Directorate Manager - Cancer Services and CDC

Merseywestlancs; Chorley; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare organization in England is seeking a Directorate Manager for Cancer Services and CDC. This role involves leading oncology services, contributing to the development and sustainability of cancer care. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in operational management within healthcare, coupled with a strong educational background, including a degree and postgraduate qualifications. The organization offers full-time employment with a salary range of £64,455 - £74,896 per annum and a commitment to flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Generous pension scheme

Employee of the month recognition

27 days annual leave (pro rata)

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level and/or equivalent qualification.
• Significant current experience of complex operational management in a healthcare setting.
• NMC Registered or substantial management experience within an acute general hospital.

Responsibilities

• Lead on the sustainability and expansion of oncology outpatient services.
• Provide expert advice on service development.
• Support the cancer manager in the long-term development of the Trust’s strategic vision.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Performance Management

Operational Management

Education

Degree level education

Postgraduate qualification in health service management

Job description

We want talented and enthusiastic people from all backgrounds to join #TeamMWL, with us you can learn, grow and develop yourself and your career, realising your true ambitions and aspirations.

Whatever you’re looking for in your career, you’ll find it here at MWL.

Directorate Manager - Cancer Services and CDC

NHS AfC: Band 8b

Main area Administrative and Clerical Grade NHS AfC: Band 8b Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (The postholder will participate in the operational on-call rota) Job ref 409-S7559225

Site St Helens Hospital Town St Helens Salary £64,455 - £74,896 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 18/01/2026 23:59

After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred Third-party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website. By applying for this post you are agreeing to "name of trust" transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are appointed to a post information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Job overview

This is a rare but exciting development opportunity for an experienced and enthusiastic manager to join a dynamic and progressive team that provides excellence in cancer care.

The post will provide a unique opportunity for someone with a genuine interest and experience in developing and managing cancer and clinical diagnostic services. The post holder will lead on the sustainability and expansion of oncology outpatient and chemotherapy services, the delivery of Macmillan information and support across MWL, support the Trust outpatient optimisation programme (PSSMFU), and support tumour-site specific services around cancer performance. This will be delivered through working with colleagues within the Trust and across the Cheshire and Merseyside Cancer Alliance.

The successful applicant will have in-depth knowledge of the national cancer strategy and how this translates to the regional and local delivery of services, particularly how it interacts with the CDC and to that end, be influential in ensuring that cancer pathways are prioritised in the CDC. They will be influential in development of cancer care services and CDC pathways within the Trust, effectively supporting the clinical teams to deliver an ambitious vision.

We are looking for someone with a highly organised, yet flexible approach to work who possesses excellent clinical and interpersonal skills.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide expert advice on service development ensuring achievement of the national and local agenda with regard to cancer. The post holder will support the cancer manager and Macmillan lead cancer nurse on the long‑term development of the Trust’s strategic vision within Cancer Services and promote excellence in:

• Performance Management
• Demand and Capacity Management
• Leadership, Engagement and Ownership
• Collection, analysis and use of data
• Implementation of re‑design pathways
• Workforce development and skill mix
• Team work

This is an integral part of the Cancer Services team and a component of the wider CSS care group structure that supports development of the Trust Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC). The post holder is responsible for providing senior leadership and operational management oversight of a range of cancer services, including the oncology outpatients’ service, Lilac Centre Day‑Case unit and the Macmillan Cancer Information and Support Service.

Working for our organisation

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9,000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.

Our Services:

• Acute Care – Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
• Primary Care – Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
• Community Services – Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
• Specialist Regional Services – We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements:

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main duties encompassing the following:

• Performance Management
• Demand and Capacity Management
• Leadership, Engagement and Ownership
• Collection, analysis and use of data
• Implementation of re‑design pathways
• Workforce development and skill mix
• Team work

See attached job description for full details.

Advertised 23rd December 2025
Advert Closes 18th January 2026
Shortlisting w/c 19th January 2026
Interview date to be confirmed w/c 2nd February

Person specification

Our Values

• We are Kind
• We are Open
• We are Inclusive

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level and/or equivalent qualification and/or equivalent experience
• NMC Registered or substantial management/patient flow experience within an acute general hospital
• Post graduate qualification in health service management and/or equivalent qualification and experience
• Master’s degree and/or equivalent qualification and experience

Knowledge, Experience and Skills

• Significant current experience of complex operational management in a healthcare setting
• A demonstrable capacity and capability for operational service management in an acute hospital environment or similarly complex organisation, including staff management, financial management and change management
• Demonstrate highly effective, credible leadership experience within the acute hospital setting
• Intermediate IT skills qualification in Microsoft Word and Excel processing
• Ability to undertake analysis of capacity and demand in relation to waiting lists and inpatient length of stay
• Comprehensive knowledge of planned/unplanned care activities/practice
• Ability to lead and manage all grades of staff within Directorates
• Ability to communicate confidently and assertively, both written form and verbally, formally and informally to a wide range of audiences, both internal and external to the Trust
• Previous NHS experience within acute hospital setting at a senior managerial level
• Service improvement tools and project planning

Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. MWL is an exciting and forward‑thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England.

Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications to work for us, please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.

The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under‑represented groups.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.

If you are having difficulty completing an online application, or require any disability reasonable adjustments, to the application process, please contact [e-mail]

We also commit to offering an interview to all armed forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.

The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal details are shared with the recruiting manager. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision‑making process.

The equality monitoring information you provide is used in the following situations: to review our recruitment practices; where a job is limited to a specific person to verify their eligibility to apply; and to offer disability reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click here to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorship.

eVisa Update

For successful candidates on selected work and study visa routes, who have completed and paid for their applications will no longer receive a visa vignette in passport as evidence of their permission to enter the UK.

Instead, you will be issued with an eVisa only, which is accessed by creating a UKVI account.

Before travelling to the UK, we advise applicants to:

• Understand how to generate an eVisa share code

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

If this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 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.

Please note if applicable, applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment.

If you have not already done so, you are therefore encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service to which a small annual fee of £13 per year applies.

Flexible Working

We actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that:

• All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.
• There is no limit on the number of requests they can make.
• Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason.

At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to also discuss flexible working options at interview stage.

Working for Team MWL

Staff recognition is especially important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Employee of the month. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

The Trust is a non-smoking across all our sites. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disciplinary action. For more information, see the Smoke Free NHS website.

You must ensure that your application, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated and will check all applications against AI detection software.

Additional Information

Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trust’s Values and Behaviours which are We are KIND, We are OPEN, We are INCLUSIVE, which can be found here.

An applicant guide to help and support you with your application and what to expect during your recruitment journey can be accessed in the supporting documents.

Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.