Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity for a motivated & dynamic individual to develop their operational leadership & management experience within the NHS.

North East Essex Diabetes Service (NEEDS) is an award-winning specialist service comprising diabetes consultants, specialist diabetes practitioners & a dedicated admin team. Supporting approx. 27,000 people across North East Essex, we deliver specialist diabetes clinics, structured education programmes & multidisciplinary services. Working closely with primary care & partner organisations, we are committed to service improvement, education & high-quality patient-centred care.

As Service Manager, you will support the daily operational delivery of the service, working closely with the Operational Coordinator, Clinical Lead & wider multidisciplinary team. You will play a key role in driving service performance, service improvement & innovation, helping to ensure the service continues to meet the needs of patients & stakeholders.

You will lead on monitoring activity & performance across the service, proactively identifying risks, pressures & opportunities for improvement. Working collaboratively with clinical and operational colleagues, you will support the development, implementation & monitoring of action plans, including quality improvement initiatives.

Internal applicants will be offered on a secondment basis only & must discuss this with their current line manager before applying.

Proposed Interview date: 21st October 2026

Main duties of the job

To deliver an efficient and effective administrative service throughout the patient pathway of care by effective management of the administration staff.

To support the Division in the achievement of its financial performance and operational objectives, ensuring workforce, accommodation and equipment resources are optimised.

To undertake projects for the Division as required.

Act as a champion for patient safety, operational effectiveness and quality

Work in partnership with colleagues across the Trust to drive the achievement of the Trust's corporate goals and business plan, including the achievement of all the relevant clinical specialties performance standards incorporating quality, safety, contractual, financial and people.

Act as an ambassador for the Trust, ensuring the positive development of the Trust brand, championing the Trust'svalues and ensuring the recognition of the Trust in providing exceptional healthcare for patients.

About us

We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes.

We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.

We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.

Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.

We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what's widely regarded as the world's best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.

Find out about living and working here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkPu7HphU8A