Job summary
We are looking for a confident and highly capable Senior Business Manager to lead the office of the Group Chief Executive and Chair of the St George's, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group.
The role offers an unique opportunity to work closely with and support the Chief Executive and Chair of developing hospital group and work with senior NHS leaders at a time of unprecedented challenge for our health service - helping the new group to deliver outstanding care for our patients, and driving forward our strategic ambitions.
You will work with a wide range of local and national stakeholders, including local MPs, local authorities, NHS England and Improvement, the CQC and others to help deliver our priorities. Political astuteness and the ability to get to grips quickly and effectively with a complex stakeholder landscape are key. So too is organisational ability. You'll be a key figure in coordinating work across the Group Executive team and supporting the CEO and Chair in meetings internally and externally. You'll be organisationally savvy, able to drive forward the agenda and priorities of the CEO and Chair, identifying and unblocking issues.
You will lead a small team supporting the CEO and Chair and will have significant responsibility and autonomy.
You'll have a passion for the values and principles of the NHS, an interest in the politics of healthcare, a commitment to outstanding care, and bring energy and drive to the role.
Main duties of the job
The Senior Business Manager to the Group Chief Executive Officer and Chair is a critical role at St George's, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group. The postholder is responsible for providing high quality, efficient and proactive support to ensure the Group Chief Executive Officer and Chair is supported to carry out their roles effectively. The role is responsible for ensuring the Group Chief Executive Officer is always prepared and properly briefed for internal and external meetings and other events, including but not limited to meetings with NHS England, South West London Integrated Care Board, the South West London Acute Provider Collaborative, meetings with other external stakeholders, and internal meetings such as Board and management meetings. This will include commissioning work across the Group Executive team and from relevant leads within each of the two Trusts within the Group and preparing PowerPoint presentations and slide decks for the Group Chief Executive Officer.The postholder will ensure there are efficient and robust administrative systems and processes in place to support the work of the Group Chief Executive Officer and Chair, reviewing and strengthening these where appropriate. The postholder will also be responsible for overseeing and coordinating the team of Executive Assistants across the Group, ensuring there is effective cross-cover for the Group Executive Officer and Site management teams at all times.
About us
The St George's, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group is a recently-formed hospital group, comprising St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust, which includes Sutton Health and Care Partnership and Surrey Downs Health and Care Partnership. Sharing a single Chairman, Chief Executive and Executive team, the GESH Group is one of the largest healthcare providers in the country, with a combined annual turnover of around £1.7 billion, 16,000 staff, and serving a population of approximately 3.5 million people across South West London, Surrey, Sussex and beyond. The GESH Group provides a full range of local hospital services across its sites at St George's Hospital in Tooting, Queen Mary Hospital in Roehampton, Epsom Hospital and St Helier Hospital, and provides a range of specialist services from St George's.
As well as leading the new hospital Group, our Group Chief Executive Officer is also the lead Chief Executive for the South West London Acute Provider Collaborative (SWL APC) and, in addition, leads on outpatients across the London Region. The Office of the Chief Executive and Chair is busy and fast-paced and works at the heart of our Group.
This is an exciting time to join the Group in a critical role supporting our Group Chief Executive Officer and Chair as we further develop our Group at a time of significant change and challenge across the NHS and in South West London.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Business management and leadership
- Provide high quality and proactive business management support to the Group Chief Executive and Chair to ensure they can fulfil their functions, lead the group of hospitals effectively, and represent the group in the best possible light, ensuring that the office of the Group Chief Executive and Chair runs smoothly and efficiently, and with appropriate cover, at all times.
- Work across and liaise with members of the Group Executive team, Trust-level senior managers and other senior staff as appropriate, on behalf of the Group Chief Executive to disseminate, follow-up on and progress actions, keeping track of all actions on behalf of the Chief Executive, and working to unblock and resolve key issues.
- Identify and prioritise incoming issues and concerns addressed to the Group Chief Executive and Chair, including those of a sensitive and confidential nature, determining the appropriate course of action, referral or response.
- Ensure all operational, administrative and business management requirements of the office of the Group Chief Executive and Chair are met, and that incoming work and / or issues are effectively and systematically prioritised. This will include maintaining and where necessary putting in place robust business management and administrative processes to ensure that the office operates efficiently and effectively.
