Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Service Manager

The closing date is 31 March 2026

Job summary

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced and motivated Service Manager to join our Surgical Division and Directorate of Critical Care, Theatres & Anaesthetics, leading our Pre-Operative Assessment (POA) and Scheduling services across both hospital sites.

This is a pivotal operational leadership role within the elective care pathway. The successful candidate will play a key role in ensuring safe, efficient and high quality delivery of pre-operative assessment and surgical scheduling services, driving performance against national access standards and supporting the Trust's elective recovery programme.

Working closely with clinical and operational colleagues, you will lead service transformation initiatives aimed at improving pathway flow, reducing on the day cancellations, strengthening governance structures, and optimising scheduling practices including 6-4-2 planning processes.

We are seeking a candidate with strong operational insight into elective services, ideally within surgical or perioperative environments. You will be a visible and credible leader, capable of balancing day to day operational management with longer term service improvement.

You will bring significant experience in performance management, workforce leadership, financial oversight, and stakeholder engagement.

Main duties of the job

The Service Manager is a key management role and is responsible for the operational delivery of all aspects of a divisional service.

The post holder will ensure that effective and efficient structures are in place to ensure that all standards of patient care are met and associated risk and governance matters are managed. The Service Manager will provide support in developing efficient and effective patient centred services in conjunction with the Lead Nurse, meeting key financial and operational performance targets, and putting in place effective processes for delivering national and local targets, reviewing the efficiency and effectiveness of services in terms of cost effectiveness, service improvement and financial flows.

Key aims are:

  • Provide timely, efficient and effective operational service management leadership for operational Services within Lewisham & Greenwich to ensure these are responsive, innovative and provided to the highest possible performance standards.
  • Provide clear leadership ensuring that all staff are appropriately managed and developed, and that they are efficient, effective, engaged and motivated.
  • Responsible for the delivery of identified quality and service improvement projects or development programmes that contribute to the modernisation of patient services
  • Take forward agreed projects to improve service delivery and patient experience in key areas.
  • Lead on ensuring that all performance/quality targets are met.

About us

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

  1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
  2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
  3. Improving the experience of staff with disability
  4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
  5. Making equalities mainstream

Details

Date posted

18 March 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year Per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

197-R-LC8030

Job locations

University Hospital Lewisham

Lewisham High Street

London

SE13 6LH


Job description

Job responsibilities

The Service Manager is a key management role and is responsible for the operational delivery of all aspects of a divisional service.

The post holder will ensure that effective and efficient structures are in place to ensure that all standards of patient care are met and associated risk and governance matters are managed. The Service Manager will provide support in developing efficient and effective patient centred services in conjunction with the Lead Nurse, meeting key financial and operational performance targets, and putting in place effective processes for delivering national and local targets, reviewing the efficiency and effectiveness of services in terms of cost effectiveness, service improvement and financial flows.

Key aims are:

  • Provide timely, efficient and effective operational service management leadership for operational Services within Lewisham & Greenwich to ensure these are responsive, innovative and provided to the highest possible performance standards.
  • Provide clear leadership ensuring that all staff are appropriately managed and developed, and that they are efficient, effective, engaged and motivated.
  • Responsible for the delivery of identified quality and service improvement projects or development programmes that contribute to the modernisation of patient services
  • Take forward agreed projects to improve service delivery and patient experience in key areas.
  • Lead on ensuring that all performance/quality targets are met.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The Service Manager is a key management role and is responsible for the operational delivery of all aspects of a divisional service.

The post holder will ensure that effective and efficient structures are in place to ensure that all standards of patient care are met and associated risk and governance matters are managed. The Service Manager will provide support in developing efficient and effective patient centred services in conjunction with the Lead Nurse, meeting key financial and operational performance targets, and putting in place effective processes for delivering national and local targets, reviewing the efficiency and effectiveness of services in terms of cost effectiveness, service improvement and financial flows.

Key aims are:

  • Provide timely, efficient and effective operational service management leadership for operational Services within Lewisham & Greenwich to ensure these are responsive, innovative and provided to the highest possible performance standards.
  • Provide clear leadership ensuring that all staff are appropriately managed and developed, and that they are efficient, effective, engaged and motivated.
  • Responsible for the delivery of identified quality and service improvement projects or development programmes that contribute to the modernisation of patient services
  • Take forward agreed projects to improve service delivery and patient experience in key areas.
  • Lead on ensuring that all performance/quality targets are met.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Significant operational management experience within NHS (minimum 3-5 years at Band 7 level
  • Demonstrable experience of performance management against national access targets (RTT/elective pathways)
  • Experience of leading multidisciplinary teams including HR processes (appraisals, absence management, disciplinary)
  • Evidence of financial management including budget accountability and CIP delivery
  • Experience of service redesign or transformation within a clinical environment

Desirable

  • Experience within perioperative, surgical or pre-operative assessment services
  • Postgraduate management qualification (or equivalent)

Knowledge

Essential

  • Ability to analyse complex data sets and use information to drive operational improvement
  • Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills across multidisciplinary teams
  • Ability to manage competing priorities under pressure within a fast paced operational environment

Desirable

  • Experience of working within a triumvirate or matrix management structure
Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Significant operational management experience within NHS (minimum 3-5 years at Band 7 level
  • Demonstrable experience of performance management against national access targets (RTT/elective pathways)
  • Experience of leading multidisciplinary teams including HR processes (appraisals, absence management, disciplinary)
  • Evidence of financial management including budget accountability and CIP delivery
  • Experience of service redesign or transformation within a clinical environment

Desirable

  • Experience within perioperative, surgical or pre-operative assessment services
  • Postgraduate management qualification (or equivalent)

Knowledge

Essential

  • Ability to analyse complex data sets and use information to drive operational improvement
  • Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing skills across multidisciplinary teams
  • Ability to manage competing priorities under pressure within a fast paced operational environment

Desirable

  • Experience of working within a triumvirate or matrix management structure

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

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Address

University Hospital Lewisham

Lewisham High Street

London

SE13 6LH


Employer's website

https://www.lewishamandgreenwich.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Address

University Hospital Lewisham

Lewisham High Street

London

SE13 6LH


Employer's website

https://www.lewishamandgreenwich.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

General Manager

Colette Try

colette.try@nhs.net

07500339289

Details

Date posted

18 March 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£55,690 to £62,682 a year Per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

197-R-LC8030

Job locations

University Hospital Lewisham

Lewisham High Street

London

SE13 6LH


Supporting documents

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