Deputy Operations Manager

Urgent treatment centres Management qualification Employer heading Deputy Operations Manager Band 8a Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS hospital trusts in the country. We have around 16,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.7 billion. With strong history of providing high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation regionally, nationally and internationally, we’re in the top five providers of specialised health services in the country. As well as providing a wide range of hospital and community services, we support people with a range of rare and complex medical, surgical and neurological conditions, cancers and genetic orders. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and recognise the benefit in providing an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, and is equipped to deliver the best service to our patients. We welcome all applications irrespective of people’s race, disability, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups. Newcastle Hospitals are proud to be one of the exemplar organisations across the NHS on sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and the first healthcare organisation in the world to declare a climate emergency. Our strategy includes commitments to being Net Zero by 2030, for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our footprint plus. Delivering these ambitions will not be possible without the help, support and action of every single member of our team. Job Overview An exciting opportunity has arisen for a suitably qualified individual to become the new Blood Sciences Deputy Operations Manager in a state of the art laboratory setting. Blood Sciences has state of the art laboratory facilities and IT equipment which plays a pivotal role in the provision of approximately 11 million diagnostic tests per year which is essential for the delivery of high-quality clinical care. Extensive services are offered to all Directorates within the Trust and Primary Care, whilst being a regional and national reference laboratory for other Trusts. The department is UKAS accredited and is housed at both Freeman Hospital and Royal Victoria Infirmary. The laboratory is progressive and well equipped and is accredited for training, with participation in CPD being actively encouraged. Interview Date: 30 September 2026 37 hours 30 minutes/week NO AGENCIES PLEASE Main duties of the job As the Deputy Operations Manager for Blood Sciences, you will be responsible for the day-to-day operational activities within Blood Sciences to ensure the smooth running of the Department on your site. The role will include management of facilities and associated staff, including reorganisation in the face of unexpected situations. You will also be expected to deputise for the Operational Site Manager on occasions. The role will initially be based at the Freeman Hospital, with cross-site working being an essential part of the role. Working for our organisation As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you. With around 2 million contacts with patients every year, we deliver care from: Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) Freeman Hospital Newcastle Dental Hospital Cramlington Manor Walks Urgent treatment centres Newcastle Fertility Centre Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria Northern Genetics Service These include a range of flagship services which deliver cutting-edge care (supported by state-of-the-art diagnostic services in both radiology and pathology) and are a catalyst for innovation to support pioneering clinical practice in the NHS. We also have offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and community sites. Please see attached information on what Staff Benefits we have to offer at our Trust under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’. For further information on The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust please visit: Careers | Newcastle Hospitals | NHS | Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities The Department of Blood Sciences is comprised of Clinical Biochemistry, Haematology/Blood Transfusion and Immunology. The Blood Sciences Department is located at both the Freeman and RVI hospital sites whilst providing a service to the whole Trust and to Primary Care as well as being a regional and national reference laboratory for other Trusts. The post holder will manage all technical staff in Blood Sciences (Senior BMS, BMS, Trainee BMS, Associate Practitioners, Senior Healthcare Science Assistants, Healthcare Science Assistants (HCSA) and clerical staff). The post holder is responsible for the provision of an effective scientific service within the Blood Sciences Department, to The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, General Practitioners, other NHS Trusts and other users of the service. This will involve using highly developed knowledge and organisational skills and the post holder will be the lead specialist in that field (shown in the organisation chart). To provide specialised scientific knowledge and to work as a member of the team to assess, plan and contribute to the provision of a specialised service. Routinely operate laboratory equipment, including microscopy where necessary, reporting all appropriate specimens and referring any abnormalities on for medical opinion. To provide a patient focussed service in relevant wards and clinics. This involves capillary or venous phlebotomy services and providing a near patient testing service so that immediate results are issued for action by clinical staff. To ensure laboratory diagnostic tests and procedures – including those on "High Risk" specimens – are performed accurately and efficiently and judgement used in determining if further tests / procedures are necessary. To use advanced levels of knowledge and experience to coordinate activity in all laboratory and point of care areas whilst directing other staff members. To assess all blood and body fluid samples and report all cases not requiring medical opinion. To undertake internal and external quality control of all aspects of the Blood Sciences test repertoire to ensure highest quality of service from all performed tests. To ensure laboratory diagnostic tests and procedures are performed accurately and efficiently and results validated macroscopically and microscopically and judgement used in determining if further tests/procedures are necessary. To ensure that the performance of laboratory equipment within the section complies with standards and in the event of failure or mal‑function takes prompt and appropriate action to ensure continued running of the section. To ensure that Blood Sciences conforms to all internally and externally defined quality standards. To work in compliance with local health and safety rules to ensure a safe working environment for you, colleagues and visitors. To adhere to department and Trust Health and Safety policies (including COSHH, Risk assessments and Standard Operating Procedures) and to report any non-compliances. Person specification Qualifications Essential criteria Accredited Degree Registration with Health and Care Professions Council Further specialist qualification (Fellowship of Institute of Biomedical Science/Masters degree) Desirable criteria Management qualification Skills Essential criteria Evidence of effective leadership skills Strong analytical, organisational and planning skills Able to understand complex problems quickly and to identify workable solutions Evidence of effective team building skills Ability to multitask Good hand eye co-ordination Desirable criteria Keyboard and IT related skills KNOWLEDGE, TRAINING And EXPERIENCE Essential criteria Previous experience in a Senior BMS role with supervisory responsibilities in a Blood Sciences related discipline Extensive experience and in depth specialist knowledge of Clinical Biochemistry, Haematology or Immunology Broad experience of all the main sections of a Blood Sciences related discipline Promote and partake in Continuous Professional Development Firm understanding of UKAS accreditation requirements Experience of implementing automation in Blood Sciences Experience of writing SOPs Experience of quality issues in Blood Sciences (Audit, EQA & IQC) Practical experience of management Experience in training Working knowledge of Health & Safety issues Experience of problem solving and maintaining and trouble shooting equipment Sound working knowledge of the Data Protection Act Desirable criteria Experience of dealing with grievance procedures Experience of Appraisal system Experience of stock control Experience of and training in undertaking staff appraisals Important note on completion of reference section of Application Form All references from current and previous employers will be sought and must cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current/previous line managers that cover 3 years employment. Failure to complete this section may result in your application not being processed. Please note it is a requirement of The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who require a DBS for the post they have been offered pay for their DBS certificate. The method of payment is a salary deduction from your first month’s pay. Candidates who are shortlisted for interview will be contacted by e‑mail. You should check your SPAM folders as well as your inbox. If you have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date you should assume your application has been unsuccessful. Applicant requirements You must have appropriate UK professional registration. Documents to download Job description (PDF, 176.4KB) Person specification (PDF, 529.9KB) Newcastle Staff Benefits (PDF, 274.4KB) Behaviour and Civility Charter (PDF, 93.8KB) Further details / informal visits contact Name John Hardy Job title Laboratory Manager Email address View email address on click.appcast.io Telephone number 01912231687 #J-18808-Ljbffr