Service Manager

• Supporting the development and delivery of operational readiness plans across the various services.
• Working with operational and clinical teams to identify readiness gaps, risks and dependencies, developing clear actions and mitigation plans.
• Coordinating readiness evidence across operational areas including patient pathways, workforce, digital systems, operational policies and business continuity arrangements.
• Providing additional operational management capacity to the Directorate to help maintain service performance whilst preparing for transition.
• Supporting the implementation of new operational processes, service models and ways of working.
• Working with services to improve patient flow, scheduling, access and capacity planning arrangements.
• Supporting safe service continuity during the dual-running period and helping teams manage challenges associated with working across current and future facilities.
• Monitoring performance, readiness milestones and benefits realisation, ensuring issues are escalated appropriately through governance structures.
• Facilitating workshops, operational readiness meetings and engagement activities to support staff through change.

Essential

• Master's degree or equivalent level of specialist knowledge and experience acquired through substantial senior operational practice.
• Evidence of continuing professional development in senior leadership, programme delivery, service improvement or operational management.
• Highly developed specialist knowledge of NHS operational management, governance, performance, service redesign and change methodologies.
• In-depth understanding of cancer pathways, national standards, patient safety, quality improvement and the operating context of specialist cancer services.
• Advanced knowledge of programme controls, including risk, issue, dependency, benefits, resource and financial management.

Desirable

• Recognised project or programme management qualification, such as PRINCE2, MSP or Agile.
• Quality improvement, Lean or equivalent improvement qualification.
• Knowledge of OECI accreditation, peer review and specialist cancer-centre quality systems.
• Knowledge of hospital mobilisation, service transition, commissioning or major estate change.

Essential

• Substantial senior operational management experience within a large, complex healthcare organisation.
• Proven experience of autonomously leading complex, multi-disciplinary and cross-organisational programmes or workstreams to time, quality, cost and outcome.
• Experience of influencing senior clinical and managerial stakeholders, negotiating priorities and resolving contentious delivery issues.
• Experience of interpreting complex performance, workforce, activity, quality and financial information and converting analysis into strategic and operational action.
• Experience of establishing governance, reporting, risk controls, benefits measures and executive assurance for major change.
• Experience of workforce, capacity and resource planning, including appraisal of affordability, efficiency and recurrent consequences.
• Experience of leading teams through uncertainty, resistance, operational pressure and sustained organisational change.

Desirable

• Experience in cancer services or other highly complex, regulated clinical pathways.
• Experience of hospital mobilisation, dual running, service commissioning or post-implementation stabilisation.
• Experience within PMO or formal programme governance and of contributing to accreditation or external assurance.

Essential

• Demonstrable senior leadership presence, sound judgement and the ability to act autonomously within broad organisational objectives.
• Advanced analytical, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, including options appraisal where evidence is incomplete or conflicting.
• Highly developed communication, negotiation and influencing skills, including presentation of sensitive or contentious information to senior audiences.
• Ability to plan and coordinate a broad range of complex, interdependent activities over short-, medium- and long-term horizons.
• Ability to establish credibility, secure commitment and hold senior contributors to account through matrix arrangements.
• Strong financial and commercial awareness, with the ability to assess resource implications, productivity and value.
• Resilient, politically astute and adaptable, with a strong focus on patient safety, quality, delivery and continuous improvement.
• Advanced digital and data literacy, including confident use of dashboards, spreadsheets, reporting and presentation tools.

Essential

• In-depth knowledge of NHS Wales policy, planning, governance, performance and financial frameworks and their application to operational delivery.
• Comprehensive knowledge of service improvement, transformation, programme management and benefits-realisation methodologies.
• Detailed knowledge of cancer pathways, access standards and the quality, safety and operational challenges of specialist cancer services.
• Knowledge of business continuity, mobilisation, organisational change, workforce planning and sustainable implementation.
• Understanding of information governance, equality, Welsh-language, patient involvement and statutory duties relevant to service transformation.
• Understanding of OECI accreditation and designation principles, including governance, multidisciplinary care, quality systems, improvement, learning and evidence requirements.