- Working with the Executive Assistant to ensure that the Group Chief Executive and Chairs time are used and prioritised effectively. This will include developing a deep and nuanced insight into the priorities of the Group Chief Executive and Chair, the key internal and external stakeholders, and developing a thorough understanding of the rhythm and importance of core meetings and group business.
- Take a lead in coordinating high priority and sensitive meetings on behalf of the Group Chief Executive and Chair, having considerable scope and autonomy in arranging these and proactively thinking through key issues for discussion based on the purpose of the meetings and engaging with the Group Chief Executive and Chair to ensure that the meetings align with their strategic priorities.
- Ensuring the effective and timely implementation of the Group Chief Executive and Chairs priorities.
- Lead and co-ordinate the office of the Group Chief Executive and Chairman, ensuring that there are first class administrative systems and processes in place to support the effective functioning of the office and the wider Group Executive team.
Project management and briefing support
- Take on and deliver project management of priority projects and programmes for the Group Chief Executive.
- Ensure the Group Chief Executive and Chair are fully prepared and briefed prior to attendance at internal and external meetings. This will involve engaging with relevant leads across the organisation to ensure they are fully briefed and have the information needed for all meetings.
- Prepare high quality presentations and reports for the Group Chief Executive for internal and external meetings, including preparing the Group Chief Executives report to the Group Board and Council of Governors. This will include developing a highly attuned understanding of the Group Chief Executive and Chairs priorities and key issues of focus and preparing presentations and reports in a way that encapsulates this.
- Draft high-quality letters and other correspondence on behalf of the Group Chief Executive and Chair to senior stakeholders and external bodies, and quality assure other correspondence for signature by the Group Chief Executive and Chair.
- Commission and produce reports as required, producing documents from a variety of sources (internal and external) and presenting information in a variety of formats.
- Ensure that important issues that have a significant impact on the Group Chief Executive and Chairs roles are brought to their attention. This will include contributing to horizon scanning.
Financial management
- Support the Group Chief Executive and Group Chief Corporate Affairs Officer to ensure that the budget for the Office of the Group Chief Executive and Chair is managed effectively. This includes budget setting and monitoring, working closely with the Group Chief Corporate Affairs Officer.
- Maintain a robust financial planning process for the Office of the Group Chair and Chief Executive.
- Undertake day-to-day management and oversight of the budget of the office of the Group Chief Executive and Chair, including supervising the Executive Assistant to ensure that Purchase Orders are raised, expenses claims are processed, and office equipment and consumables are ordered as necessary.
Staff management
- Lead the office of the Group Chief Executive and Chairman, managing the Executive Assistant, ensuring clear objectives are established, regular one-to-one meetings are held, annual appraisals undertaken and key support and development is agreed and put in place.
- Oversee and manage wider the team of Executive Assistants across the Group to ensure there is effective administrative support to all Group Executive Directors and Site directors. This includes ensuring that there is an effective on-site rota for all Executive Assistants and that there are coordinated plans for managing annual leave. It also includes holding team meetings with EAs, holding regular one-to-one meetings, and, in conjunction with the relevant directors, setting annual objectives and holding appraisals for EAs.
- Leading on the recruitment of Executive Assistants for members of the Executive team, working closely with the Group Chief Corporate Affairs Officer.
- Ensuring that Health Roster records are kept up-to-date and accurate for direct reports and across the Group Executive team.
Representing and being an ambassador for the Group Chief Executive Officer and Chair
- Liaise extensively with delegated authority, on behalf of the Group Chief Executive with clinical and corporate groups across the two Trusts, with partners and other external stakeholders including patients, public and the voluntary sector.
- Engage with patients, clinicians, internal and external stakeholders, demonstrating at all times the values of the group and both Trusts, and engaging in a way that reflects these and the priorities of the Group Chief Executive and Chair.
- Work closely with the Chief Communications and Engagement Officer and team in planning and ensuring timely review of the Group Chief Executives internal and external communications.
- Maintain effective communication channels across the Group Executive Management Team, including with the team of Executive Assistants.
As a manager/supervisor of people at GESH, you must:
- Familiarise yourself with the groups range of health and wellbeing services. Encourage and support staff to look after their health and well-being, including the release of staff to attend health and wellbeing activities and interventions.
