Senior Business Operations Manager

Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, London (Canary wharf) (Core HQ)

Job Summary We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

This role is a senior role within the structure and is responsible for managing the delivery of a full range of business operation services to support the effective working of all staff within the 13 laboratories in the Clinical Network Laboratory Division. The postholder will lead a business support team across the Division to ensure it is able to operate efficiently and effectively working within Civil Service and UKHSA corporate guidelines and governance processes. As delegated by the Deputy Director, the postholder will lead identified workstreams for ensuring the effective recruitment and wider workforce functions are provided to enable the laboratories to deliver the full range of services provided by the Clinical Network Laboratories (CNL) that may also include finance, business planning, risk management, corporate governance, learning and development, business continuity and other appropriate areas to ensure that the resources across the Division are used effectively. The post holder may work with colleagues who are based across the country at different sites and/or who work remotely.

Job Description Divisional Leadership &​ resource management

• Ensure efficient &​ effective delivery of a comprehensive, cross-site &​ cross-functional business management service
• Lead the day-to-day operational delivery of workforce business functions, responsibilities &​ resources, planning &​ managing physical resources
• Effective line management of business management staff.
• Routinely monitor &​ report on staffing levels against the budgeted establishment &​ provide practical advice/support to managers on resourcing options
• Ensure establishment requests are processed in line with strategic direction, national guidance, budget &​ appropriate HR processes. Work closely with HR in delivery &​ implementation of workforce e.g. training, policy briefings, change programmes etc.
• Provide advice &​ support to managers on workforce, through effective liaison with national experts e.g. HR, recruitment, learning &​ development etc.
• Manage end to end business support &​ administration ensuring adherence to governance, flexibility &​ capacity.
• Coordinate the annual appraisal process across the team, providing advice &​ support to managers, monitoring &​ reporting on performance in line with organisational policy.
• Take a strategic lead on/or participate in agreed topic areas or workstreams, including working with relevant national teams, representing the division on national forums.
• Routine monitoring &​ reporting of compliance with statutory &​ mandatory training requirements &​ appraisal returns

Business planning &​ delivery

• Contribute to business plans, business cases &​ options appraisals to support workforce decision making
• Establish and maintain effective office &​ operational systems.
• Support development of KPIs to assess individual &​ work area success.

Financial &​ resource management

• Support teams deliver the Divisional workforce resourcing &​ planning
• Identify &​ implement agreed savings proposals. Work with procurement, Business Development (BD), Finance Business Partner to manage the process for staff contracts, SLA’s, sponsorship &​ other agreements, negotiating &​ managing as appropriate.

Quality, governance &​ risk

• Ensure appropriate systems &​ processes are in place to provide assurance to the Divisional Senior Team on corporate governance matters including workforce, finance, business continuity, risk and health &​ safety.
• Provide leadership &​ support to ensure an efficient &​ cost-effective recruitment CNL service
• Operate effectively in a flexible &​ demanding environment and proactively engage with UKHSA staff &​ external stakeholders.
• Provide &​ receive highly complex, sensitive information, presenting to a wide range of stakeholders including DD &​ Senior colleagues.
• Working with People &​ Workforce group to provide professional advice to the DD &​ Senior Leadership, on the wider recruitment process &​ workforce requirements.

Organisational change

• Support the DD manage &​ deliver Divisional organisational change projects in liaison with HR, Change and Finance. Work on projects which have been commissioned by Senior Leadership.

This list is not exhaustive.

Divisional Leadership &​ resource management

• Ensure efficient &​ effective delivery of a comprehensive, cross-site &​ cross-functional business management service
• Lead the day-to-day operational delivery of workforce business functions, responsibilities &​ resources, planning &​ managing physical resources
• Effective line management of business management staff.
• Routinely monitor &​ report on staffing levels against the budgeted establishment &​ provide practical advice/support to managers on resourcing options
• Ensure establishment requests are processed in line with strategic direction, national guidance, budget &​ appropriate HR processes. Work closely with HR in delivery &​ implementation of workforce e.g. training, policy briefings, change programmes etc.
• Provide advice &​ support to managers on workforce, through effective liaison with national experts e.g. HR, recruitment, learning &​ development etc.
• Manage end to end business support &​ administration ensuring adherence to governance, flexibility &​ capacity.
• Coordinate the annual appraisal process across the team, providing advice &​ support to managers, monitoring &​ reporting on performance in line with organisational policy.
• Take a strategic lead on/or participate in agreed topic areas or workstreams, including working with relevant national teams, representing the division on national forums.
• Routine monitoring &​ reporting of compliance with statutory &​ mandatory training requirements &​ appraisal returns

Business planning &​ delivery

• Contribute to business plans, business cases &​ options appraisals to support workforce decision making
• Establish and maintain effective office &​ operational systems.
• Support development of KPIs to assess individual &​ work area success.

Financial &​ resource management

• Support teams deliver the Divisional workforce resourcing &​ planning
• Identify &​ implement agreed savings proposals. Work with procurement, Business Development (BD), Finance Business Partner to manage the process for staff contracts, SLA’s, sponsorship &​ other agreements, negotiating &​ managing as appropriate.

Quality, governance &​ risk

• Ensure appropriate systems &​ processes are in place to provide assurance to the Divisional Senior Team on corporate governance matters including workforce, finance, business continuity, risk and health &​ safety.
• Provide leadership &​ support to ensure an efficient &​ cost-effective recruitment CNL service
• Operate effectively in a flexible &​ demanding environment and proactively engage with UKHSA staff &​ external stakeholders.
• Provide &​ receive highly complex, sensitive information, presenting to a wide range of stakeholders including DD &​ Senior colleagues.
• Working with People &​ Workforce group to provide professional advice to the DD &​ Senior Leadership, on the wider recruitment process &​ workforce requirements.

Organisational change

• Support the DD manage &​ deliver Divisional organisational change projects in liaison with HR, Change and Finance. Work on projects which have been commissioned by Senior Leadership.

This list is not exhaustive.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Educated to degree level in a business operations subject or equivalent level qualification or significant evidence of experience of working at a similar level in business operations.
• Post-graduate degree in Management Studies or equivalent experience of working at a similar level in business operations.
• Extensive knowledge of business operations, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training in business operations plus further specialist knowledge or experience of business operations to master’s level equivalent.
• Evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development
• Must understand the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and appreciate the implications of this on engagement.
• Should have an appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health and individual provider and commissioning organisations.
• Must be able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups.
• Ability to negotiate on difficult and controversial issues including performance and change.
• Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands.
• Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options.
• Takes decisions on difficult and contentious issues where there may be a number of courses of action.
• Strategic thinking – ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise.
• Demonstrated capability to plan over short, medium and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingl