Senior Service Improvement Manager

Job details

• Job reference: 253679
• Salary: Band 8A (£65,125 - £70,303)
• Job closing date: 26/08/2026
• Job Type: Senior Managers
• Location: Forth Valley Royal Hospital
• Employment type: Fixed-term or Secondment
• Hours Per Week: 36
• Job posted date: 12/08/2026
• Employer (NHS Board): NHS Forth Valley
• Department: Urgent & Unscheduled Care

Fixed term/Secondment opportunity for 12 months to improve service delivery.

*Secondment Opportunity – Existing permanent employees must first discuss this opportunity with their substantive line manager and complete the secondment request form prior to interview. The secondment request form and the associated secondment policy can be found on the HR/Recruitment intranet pages and must be completed and signed by the substantive line manager. The Candidate should then take it with them to interview as confirmation that an agreement has been granted.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Service Improvement Manager to join the Emergency Care and Inpatients Directorate, supporting the delivery of key urgent and unscheduled care priorities across NHS Forth Valley. This post will play a central role in leading, coordinating and supporting a complex programme of improvement across acute services, community services, Health and Social Care Partnerships, Primary Care, the Scottish Ambulance Service and third sector partners.

The successful candidate will provide senior improvement leadership across the urgent and unscheduled care pathway, supporting delivery of local and national priorities including flow, access standards, Discharge Without Delay and whole-system service redesign. Working closely with senior clinical, operational and partner teams, the post holder will support the development, implementation and evaluation of sustainable service improvements that improve patient experience, safety, quality and performance.

We are looking for an experienced, credible and highly motivated individual with strong leadership, programme management and improvement skills. You will be confident working across organisational and professional boundaries, able to influence and support senior stakeholders, and comfortable using complex data and performance information to inform decision-making and drive improvement. Experience of working within urgent and unscheduled care, clinical services or a complex health and care environment would be beneficial.

This is a varied and influential role requiring autonomy, judgement, resilience and the ability to manage competing priorities within a fast-moving operational environment. The post holder will support governance, assurance and reporting arrangements, facilitate collaborative improvement activity and contribute to building improvement capability across the system.

Applicants interested in applying as a secondment must discuss this with, and obtain approval from, their substantive line manager before submitting an application.

This is not a hybrid role and will require on-site working across NHS Forth Valley as required.

The duties of this post require the successful candidate to complete a Level 2 Disclosure Scotland check.

Information enquiries; Deborah Lynch, Programme Manager for Unscheduled Care deborah.lynch@nhs.scot

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applicants who require sponsorship to work in the UK are advised to carefully review the eligibility criteria for the Skilled Worker or Health and Care Worker visa routes. NHS Forth Valley may be able to offer sponsorship for certain roles, provided the post meets the minimum salary threshold and any other required criteria. If you are currently working in the UK on a Skilled Worker visa, transitional arrangements may apply. Please note that sponsorship is not guaranteed and is assessed on a case-by-case basis following interview and at the commencement of pre-employment checks. For further information on visa requirements and sponsorship eligibility, please refer to the UK Government guidance.

It is also recommend that anyone applying for health and social care jobs in the UK from abroad read the following guidance: Applying for health and social care jobs in the UK from abroad - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Candidates should provide original and authentic responses to all questions within the application form. The use of artificial intelligence (AI), automated tools, or other third-party assistance to generate, draft, or significantly modify responses is strongly discouraged. By submitting your application, you confirm that all answers are your own work, reflect your personal knowledge, skills and experience, and have not been solely produced or altered by AI or similar technologies. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in your application being withdrawn from the application process.

Please note that the majority of correspondence is sent by e-mail, therefore please check your e-mail regularly (including junk folders) and your Jobtrain account for updates.

NHS Forth Valley is positive about disabled people and is committed to offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job. Please contact the Recruitment Office on 0330 041 4694 if there are any reasonable adjustments we can make to assist you with your application and/or interview.