- Manage the health and safety of staff, including stress and ill health in accordance with Trust policies, procedures, legislation and best practice, seeking guidance from others where needed.
- Ensure you communicate the organisations purpose and direction. Set clear objectives to enable staff to see how their work contributes to the groups success. Be visible to your team, in person or via electronic tools, listening and respond to the views of team members.
- Provide staff with feedback on their contribution at work, coaching and developing them in their role.
- Appraise your staff regularly, supporting their personal development within the available resources.
- Ensure staff undertake mandatory and statutory learning at intervals detailed in the relevant group policies.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Business management and leadership
- Provide high quality and proactive business management support to the Group Chief Executive and Chair to ensure they can fulfil their functions, lead the group of hospitals effectively, and represent the group in the best possible light, ensuring that the office of the Group Chief Executive and Chair runs smoothly and efficiently, and with appropriate cover, at all times.
- Work across and liaise with members of the Group Executive team, Trust-level senior managers and other senior staff as appropriate, on behalf of the Group Chief Executive to disseminate, follow-up on and progress actions, keeping track of all actions on behalf of the Chief Executive, and working to unblock and resolve key issues.
- Identify and prioritise incoming issues and concerns addressed to the Group Chief Executive and Chair, including those of a sensitive and confidential nature, determining the appropriate course of action, referral or response.
- Ensure all operational, administrative and business management requirements of the office of the Group Chief Executive and Chair are met, and that incoming work and / or issues are effectively and systematically prioritised. This will include maintaining and where necessary putting in place robust business management and administrative processes to ensure that the office operates efficiently and effectively.
- Working with the Executive Assistant to ensure that the Group Chief Executive and Chairs time are used and prioritised effectively. This will include developing a deep and nuanced insight into the priorities of the Group Chief Executive and Chair, the key internal and external stakeholders, and developing a thorough understanding of the rhythm and importance of core meetings and group business.
- Take a lead in coordinating high priority and sensitive meetings on behalf of the Group Chief Executive and Chair, having considerable scope and autonomy in arranging these and proactively thinking through key issues for discussion based on the purpose of the meetings and engaging with the Group Chief Executive and Chair to ensure that the meetings align with their strategic priorities.
- Ensuring the effective and timely implementation of the Group Chief Executive and Chairs priorities.
- Lead and co-ordinate the office of the Group Chief Executive and Chairman, ensuring that there are first class administrative systems and processes in place to support the effective functioning of the office and the wider Group Executive team.
Project management and briefing support
- Take on and deliver project management of priority projects and programmes for the Group Chief Executive.
- Ensure the Group Chief Executive and Chair are fully prepared and briefed prior to attendance at internal and external meetings. This will involve engaging with relevant leads across the organisation to ensure they are fully briefed and have the information needed for all meetings.
- Prepare high quality presentations and reports for the Group Chief Executive for internal and external meetings, including preparing the Group Chief Executives report to the Group Board and Council of Governors. This will include developing a highly attuned understanding of the Group Chief Executive and Chairs priorities and key issues of focus and preparing presentations and reports in a way that encapsulates this.
- Draft high-quality letters and other correspondence on behalf of the Group Chief Executive and Chair to senior stakeholders and external bodies, and quality assure other correspondence for signature by the Group Chief Executive and Chair.
- Commission and produce reports as required, producing documents from a variety of sources (internal and external) and presenting information in a variety of formats.
- Ensure that important issues that have a significant impact on the Group Chief Executive and Chairs roles are brought to their attention. This will include contributing to horizon scanning.
Financial management
- Support the Group Chief Executive and Group Chief Corporate Affairs Officer to ensure that the budget for the Office of the Group Chief Executive and Chair is managed effectively. This includes budget setting and monitoring, working closely with the Group Chief Corporate Affairs Officer.
- Maintain a robust financial planning process for the Office of the Group Chair and Chief Executive.
- Undertake day-to-day management and oversight of the budget of the office of the Group Chief Executive and Chair, including supervising the Executive Assistant to ensure that Purchase Orders are raised, expenses claims are processed, and office equipment and consumables are ordered as necessary.
Staff management
- Lead the office of the Group Chief Executive and Chairman, managing the Executive Assistant, ensuring clear objectives are established, regular one-to-one meetings are held, annual appraisals undertaken and key support and development is agreed and put in place.
