Job summary

Can you bring calm, clarity and connection when health services are under pressure?

As a Senior Manager in Central East's System Coordination Centre (SCC), you will help turn a complex, changing operational picture into coordinated action that supports safe patient care.

Working with Trusts across Central East, you will bring partners together to understand pressures, tackle barriers to patient flow and agree practical responses. From ambulance handover delays to hospital capacity and discharge challenges, your work will connect individual services with the wider system response.

We are looking for someone who combines sound operational judgement with excellent relationship skills. You will be able to interpret information, ask the right questions and influence action while remaining calm and solution-focused.

Alongside managing today's pressures, you will help us anticipate tomorrow's challenges using data, learning and forecasting to strengthen preparedness and improve how the SCC works.

This role is home-based with occasional travel to ICB offices and hospitals across the Central East area. Two posts are available with different shift patterns, working across the 8am - 6pm seven day a week service operating times.

Main duties of the job

You will combine daily operational leadership with work to improve system resilience:

• Build the operational picture: bring together real-time information on capacity, demand and patient flow, identifying risks and where coordinated support is needed.
• Turn discussion into action: lead operational calls and conversations, agree clear actions with partners and follow through on delivery.
• Coordinate responses to pressure: support escalation, surge and incident responses, ensuring risks reach the right decision-makers promptly.
• Connect services and people: work with hospital, ambulance, community, mental health and wider partners to address barriers and support safe patient flow.
• Look ahead: contribute to winter and surge planning, using trends and forecasting to identify opportunities for earlier intervention.
• Provide clear assurance: produce accurate situation reports and briefings for senior leaders and NHS England.
• Improve how we work: develop SCC processes, digital tools and use of data, while providing supportive leadership to colleagues and sharing learning across the system.

About us

We are committed to promoting equal opportunities to achieve equity of access, experience and outcomes and to recognising and valuing people's differences. We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity; we see this as a strength and part of our founding mission, values and behaviours. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers patient outcomes.

We are committed to creating the best place to work, where your contribution is valued, your wellbeing is supported and all our colleagues can reach their full potential. We welcome and encourage applications from all areas of the community, who meet the criteria for the role, regardless of their protected characteristic. We work to ensure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible to everyone, including making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition and support with the recruitment process for people with lived experience.

We are happy to discuss flexible working options for all roles.

We operate a Carer friendly working environment that is supportive and inclusive. We actively encourage Carers to self-identify themselves.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and commit to shortlisting suitable applicants who meet the essential criteria for an interview. Please inform us of any adjustments you may require.

Details

Date posted

13 October 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£57,528 to £64,750 a year per annum (pro rata if applicable)

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Home or remote working, Compressed hours

Reference number

644-CE105

Job locations

Gemini House

Bartholomew's Walk

Ely

CB7 4EA

United Kingdom

Job description

Job responsibilities

Specific responsibilities:

Manage the day-to-day operations of the System Coordination Centre (SCC) ensuring effective coordination across health and care services in Central East.Maintain real time oversight of system capacity, flow and performance.Lead operational responses to system pressures, including surge and escalation management.Work collaboratively with providers, commissioners and partners to resolve operational challenges, implement best practice approaches to enhance efficiency and responsiveness.Monitor key operational metrics, identifying trends and risks, recommending action to maintain system resilience, ensuring timely reports and escalation to senior leaders as appropriate.Drive continuous improvement in SCC processes, including use of digital tools and data analytics, increasingly focused on forecasting and risk identification for preventative interventions.Act as the primary point of contact for operational coordination across the ICS, contributing to operational planning, development of winter and surge processes and procedures. Ensure timely and accurate reporting to NHS England and other bodies to provide assurance on real time operational pressures, mitigations and risk management.

Job description Job responsibilities Specific responsibilities: Manage the day-to-day operations of the System Coordination Centre (SCC) ensuring effective coordination across health and care services in Central East.Maintain real time oversight of system capacity, flow and performance.Lead operational responses to system pressures, including surge and escalation management.Work collaboratively with providers, commissioners and partners to resolve operational challenges, implement best practice approaches to enhance efficiency and responsiveness.Monitor key operational metrics, identifying trends and risks, recommending action to maintain system resilience, ensuring timely reports and escalation to senior leaders as appropriate.Drive continuous improvement in SCC processes, including use of digital tools and data analytics, increasingly focused on forecasting and risk identification for preventative interventions.Act as the primary point of contact for operational coordination across the ICS, contributing to operational planning, development of winter and surge processes and procedures. Ensure timely and accurate reporting to NHS England and other bodies to provide assurance on real time operational pressures, mitigations and risk management.

Person Specification

Educated to degree level or equivalent experience in a relevant field.

Essential

• Degree, equivalent qualification or ten years experience within health and care systems

Desirable

• Qualifications in operations, control and command, EPRR, UEC or related disciplines

Experience in senior management within a complex organisation, ideally in health or public services.

Essential

• Extensive experience at B7 or equivalent

Desirable

• Operational experience at B7 or equivalent in a UEC health services role

Strong relationship-building and partnership-working skills across organisational boundaries.

Essential

• Experience in public sector and /or cross-sector environments

Desirable

• Experience of working with acute NHS and non-NHS partners

Excellent communication and influencing skills, able to present complex information clearly.

Essential

• Very effective written and verbal communication skills

Desirable

• Ability to influence without hierarchy

Analytical ability to interpret complex data and use insights to inform decisions.

Essential

• Can spot trends and patterns in data, highlighting concerns, leading to action

Desirable

• Computer literate with an understanding of UEC data flows

Ability to work operationally, at pace, remaining calm under pressure.

Essential

• Can handle multiple incoming demands, prioritising effectively and completing actions in a timely manner

Desirable

• Is able to communicate cheerfully and politely when under pressure

Ability to work effectively in a team

Essential

• Demonstrates through a specific example, teamwork under pressure including clear communication and support for colleagues.

Desirable

• Demonstrates through a specific example, bringing reams from different organisations together to resolve an operational challenge.

Person Specification Educated to degree level or equivalent experience in a relevant field. Essential Degree, equivalent qualification or ten years experience within health and care systems Desirable Qualifications in operations, control and command, EPRR, UEC or related disciplines Experience in senior management within a complex organisation, ideally in health or public services. Essential Extensive experience at B7 or equivalent Desirable Operational experience at B7 or equivalent in a UEC health services role Strong relationship-building and partnership-working skills across organisational boundaries. Essential Experience in public sector and /or cross-sector environments Desirable Experience of working with acute NHS and non-NHS partners Excellent communication and influencing skills, able to present complex information clearly. Essential Very effective written and verbal communication skills Desirable Ability to influence without hierarchy Analytical ability to interpret complex data and use insights to inform decisions. Essential Can spot trends and patterns in data, highlighting concerns, leading to action Desirable Computer literate with an understanding of UEC data flows Ability to work operationally, at pace, remaining calm under pressure. Essential Can handle multiple incoming demands, prioritising effectively and completing actions in a timely manner Desirable Is able to communicate cheerfully and politely when under pressure Ability to work effectively in a team Essential Demonstrates through a specific example, teamwork under pressure including clear communication and support for colleagues. Desirable Demonstrates through a specific example, bringing reams from different organisations together to resolve an operational challenge.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Additional information Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

NHS Central East ICB

Address

Gemini House

Bartholomew's Walk

Ely

CB7 4EA

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.centraleast.icb.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

NHS Central East ICB

Address

Gemini House

Bartholomew's Walk

Ely

CB7 4EA

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.centraleast.icb.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)