General Manager

Employer Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Huddersfield Royal Infirmary Town Huddersfield Salary £66,582 - £77,368 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 25/08/2026 23:59 Interview date 03/09/2026

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust (CHFT) are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics.

We are committed to recruiting to our values. Leading One Culture of Care underpins our values by creating an environment, tone and behaviours across all parts of the Trust that are fundamentally rooted in compassionate care.

We are open to considering a wide range of flexible working arrangements. There are opportunities to flex the days of the week, hours and times of work and place of work including: part-time, job-share, flexible working hours and the possibility to work from home when appropriate. Please talk to us during the interview process to discuss any flexibility that you may require.

We received our Silver Award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme which is helping actively promote SaBRE - Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers. This means that we provided its statement of intent to support all Defence personnel and we welcome application to work for us.

Our Future Plans

The Department of Health and Social Care has awarded capital funding to invest in local health services at both Calderdale Royal Hospital and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary. This is a significant investment and an opportunity to enhance services for our populations in Calderdale and Huddersfield and West Yorkshire for generations to come. To find out more, please visithttps://future.cht.nhs.uk/

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity to join the surgical division at Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS foundation Trust for a 12 month fixed term or supported secondment post.

An opportunity has arisen for a motivated and enthusiastic General Manager to join our busy and fast paced Surgical division.

Working alongside a multidisciplinary team to support and ensuring we provide a high standard care to our patients in various specialities within the general surgery directorate .

We are looking forward to meeting candidates who are passionate at providing high standards and demonstrate the values of CHFT.

Main duties of the job

To provide timely, efficient and effective Directorate management support ensuring that a responsive, innovative, safe service is provided to the highest possible standards, in line with Trust and Divisional Strategy.

To have a high degree of autonomy at an operational level and significant front line presence. To deputise for the Director of Operations - Surgery.

To work with the clinical teams to ensure that clinical safety and quality is maintained alongside the business integrity of the Directorate.

In conjunction with the Clinical Teams, ensure that all performance targets are met and to problem solve as appropriate, developing and implementing sustainable solutions in conjunction with clinical and managerial colleagues and others across the hospital.

To be a key member of the Divisional Management Team, taking full responsibility for actions and for keeping other team members fully informed at all times.

Central to this role is working in partnership with colleagues to work towards and ensure aligned developments and shared best practice across the Trust.

The jobholder will be expected to work with minimum supervision and to co-ordinate their activities to ensure an efficient service is provided.

Working for our organisation

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust provides acute and community health services. Hospital services are provided at Calderdale Royal Hospital (CRH) and at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary (HRI).

With over 6000 employees and a turnover of in excess £400m, the Trust has an exceptional reputation for service delivery. The Trust’s Vision is that - “Together we will deliver outstanding compassionate care to the communities we serve”

This vision is underpinned by four fundamental or ‘Pillars’ of behaviour that guide all colleagues in the way they work.

• We put people first
• We ‘go see’ (learning from others)
• We work together to get results
• We do the must dos (ensuring regulatory and statutory compliance)

The Trust’s aim is to deliver one culture of care which means that we care for our colleagues in the same way that we care for our patients - ensuring colleague wellbeing remains a priority.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To provide professional general management support to the Directorate working in partnership with the triumvirate team to deliver a high quality and responsive service.
• In conjunction with the triumvirate team provide clear and visible leadership for the service.
• To ensure the Directorate is managed effectively working through the clinical lead(s) on a day to day basis.
• To ensure effective channels of communication exist and are maintained within and across the Directorates and that there are effective working relationships and links with relevant colleagues in other organisations.
• Act as the key link between the clinical teams and all the Divisional and departmental management teams.
• To work with the directorate teams, to develop and implement effective practice in line with Departmental and Directorate priorities.
• To work with other specialities and departments across the Trust, to establish excellent relationships, strong interface pathways and clear mechanisms for the escalation of problems and performance tracking.
• To work with the Clinical Director and Matrons to ensure the implementation of Trust policies across the Directorates and to ensure that staff are aware of their responsibilities and have appropriate training. This includes health and safety, risk management and assurance framework compliance.

Person specification

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE

• Significant management experience in the acute sector
• Proven track record of meeting internally and externally generated targets
• Experience, understanding and implementation of the modernisation agenda and the opportunities for redesigning services.
• Experience, knowledge and understanding of current issues/themes affecting the NHS locally and nationally
• Experience in the delivery of tangible quality and financial benefits using structured tools and techniques of service improvement, such as Lean and Six Sigma.
• Proven success at managing complex programmes of organisational change while maintaining service quality.
• Experience of staff management, including the setting of objectives, team and individual appraisal, recruitment and disciplinary issues.
• Budget management experience, including reducing costs/ efficiency gains, monitoring and determining corrective action.
• Experience in report writing and delivering presentations, to include development of business cases and formal presentations.
• Experience of developing and implementing strategic plans at service level that enables the attainment of Division objectives.
• Understanding of Information Governance and Confidentiality
• Understanding of equality and diversity issues and how this affects patients, visitors and staff.
• Understanding of what the NHS Constitution means to you, and your responsibilities to the public, patients and colleagues.
• Understanding of recommendations from Francis, Keogh and other patient experience and quality of care directives and measures.
• Experience of working across networks, with wide ranging stakeholders.
• Experience of best practice process improvement techniques across a range of sectors.
• Experience in contract negotiation with a range of commissioning Bodies

Qualifications/Training

• Specialist knowledge in Business Management / General Management
• Evidence of continuous professional development.
• Project management experience, Prince 2 or other project management qualification
• Service Improvement training

COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS (INCLUDING MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES)

• Full range of IT skills including spreadsheet analysis
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of staff with different levels of responsibility and professional backgrounds
• The ability to deal with complex issues in a large organisation.
• Excellent personnel resilience
• Ability to work pro-actively and cooperatively with senior management and clinical staff, including at times of high levels of pressure

Our vision is to provide One Culture of Care for one another in order that we can provide compassionate care for the people who use our services. We are passionate about creating a workplace where we work together to get results, encouraging colleagues to have their say, in order to co create the change we want to see. We take pride in the diversity of our workforce that’s why we encourage applications from all. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants.

We understand that more applicants are using AI technology to help with their applications. While these tools can be useful, they cannot fully capture your skills, knowledge, and experience. It’s important that you personalise your application. Relying solely on AI is not recommended, as it may reduce your chances of success. Our screening process is thorough, so if you have used AI, please make sure to disclose this on your application form.

Candidates who require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the United Kingdom can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for this position by assessing their circumstances against the criteria specified on theCheck if you need a UK visa - GOV.UK website. We encourage all applicants to review these criteria carefully to understand their eligibility for sponsorship.

If you are appointed to a post, information will also be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records system. The Inter-Authority Transfer (IAT) process is a critical and beneficial component of ESR and following interview your previous NHS employment data, if applicable will be transferred from your current / most recent employer.

You may be required to undertake a DBS. The Trust will administer the DBS check on your behalf and will recover the cost (Enhanced £54.40, Standard £26.40 or Basic £26.40) from your salary when you commence in post (including Internal staff). You will also be required to participate in the DBS Update Service and pay the £16 cost per year. This is a condition of your employment.

CHFT is part of the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT), a collaborative of the NHS hospital trusts from across West Yorkshire and Harrogate working together to provide the best possible care for our patients.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

At Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, we are excited to offer a range of volunteering roles, providing rewarding personal and professional opportunities for people from all backgrounds across a wide age range from our local communities, ensuring our volunteers are representative of our service users.