- Oversee and manage wider the team of Executive Assistants across the Group to ensure there is effective administrative support to all Group Executive Directors and Site directors. This includes ensuring that there is an effective on-site rota for all Executive Assistants and that there are coordinated plans for managing annual leave. It also includes holding team meetings with EAs, holding regular one-to-one meetings, and, in conjunction with the relevant directors, setting annual objectives and holding appraisals for EAs.
- Leading on the recruitment of Executive Assistants for members of the Executive team, working closely with the Group Chief Corporate Affairs Officer.
- Ensuring that Health Roster records are kept up-to-date and accurate for direct reports and across the Group Executive team.
Representing and being an ambassador for the Group Chief Executive Officer and Chair
- Liaise extensively with delegated authority, on behalf of the Group Chief Executive with clinical and corporate groups across the two Trusts, with partners and other external stakeholders including patients, public and the voluntary sector.
- Engage with patients, clinicians, internal and external stakeholders, demonstrating at all times the values of the group and both Trusts, and engaging in a way that reflects these and the priorities of the Group Chief Executive and Chair.
- Work closely with the Chief Communications and Engagement Officer and team in planning and ensuring timely review of the Group Chief Executives internal and external communications.
- Maintain effective communication channels across the Group Executive Management Team, including with the team of Executive Assistants.
As a manager/supervisor of people at GESH, you must:
- Familiarise yourself with the groups range of health and wellbeing services. Encourage and support staff to look after their health and well-being, including the release of staff to attend health and wellbeing activities and interventions.
- Manage the health and safety of staff, including stress and ill health in accordance with Trust policies, procedures, legislation and best practice, seeking guidance from others where needed.
- Ensure you communicate the organisations purpose and direction. Set clear objectives to enable staff to see how their work contributes to the groups success. Be visible to your team, in person or via electronic tools, listening and respond to the views of team members.
- Provide staff with feedback on their contribution at work, coaching and developing them in their role.
- Appraise your staff regularly, supporting their personal development within the available resources.
- Ensure staff undertake mandatory and statutory learning at intervals detailed in the relevant group policies.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level or equivalent qualification or substantial relevant experience working in a role supporting a Chief Executive
- Evidence of continuing professional development.
Desirable
- Educated to Masters level or equivalent relevant experience
- Project or programme management qualification
Experience
Essential
- Substantial experience working as a business manager, private secretary, chief of staff or similar role to a Chief Executive and / or Chair (3 years' experience or more)
- Experience of working in a large and complex organisation in a similar role
- Experience of drafting high quality and accessible reports for or on behalf of the Group Chief Executive
- Experience of preparing high quality and engaging slide presentations for the Group Chief Executive for use at external and internal events and meetings, including with important stakeholder organisations.
- Experience of taking high quality, accurate and timely minutes of meetings
- Experience of working with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders and a successful track record of influence and engagement
- Significant experience of managing and motivating teams and individual members of staff
- Experience of managing budgets
- Experience of project and information management
Desirable
- Experience of working in the NHS and understanding of key issues affecting the health service
- Experience of engaging with corporate governance principles and processes
Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- Understanding of current issues and challenges affecting the NHS and the as a whole, and NHS providers specifically
- Ability to establish credibility quickly at all levels of the organisation
- Excellent customer service skills, including the ability to act with tact and diplomacy
- Outstanding influencing and negotiation skills
- Highly collaborative approach with the ability to build strong working relationships with staff at all levels and with external partners
- Ability to assimilate and analyse a wide range of complex information quickly and make recommendations
- Ability to think quickly, and respond to situations, identifying risks and proposing solutions and strategies
- Ability to work under pressure and to deliver results and high quality work to tight deadlines through effective time management, focus and prioritisation
- Ability to offer constructive and well thought out challenge to the Group Chief Executive Officer and Chair in order to support them effectively
- Excellent IT skills
- Ability to convey highly complex/sensitive information and cope with distressing and emotional situations in a sympathetic and understanding manner where there may be barriers to barriers to acceptance
- Ability to offer constructive and well thought through challenge to the Chief Executive and Chair in order to support them effectively
Desirable
- Experience of using electronic applications for the dissemination of papers for meetings
Autonomy
Essential
- Credible and able to function on behalf of the Group Chief Executive Officer as required
- Ability to analyse and interpret independently national policy developments and stakeholder developments and consider the implications of these on behalf of the Group Chief Executive Officer
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Excellent inter-personal skills
- Excellent oral and written communication skills and personal presentation skills, particularly in relation to high quality report writing and minute taking
- Ability to maintain a very high level of confidentiality and trust
- Excellent organisational, planning and time management skills, enabling working on own initiative and prioritising workloads
- Commitment and passion for creating an open, transparent organisational culture, including instilling organisational values and behaviours, and commitment to openness, honesty and integrity
- Ability to use a range of personal styles to suit different situations as appropriate
- Resilience, comfortable giving and receiving frequent professional challenge
- Results-oriented and high level of drive for performance and improvement
- Flexibility in approach and attitude
- Ability to be intellectually flexible and to look beyond existing structures, ways of working, boundaries and organisations, to produce more effective and innovative service delivery and partnerships
- A commitment to improving the quality of patient care
- Ability to travel between sites across the Group and attend meetings as needed
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to degree level or equivalent qualification or substantial relevant experience working in a role supporting a Chief Executive
- Evidence of continuing professional development.
Desirable
- Educated to Masters level or equivalent relevant experience
- Project or programme management qualification
Experience
Essential
- Substantial experience working as a business manager, private secretary, chief of staff or similar role to a Chief Executive and / or Chair (3 years' experience or more)
- Experience of working in a large and complex organisation in a similar role
- Experience of drafting high quality and accessible reports for or on behalf of the Group Chief Executive
- Experience of preparing high quality and engaging slide presentations for the Group Chief Executive for use at external and internal events and meetings, including with important stakeholder organisations.
- Experience of taking high quality, accurate and timely minutes of meetings
- Experience of working with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders and a successful track record of influence and engagement
- Significant experience of managing and motivating teams and individual members of staff
- Experience of managing budgets
- Experience of project and information management
Desirable
- Experience of working in the NHS and understanding of key issues affecting the health service
- Experience of engaging with corporate governance principles and processes
Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- Understanding of current issues and challenges affecting the NHS and the as a whole, and NHS providers specifically
- Ability to establish credibility quickly at all levels of the organisation
- Excellent customer service skills, including the ability to act with tact and diplomacy
- Outstanding influencing and negotiation skills
- Highly collaborative approach with the ability to build strong working relationships with staff at all levels and with external partners
- Ability to assimilate and analyse a wide range of complex information quickly and make recommendations
- Ability to think quickly, and respond to situations, identifying risks and proposing solutions and strategies
- Ability to work under pressure and to deliver results and high quality work to tight deadlines through effective time management, focus and prioritisation
- Ability to offer constructive and well thought out challenge to the Group Chief Executive Officer and Chair in order to support them effectively
- Excellent IT skills
- Ability to convey highly complex/sensitive information and cope with distressing and emotional situations in a sympathetic and understanding manner where there may be barriers to barriers to acceptance
- Ability to offer constructive and well thought through challenge to the Chief Executive and Chair in order to support them effectively
Desirable
- Experience of using electronic applications for the dissemination of papers for meetings
Autonomy
Essential
- Credible and able to function on behalf of the Group Chief Executive Officer as required
- Ability to analyse and interpret independently national policy developments and stakeholder developments and consider the implications of these on behalf of the Group Chief Executive Officer
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Excellent inter-personal skills
- Excellent oral and written communication skills and personal presentation skills, particularly in relation to high quality report writing and minute taking
- Ability to maintain a very high level of confidentiality and trust
- Excellent organisational, planning and time management skills, enabling working on own initiative and prioritising workloads
- Commitment and passion for creating an open, transparent organisational culture, including instilling organisational values and behaviours, and commitment to openness, honesty and integrity
- Ability to use a range of personal styles to suit different situations as appropriate
- Resilience, comfortable giving and receiving frequent professional challenge
- Results-oriented and high level of drive for performance and improvement
- Flexibility in approach and attitude
- Ability to be intellectually flexible and to look beyond existing structures, ways of working, boundaries and organisations, to produce more effective and innovative service delivery and partnerships
- A commitment to improving the quality of patient care
- Ability to travel between sites across the Group and attend meetings as needed
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.
