Senior Manager

Job overview

Our Initial Response Service (IRS) is a centralised, triage-led function designed to provide a single point of access for urgent mental health referrals, bringing together the elements of 111 Mental Health Option, Crisis and Home Treatment pathways. It is responsible for receiving, screening and clinically triaging referrals, ensuring service users are directed to the most appropriate service in a timely and safe manner. The model supports rapid decision making, prioritisation of risk, and coordination of responses, including escalation to face-to-face crisis assessment where indicated. The service aims to reduce duplication across services, and deliver consistent performance against response standard.

As the Initial Response Service (IRS) Manager, you will lead both the operational delivery and strategic development of a high-impact, front-door mental health service, ensuring safe, responsive and effective care for those in urgent need. You will be accountable for delivering consistent performance against national standards while maintaining a relentless focus on quality, safety and patient experience across all aspects of the service.

Main duties of the job

Operationally, you will lead demand and capacity planning, workforce optimisation and pathway redesign, ensuring the service is agile and able to respond to system pressures. You will use performance and activity data to drive improvements in access, flow and outcomes, ensuring the IRS delivers a consistently high standard of care.

You will work as a senior system leader, building strong partnerships across health and social care, and influencing the development of integrated urgent care pathways. Acting as an ambassador for the Trust, you will contribute to system-wide transformation and ensure the IRS plays a central role in delivering the wider mental health agenda.

Alongside this, you will inspire and develop a high-performing workforce, creating a culture where staff feel supported, empowered and accountable. You will ensure robust governance, financial oversight and performance management are in place, delivering a service that is not only efficient and sustainable, but also consistently safe, high-quality and person-centred.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Initial Response Service (IRS) Manager is responsible for the strategic leadership, development and operational delivery of a high-profile, front-door urgent mental health service. The role ensures the service is innovative, responsive and sustainable, aligning with Trust priorities, national policy and wider system transformation.

A central focus of the role is quality, safety and governance, embedding robust clinical governance arrangements, overseeing risk management, and using data, audit and feedback to drive continuous improvement and reduce variation in care. The post holder ensures systems are in place to monitor safety, manage incidents and deliver high standards of care.

The role also includes financial and workforce leadership, ensuring efficient use of resources, delivery of financial plans and development of a high-performing workforce with the right skills and capacity to meet service demand.

Finally, the post holder will operate as a senior system leader, building strong partnerships across health and social care, influencing system-wide service development, and representing the Trust at local, regional and national levels to support integrated, sustainable service delivery