Directorate Manager - Surgical Division

We want talented and enthusiastic people from all backgrounds to join , 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.

Site Mersey and West Lancashire Hospitals (All Trust Sites) Town Whiston, St Helens, Southport and Ormskirk Salary £64,455 - £74,896 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 04/03/: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, and furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e-mails sent to us via 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 Are you passionate about NHS operational management, passionate about delivering effective, safe and efficient services and passionate about service improvements? Then, the Surgical Division here at MWL Trust would you like hear from you.

The Directorate Manager post is a high-profile leadership position within the Surgical Division, responsible for operational delivery of an exciting and dynamic portfolio. We are searching for ambitious senior operational and inspiring leader who is highly motivated and driven to facilitate the delivery of the very best patient experience and outcomes to join the well-established operational team within the Surgical Division at MWL.

This recruitment process will include an assessment centre.

Please note the job description and person specification are subject to AfC review.

Main duties of the job Reporting to the Head of Operations of Operations for Surgery, the post holder will be responsible for the management of Theatre, anaesthetics, Pre-Op, Pain services and Admissions.

The portfolio offers a mix of elective and urgent care and is ideal for someone who wishes to deliver improvement and progress their career on a path towards an operational director role. This is an exciting opportunity to join the team in celebrating their successes and supporting in delivering future ones.

Successful applicants will need to demonstrate substantial management expertise in a complex operational environment and have a proven track record of leadership qualities which have achieved measurable outcomes in performance, quality and patient experience.

Working for our organisation Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 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 Please ensure you have read through the attached Job Description and Person Specification before submitting your application.

Advertising date: 25th February 2026

Proposed Interview date: TBC

Please note, this post may close earlier than advertised if a sufficient number of applications are received.

Person specification Qualifications

• Educated to first degree level and/or equivalent professional qualification / experience

Knowledge & Experience

• Experience of managing a complex operational environment
• Experience of managing at a senior level within healthcare
• Experience of managing a service with competing stakeholders
• Experience of leading and implementing re-design or change management initiatives
• Experience of conducting negotiations
• Experience of undertaking service planning taking into account finance, manpower, contract management, equipment and organisational factors
• Knowledge of the current national and regional strategies and the implications for surgical services
• Previous Theatre/clinical experience, with substantial experience at a Senior Managerial level

Skills

• Ability to listen to others and use critical questioning techniques
• Ability to use Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Email
• Leadership skills which demonstrate the empowerment of individuals and the ability to communicate clearly, motivate and regenerate enthusiasm within staff

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

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

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