Essential
Can spot trends and patterns in data, highlighting concerns, leading to action
Desirable
Computer literate with an understanding of UEC data flows
Ability to work operationally, at pace, remaining calm under pressure. Essential
Can handle multiple incoming demands, prioritising effectively and completing actions in a timely manner
Desirable
Is able to communicate cheerfully and politely when under pressure
Ability to work effectively in a team Essential
Demonstrates through a specific example, teamwork under pressure including clear communication and support for colleagues.
Desirable
Demonstrates through a specific example, bringing reams from different organisations together to resolve an operational challenge.
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 NHS Central East ICB
Address Gemini House
Bartholomew's Walk
Ely
CB7 4EA
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.centraleast.icb.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)