Divisional General Manager

Job overview

Are you ready to lead transformational change in elective care and cancer services? Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is seeking an exceptional, dynamic senior leader to join us as Divisional General Manager, driving performance improvement and innovation across our elective and cancer pathways.

You’ll bring expertise in performance, financial and staff management, and service redesign - driving improvements that truly matter. Strong analytical, negotiation, and communication skills will enable you to influence and inspire at every level will help you deliver results in complex environments.

Why join us?

We are proud to deliver excellent patient access performance in cancer, ranking in the upper decline nationally for both Cancer and RTT. In addition, having the shortest waiting times in the West Midlands for incomplete RTT, but we know there’s more to do. With RTT and cancer performance under intense national scrutiny, this is a pivotal opportunity to make a measurable impact on patient care and experience. You’ll be at the heart of shaping strategy, delivering NHS constitutional standards, and ensuring sustainable improvement.

Main duties of the job

About the role

Reporting to the Deputy Chief Operating Officer, you will act as the Trust’s subject matter expert for elective access, leading the Outpatient and Access departments and overseeing the Cancer Services team. Your remit will include:

• Driving delivery of RTT and cancer targets across the Trust.
• Leading transformation projects to improve outpatient productivity and patient pathways.
• Representing the Trust at regional and national forums (e.g. GIRFT, ICB Elective Board, Access Networks).
• Overseeing demand and capacity modelling, digital booking systems, and performance improvement plans.
• Managing budgets and leading multidisciplinary teams to achieve efficiency and quality goals.

What we’re looking for

• Proven senior NHS management experience with in-depth knowledge of elective care and cancer standards.
• Expertise in performance, financial and staff management, and service redesign.
• Strong analytical, negotiation, and communication skills to influence at all levels.
• A flexible, resilient leader who thrives under pressure and can deliver results in a complex environment.
• Master’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Responsible for supporting the delivery of key access targets across all services, this includes Referral to Treatment and Cancer.

Development and delivery of transformation / improvement projects, in line with Trust efficiency plan associated with outpatient and access services.

Participate in digital transformation projects, taking the lead with the National Electronic Booking System and Trust’s patient management systems (e.g. Care Flow, Somerset)

Identifying and managing the risks associated with performance targets at both local and corporate levels. This includes writing comprehensive improvement plans to achieve and sustain performance mitigating risks.

Responsible for the development and implementation of policies and processes to ensure the Trust delivers performance standards as per Department of Health Guidelines and local Trusts guidanceUse expert knowledge to establish and embed patient pathways ensuring optimum treatment and waiting times, for Referral to Treatment and Cancer.

To undertake and oversee work to improve access performance across the trust, making full use of available information, tools and methodologies, for example, demand and capacity. Trajectory and modelling tools are developed and monitored in line with the Trusts key strategic objectives.

As the designated Trust lead the responsibility for the overall operational management, escalation and performance of the Referral to Treatment and Cancer.

Responsible for ensuring National policy is interpreted into Trust guidance and policy for the management of Referral to Treatment and Cancer standards.

Responsible for the professional and operational management of the Cancer Team, Referral to Treatment (RTT) Validators, Access Teams (including outpatient, inpatient and outpatient reception teams), to ensure robust data collection, validation and reporting both internally and externally. Identified budget holder for several departments.

To compile, analyse, interpret and present complex data to internal and external stakeholders, presenting solutions and developing plans to address under performance. This data would include complex performance data, health inequalities and clinical outcomes as required. Producing reports and business cases as necessary.

To be responsible for the development of patient pathways, quality and experience; whilst working collaboratively with general managers, service managers and clinical colleagues.

Lead in collaboration with Trust Colleagues to identify efficiency schemes connected to the Trust Outpatient Transformation Programme.

As a Senior Manager within the Trust, you will be required to participate on the Trust’s on-call rota (this includes weekend on site working).

To lead on and undertake any other duties/tasks at the request of the Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Division of Surgery

To deputise and lead for the Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Trust, Regional and National level performance meetings where required.

To ensure that governance and risk processes are in place in line with the Trust overall policy.

Participate in the Trust’s annual appraisal system designed to identify objectives and personal development opportunities.

Ensure that all mandatory training is up to date .

The post holder will be responsible for continually maintaining their working knowledge of local practices, policies and procedures and highlight ongoing training and development needs to their manager.

Applicant requirements

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.