Operational Manager

NHS; England; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A local healthcare provider in the UK seeks an Operational Manager to oversee day-to-day services at Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The role includes managing clinical and non-clinical staff and ensuring adherence to financial plans and key performance indicators. Candidates should possess significant operational management experience, relevant qualifications, and strong leadership skills. Flexible working options are available. This is a unique opportunity to impact local healthcare positively.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Supportive workplace culture

Qualifications

• Significant operational management experience.
• Significant experience of effective staff management.
• Significant experience of managing a budget.
• Experience of managing clinical incidents.
• Experience of working collaboratively with other disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for day-to-day operational management.
• Work with clinical leads for service quality.
• Respond to and resolve daily issues.
• Manage delegated budget responsibilities.
• Produce project plans for service changes.

Skills

Strong interpersonal and communication skills

Well-developed leadership and influencing skills

Financial, performance, and information management skills

High level of numerical and data analytical skills

Ability to analyse complex problems

Ability to manage deadlines

Knowledge of CQC lines of enquiry

Education

Educated to degree level or equivalent

Leadership Qualification (Level 7) or Equivalent

Management Qualification (Level 7) or Equivalent

Professional Qualification and registration

Job description

Operational Manager

The closing date is 04 January 2026

There is an exciting opportunity to join the Warrington Adult operational management team; you will be reporting to the Head of Service.

The Operational Manager will be responsible for the day‑to‑day running of a portfolio of services across Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. This includes operational management of clinical and non‑clinical staff, management of resources and financial management and achievement of KPIs and outcomes.

Main Duties of the Job

• Responsible for the day‑to‑day efficient and effective operational management of the area, linking appropriately with clinical and multi‑disciplinary staff in all matters affecting the delivery of core services.
• Work with the clinical lead and service manager to ensure clinical skills and skill mix are adequate for each service.
• Respond to daily problems and ensure issues are swiftly resolved; implement longer‑term solutions to issues raised.
• Ensure resources are available to meet service needs, including analysing and managing workforce and space requirements.

About Us

Flexible working will be considered for all roles.

Unfortunately, we do not hold a sponsor licence for working Visas.

At Bridgewater, our PEOPLE values shape how we deliver our NHS services in your local community. They help us deliver our mission to improve local health and promote wellbeing in the communities we serve. After all, values are about people and they were created in partnership with our staff to reflect what they felt was important to them. Here at Bridgewater our shared values flow through the organisation.

• P – Person‑centred: We are passionate about individual needs and promote independence in the healthcare we provide.
• E – Empowered: We empower our people and encourage new ideas to deliver and create improvements in community care.
• O – Open and Honest: We behave in a way that develops relationships based on trust, openness, honesty and respect.
• P – Professional: We support our people, so everyone has the right skills and training to deliver outstanding patient care.
• L – Locally Lead: We are always learning about our communities and show great pride in being a local provider of health and care.
• E – Efficient: We use our resources wisely to provide sustainable and value for money healthcare for our patients.

Job Responsibilities

Job Purpose: Reporting to the Head of Service, the Operational Manager will be responsible for the day‑to‑day running of a portfolio of services across Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, including operational management of clinical and non‑clinical staff, resource management, financial management and achievement of KPIs and outcomes.

Duties and Responsibilities

Operational Management and Clinical Leadership

• Responsible for the day‑to‑day efficient and effective operational management of the area, linking appropriately with clinical and multi‑disciplinary staff in all matters affecting delivery of core services.
• Work with the clinical lead and service manager to ensure clinical skills and skill mix are adequate for each service or pathway.
• Respond to daily problems and ensure issues are swiftly resolved; implement longer‑term solutions.
• Ensure resources are available to meet service needs, including analysing and managing workforce and space requirements.
• Ensure all policies and procedures are adhered to as required by the Trust.
• Manage delegated budget responsibilities, ensuring adherence to agreed budget plans, identifying cost improvement savings and implementing plans to reduce costs safely.
• Produce comprehensive project plans to support implementation of service changes.
• Work with Team Managers to keep budgets up to date and identify changes to budgets as required.
• Ensure services operate within an agreed performance management framework that complements the Trust’s use of key performance indicators across a number of metrics, using service line reporting to capture information timely and accurately.
• Identify cost pressures, service development and cost improvement plans, develop business cases to meet requirements.
• As a member of the management team, contribute to the Business Plan, ensuring staff involvement in line with Trust objectives.
• Promote a positive image of the department both externally and internally.
• Participate in and contribute to Trust‑wide initiatives and projects as appropriate.
• Build effective networks with other departments, working collaboratively to support efficient patient pathways.
• Manage the analysis of data so that management has access to timely and accurate information on all key performance indicators.
• Analyse service data with the Head of Service to monitor activity and referral rates and identify changes or likely changes that may impact the Directorates’ services.
• Participate in the Trust’s on‑call rota.

Operational Delivery

• Work with Team Managers and Clinical Leads to ensure the quality of all services to patients, carers and staff, including management of clinical governance, healthcare standards and risk.
• Ensure policies are designed with staff views in mind and that policies and standards are communicated, implemented and regularly audited for compliance.
• Maximise clinical, operational and performance with actions in place to address underperformance.
• Hold day‑to‑day responsibility for the financial of the services within your portfolio to optimise resource management.
• Identify risk, implement mitigation actions and report significant risks through the Trust governance structure.
• Minimise boundaries and create effective working relationships between services, both internally and externally, to maximise efficiencies and enhance quality and productivity.
• Facilitate effective relationships with key local stakeholders, including local practices, wider partners and the local community.
• Manage staff within the portfolio, including recruitment, appraisal, CPD and performance, working closely with professional leads. Manage day‑to‑day capacity and operational planning (including rota management).
• Ensure services comply with all relevant policies and procedures.
• Provide the Head of Service/Associate Director with timely reports, ensuring reassurance of performance and identifying mitigating actions where required.

Full Job Description and Person Specification attached.

Employment Restrictions

• This is an internal only vacancy for staff employed at Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; please confirm you are currently employed by one of these Trusts.

Experience

• Significant operational management experience
• Significant experience of effective staff management
• Significant experience of managing a budget
• Experience of managing health and safety, diversity and equality issues
• Experience of managing clinical incidents and risk
• Experience of participating in clinical governance initiatives including audit
• Experience of working collaboratively with other disciplines and teams
• Experience of working successfully with partners
• Experience of leading Trust‑wide projects, including proven experience in project management
• Experience of leading a service change

Other

• The ability to travel independently across the Trust
• The ability to work flexibly in accordance with service needs

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or equivalent
• Evidence of continuing education and management development
• Leadership Qualification (Level 7) / or Equivalent
• Management Qualification (Level 7) / or Equivalent
• Professional Qualification and registration

Skills and Knowledge

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Well‑developed leadership and influencing skills with the ability to enthuse, motivate and involve individuals and teams
• Financial, performance and information management skills
• High level of numerical and data analytical skills, including spreadsheets and databases
• Ability to analyse complex problems and develop practical and workable solutions
• Ability to manage and deliver to deadlines and within resources
• Ability to provide accurate and timely information to meet requests from Senior Managers
• Knowledge of confidentiality and data protection
• Ability to prioritise and organise
• Ability to work independently to interpret and implement organisational policies within the portfolio of services managed
• Ability to use initiative and judgement when dealing with complex/risk situations, such as being on call
• Knowledge of CQC lines of enquiry

Sponsorship

• Do you have the right to stay and work in the UK without sponsorship (share‑codes will be checked if applicable).

Relationships

• If you are related to a director, or have a relationship with a director or employee of an appointing organisation, please state the relationship.

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.

Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust