University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

8b Ophthalmology General Manager

The closing date is 27 April 2026

Job summary

We are seeking an experienced and motivated operational leader to join UHB as General Manager for Ophthalmology.

This is a pivotal time to join the Service. Over the past 12 months, the Specialty has embarked on a focused improvement and transformation journey, supported by a highly engaged senior multidisciplinary team.

This work continues to evolve, providing a genuine opportunity to help shape the future direction of the service. Ophthalmology is a high-profile specialty within Clinical Delivery Group 6, delivering specialist eye care across four hospital sites: Solihull, Good Hope, Heartlands and Queen Elizabeth Hospitals. In 2025, the service supported over 100,000 outpatient attendances, highlighting both its scale and strategic importance within one of the largest NHS Trusts in the country.

The role offers exposure to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including the Integrated Care Board and GIRFT teams.

You will be responsible for operational performance, while leading service transformation, workforce engagement and effective communication across the multidisciplinary team. You will play a key role in supporting elective recovery, improving patient access and delivering an ambitious strategic agenda.

Main duties of the job

Job Summary - Continued

This is a high-impact leadership role requiring close partnership working with clinical and nursing colleagues. If you thrive in complex, fast paced environments and are motivated by delivering meaningful improvement for patients and staff, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Qualifications

Essential

*GCSE/O Level -- English and Maths Grade C or equivalent

*Educated to degree level or equivalent

*Post graduate qualification or equivalent experience

Experience

Essential

*Experience in a managerial and leadership role within a healthcare setting.

*Experience of leading change, improvement and project management.

*Evidence of developing and maintaining partnerships with stakeholders.

*Experience in data analysis and its use to drive improvement.

*Direct line management and leadership experience, including working within a multi-disciplinary environment.

*Personnel management including appraisals, objective setting and PDPs.

*Recruitment and workforce development, including succession management and skill mix reviews.

*A strong practical understanding of using service redesign methodology.

*A developed understanding of the changing NHS environment and the impact on services and staff.

*Uses a variety of methods to gain support for ideas and strategies.

*Understands how to use technology to support delivery.

*Human resources experience including absence management, sickness, disciplinary and grievance policies.

About us

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.

Date posted

09 April 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8b

Salary

£66,582 to £77,368 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

304-9014651

Job locations

Trustwide

Mindelsohn Way

Birmingham

West Midlands

B15 2TH

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please note for a specific detailed job description for this vacancy please see attached job description.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please note for a specific detailed job description for this vacancy please see attached job description.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

* GCSE/O Level -- English and Maths Grade C or equivalent
* Educated to degree level or equivalent
* Post graduate qualification or equivalent experience

Desirable

* Leadership and management qualification

Experience

Essential

Substantial experience in a senior managerial and leadership role within an acute healthcare setting which is commensurate with the complexity and size of the allocated area of
responsibility.
* Knowledge and experience of leading significant change to patient services, delivering tangible and sustained improvements.
* Experience of developing and maintaining active partnerships with stakeholders in the development of services.
* Experience of improvement measurement systems and understanding of the role of measurement in performance improvement.
* Experience of directly line managing and providing strategic leadership to large numbers of specialist staff/multi-disciplinary service teams ranging from bands 3 -- 7.
* Experience of managing individual and team performance through the setting of objectives, PDPs and appraisals.
* Experience of application of recruitment strategies and workforce development including undertaking skill mix reviews and succession planning.
* Experience of using service redesign methodology
* Has a highly developed understanding of the changing NHS environment and its impact on service provision and staff.
* Impact -- uses a variety of methods to gain support for ideas, strategies and values.
* Understanding of how to use technology to support delivery of improvements to services.
* Application of absence management, sickness, disciplinary and grievance policies in accordance with UHB HR policies
* Uses technical, non-verbal and visual aids effectively.

Desirable

* Experience leading and managing Surgical specialities
* Knowledge and experience in managing theatre productivity and efficiency
* Awareness of GIRFT and model hospital metrics and standards
* Experience in Job planning and consultant job plan management

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

* GCSE/O Level -- English and Maths Grade C or equivalent
* Educated to degree level or equivalent
* Post graduate qualification or equivalent experience

Desirable

* Leadership and management qualification

Experience

Essential

Substantial experience in a senior managerial and leadership role within an acute healthcare setting which is commensurate with the complexity and size of the allocated area of
responsibility.
* Knowledge and experience of leading significant change to patient services, delivering tangible and sustained improvements.
* Experience of developing and maintaining active partnerships with stakeholders in the development of services.
* Experience of improvement measurement systems and understanding of the role of measurement in performance improvement.
* Experience of directly line managing and providing strategic leadership to large numbers of specialist staff/multi-disciplinary service teams ranging from bands 3 -- 7.
* Experience of managing individual and team performance through the setting of objectives, PDPs and appraisals.
* Experience of application of recruitment strategies and workforce development including undertaking skill mix reviews and succession planning.
* Experience of using service redesign methodology
* Has a highly developed understanding of the changing NHS environment and its impact on service provision and staff.
* Impact -- uses a variety of methods to gain support for ideas, strategies and values.
* Understanding of how to use technology to support delivery of improvements to services.
* Application of absence management, sickness, disciplinary and grievance policies in accordance with UHB HR policies
* Uses technical, non-verbal and visual aids effectively.

Desirable

* Experience leading and managing Surgical specialities
* Knowledge and experience in managing theatre productivity and efficiency
* Awareness of GIRFT and model hospital metrics and standards
* Experience in Job planning and consultant job plan management

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

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Trustwide

Mindelsohn Way

Birmingham

West Midlands

B15 2TH

Employer's website

https://www.uhb.nhs.uk/jobs.htm (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Trustwide

Mindelsohn Way

Birmingham

West Midlands

B15 2TH

Employer's website

https://www.uhb.nhs.uk/jobs.htm (Opens in a new tab)