Job summary
We are seeking a proactive and highly organised Rota Manager to join our dynamic Orthopaedic team at Darent Valley Hospital, part of Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust. This is a pivotal role that ensures the smooth coordination of medical staffing across trauma and orthopaedic services. The successful candidate will be responsible for planning, maintaining, and managing rotas for doctors and clinical staff, ensuring safe staffing levels and service continuity.
Key Responsibilities:
- Design and manage rotas in line with service needs, ensuring compliance with EWTD, Junior Doctor Contract, and Trust policies.
- Liaise with clinicians, service managers, and HR to address rota gaps and workforce planning issues.
- Monitor leave, sickness, and unplanned absences to ensure adequate cover is maintained at all times.
- Provide data, reports, and updates to support operational delivery and performance targets.
- Ensure excellent communication with the wider multidisciplinary team and act as the first point of contact for rota queries.
This position will not be supported for visa sponsorship. All applicants are expected to have valid right to work document to work in the UK when applying for this position.
Please note this post will close earlier than the given closing date once a sufficient number of applications have been received.
Main duties of the job
What We're Looking For:
- Experience in high level administrative position - preferably in a team lead or supervisory position.
- Strong understanding of medical workforce structures and junior doctor contracts.
- Excellent IT, administrative, and organisational skills.
- Ability to work under pressure, prioritise workloads, and solve problems efficiently.
- A collaborative, team-oriented approach with a commitment to service improvement.
- Confident in approach and able to be flexible with multiple demands.
Why Join Us?Darent Valley Hospital is a modern, purpose-built hospital with a strong reputation for delivering high-quality care. As part of a forward-thinking Trust, you'll be supported in your professional development and play a key role in enabling safe and effective patient care across our orthopaedic services.
About us
We are committed to being an inclusive and diverse employer. We strive to employ people who reflect the communities we serve, and aim to create an inclusive culture where everyone can reach their full potential. Whatever your race, ethnicity, belief, generation, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity, disability or experience, you'll appreciate the opportunities we give you to work in an inclusive atmosphere. We welcome applications from people of diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences to build on the progress we've achieved to make our Trust diverse and the best place to work. We celebrate the diversity of thought, viewpoints and ideas that help us overcome challenges and embrace new possibilities. We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant Pledge and have a commitment to the Armed Forces Community.
We are dedicated to using our Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) approach as our shared organisation model of change to enhance our services and ensure excellence in patient care.
If you are considering applying for a role, please be aware that as an NHS Employee you may have contact with vulnerable service users. We strongly encourage that all our staff are vaccinated against COVID-19 and are vaccinated annually against Flu, in order to protect the health and safety of our staff and patients. Your commitment will help us to put the safety and care of our patients first, as well as helping us to protect you and your colleagues.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Specific Responsibilities: -
Managing Junior doctor rotas
To manage the junior doctor rotas, ensuring all departments within the Directorate are adequately staffed and locums are booked when required, in line with Trust Policies and Procedures.
Ensure these rotas are completed proactively to ensure rotas are developed in a forward-planning manner to assist with operational and personal arrangements. Liaise with other colleagues and stakeholders to achieve this.
Book locums as required/directed for compliance of rotas and in line with Directorate guidance for short-term cover.
Undertake spot checks that rotas are followed and escalate issues to Clinical Director and General Manager when necessary with suggested solutions if possible to address issues identified.
Ensure rotas are circulated to all Directorate areas to make sure cover arrangements are widely known throughout the directorate.
Work with other colleagues to monitor the quality of locums and feed this back.
Undertake the twice yearly diary card monitoring exercise reporting back to others including Medical Staffing and Medical Education with the outcomes. Address any non compliance.
Please see attached job description for more information.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Specific Responsibilities: -
Managing Junior doctor rotas
To manage the junior doctor rotas, ensuring all departments within the Directorate are adequately staffed and locums are booked when required, in line with Trust Policies and Procedures.
Ensure these rotas are completed proactively to ensure rotas are developed in a forward-planning manner to assist with operational and personal arrangements. Liaise with other colleagues and stakeholders to achieve this.
Book locums as required/directed for compliance of rotas and in line with Directorate guidance for short-term cover.
Undertake spot checks that rotas are followed and escalate issues to Clinical Director and General Manager when necessary with suggested solutions if possible to address issues identified.
Ensure rotas are circulated to all Directorate areas to make sure cover arrangements are widely known throughout the directorate.
Work with other colleagues to monitor the quality of locums and feed this back.
Undertake the twice yearly diary card monitoring exercise reporting back to others including Medical Staffing and Medical Education with the outcomes. Address any non compliance.
Please see attached job description for more information.
Person Specification
Education and Training
Essential
- NVQ 5 / Degree or equivalent relevant experience
- Evidence of CPD
Desirable
- Educated to degree level or equivalent relevant experience
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Senior knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel
- Analytical problem solving approach to identify problems and develop and implement solutions
- Ability to work flexibly and under pressure to tackle on the day issues (i.e. short staffing).
- IT Literate
- Excellent planning and organisation skills
- Analytical problem solving approach to identify problems and develop and implement solutions
- Awareness of Trust / HR policies and how to apply them
- NHS jobs functionality
- Understanding of recent developments within the NHS and how these affect medical staffing
Desirable
- Experience in rota's or operational management at a junior level
- Team lead experience or supervisory position.
- Aware of Trust policies and how to apply HR policies
- Understanding of the differences between all contracts for medical and dental staff e.g. training contracts
- Good working knowledge and understanding of medical staffing issues including terms and conditions of service and Resident Doctors rotations.
- Knowledge of managing medical rotas.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of managing a busy administrative workload, with conflicting priorities
- Experience of using initiative to solve problems
- Relevant experience involving the improvement of admin. Processes
Desirable
- NHS experience desirable
- Experience in communicating issues effectively and clearly e.g. to senior members of staff
- Building, monitoring and managing doctor rotas
Person Specification
Education and Training
Essential
- NVQ 5 / Degree or equivalent relevant experience
- Evidence of CPD
Desirable
- Educated to degree level or equivalent relevant experience
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Senior knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel
- Analytical problem solving approach to identify problems and develop and implement solutions
- Ability to work flexibly and under pressure to tackle on the day issues (i.e. short staffing).
- IT Literate
- Excellent planning and organisation skills
- Analytical problem solving approach to identify problems and develop and implement solutions
- Awareness of Trust / HR policies and how to apply them
- NHS jobs functionality
- Understanding of recent developments within the NHS and how these affect medical staffing
Desirable
- Experience in rota's or operational management at a junior level
- Team lead experience or supervisory position.
- Aware of Trust policies and how to apply HR policies
- Understanding of the differences between all contracts for medical and dental staff e.g. training contracts
- Good working knowledge and understanding of medical staffing issues including terms and conditions of service and Resident Doctors rotations.
- Knowledge of managing medical rotas.
Experience
Essential
- Experience of managing a busy administrative workload, with conflicting priorities
- Experience of using initiative to solve problems
- Relevant experience involving the improvement of admin. Processes
Desirable
- NHS experience desirable
- Experience in communicating issues effectively and clearly e.g. to senior members of staff
- Building, monitoring and managing doctor rotas
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.
