Job summary
Are you an experienced operational leader with a passion for service improvement and a drive to deliver outstanding patient care? We are seeking a Senior Operational Manager to lead our maternity services within the CYP & Families Service Group at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust. This is a pivotal role, offering you the opportunity to shape, support, and develop maternity care that is safe, effective, and centered on the needs of women, babies, and families.
Working alongside Heads of Midwifery, Clinical Service Leads, and Matrons, you will be responsible for the non-clinical performance of the maternity service, ensuring it meets strategic goals and operational standards. You will oversee everything from workforce planning and financial management to service development and performance improvement--creating the conditions for excellence to thrive.
This is a highly visible leadership role where your decisions and influence will directly impact the experience of patients and staff. If you are a collaborative and compassionate manager who thrives in a complex, fast-paced environment and wants to make a meaningful difference in women's healthcare, we invite you to join us in this rewarding and vital role.
Main duties of the job
- Provide strategic and operational leadership across maternity services, in collaboration with Heads of Midwifery, Clinical Service Leads (CSLs), Matrons, and multidisciplinary teams.
- Monitor and manage performance against key clinical and non-clinical targets, including RTT, diagnostics, and patient outcomes.
- Oversee day-to-day operations, ensuring workforce, financial, and resource planning meet the service demands.
- Act as a budget holder, ensuring cost-effectiveness and delivery of cost improvement plans.
- Promote and embed a culture of continuous improvement, governance, and compassionate care aligned with Somerset NHS FT values.
- Line manage administrative team leaders, supporting robust supervision, training compliance, and staff engagement.
- Contribute to business planning, policy development, risk management, and service redesign initiatives.
About us
At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer:
- Flexible working options to help you balance work and life
- NHS pension scheme for long-term financial security
- Generous annual leave allowance to recharge and relax
- A strong focus on career development to help you grow and achieve your potential
Additionally, you'll gain access to our Blue Light Card, unlocking exclusive discounts on shopping, dining, and leisure activities, as well as NHS-specific perks to support you both inside and outside of work.
We are proud to foster a diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce, and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.
Why Somerset? Somerset offers the perfect blend of idyllic countryside, outstanding areas of natural beauty, and breathtaking coastlines, with vibrant cities like Bristol, Bath, and Exeter just a short drive away - and only two hours to London.
The region is home to excellent educational facilities, and with affordable housing compared to other parts of the country, it's a great place to build both your career and your future.
Somerset truly has it all - the peaceful countryside and cosmopolitan city life, with something for everyone to enjoy.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Leadership & Culture
- Inspire and lead a culture of clinical excellence, professionalism, and compassionate care.
- Promote the Trust's leadership behaviors, maintaining visibility and support to front-line teams.
- Work collaboratively within the triumvirate structure (Clinical, Operational, and Nursing) to meet performance and governance objectives.
Performance & Governance
- Responsible for regular performance monitoring, analysis, and reporting; attend Trust-wide performance reviews and ensure alignment with KPIs.
- Lead on complaint responses and service-user feedback, using this intelligence to guide service improvement.
Operational Management
- Manage the delivery of daily maternity services, ensuring sufficient staffing, equipment, and infrastructure to meet strategic goals.
- Provide assurance that governance, safety, and patient experience standards are maintained and exceeded.
Financial Accountability
- Hold delegated authority for service budgets (pay and non-pay), up to 5,000 authorization.
- Support the Head of Service in annual financial planning and implementation of cost improvement programmes.
Workforce & Supervision
- Lead on recruitment, workforce planning, training compliance, and staff development across the administrative team.
- Support motivation and wellbeing initiatives, fostering a positive working environment.
Policy & Service Development
- Draft and implement SOPs and service-specific policies.
- Lead the development of business cases in response to service demands or innovation opportunities.
Additional Responsibilities
- Participate in the Trust's manager on-call rota.
- Support Trust-wide or service group projects for continuous professional development.
- Comply with the NHS Code of Conduct for Managers.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Leadership & Culture
- Inspire and lead a culture of clinical excellence, professionalism, and compassionate care.
- Promote the Trust's leadership behaviors, maintaining visibility and support to front-line teams.
- Work collaboratively within the triumvirate structure (Clinical, Operational, and Nursing) to meet performance and governance objectives.
Performance & Governance
- Responsible for regular performance monitoring, analysis, and reporting; attend Trust-wide performance reviews and ensure alignment with KPIs.
- Lead on complaint responses and service-user feedback, using this intelligence to guide service improvement.
Operational Management
- Manage the delivery of daily maternity services, ensuring sufficient staffing, equipment, and infrastructure to meet strategic goals.
- Provide assurance that governance, safety, and patient experience standards are maintained and exceeded.
Financial Accountability
- Hold delegated authority for service budgets (pay and non-pay), up to 5,000 authorization.
- Support the Head of Service in annual financial planning and implementation of cost improvement programmes.
Workforce & Supervision
- Lead on recruitment, workforce planning, training compliance, and staff development across the administrative team.
- Support motivation and wellbeing initiatives, fostering a positive working environment.
Policy & Service Development
- Draft and implement SOPs and service-specific policies.
- Lead the development of business cases in response to service demands or innovation opportunities.
Additional Responsibilities
- Participate in the Trust's manager on-call rota.
- Support Trust-wide or service group projects for continuous professional development.
- Comply with the NHS Code of Conduct for Managers.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to A Level or equivalentEducated to degree level or equivalent experienceEvidence of continuing professional development
Desirable
- Management qualificationProject management qualification (e.g. PRINCE2) or equivalent experience
Experience
Essential
- Operational or clinical service management at middle-management level in a complex organisation, including staff, finance, and change managementExperience producing information and monitoring performance for service improvementExperience analysing data and highlighting variances
Desirable
- Project management experienceExperience leading change programmesExperience working in the NHS, ideally in an acute hospital environment
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Knowledge of national NHS targets (e.g., RTT, diagnostics)Understanding of financial reporting and budget statementsKnowledge of quality assurance processes and applicationAbility to travel independently across the county
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to A Level or equivalentEducated to degree level or equivalent experienceEvidence of continuing professional development
Desirable
- Management qualificationProject management qualification (e.g. PRINCE2) or equivalent experience
Experience
Essential
- Operational or clinical service management at middle-management level in a complex organisation, including staff, finance, and change managementExperience producing information and monitoring performance for service improvementExperience analysing data and highlighting variances
Desirable
- Project management experienceExperience leading change programmesExperience working in the NHS, ideally in an acute hospital environment
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Knowledge of national NHS targets (e.g., RTT, diagnostics)Understanding of financial reporting and budget statementsKnowledge of quality assurance processes and applicationAbility to travel independently across the county
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.
