An exciting internal opportunity has arisen for a senior leader to undertake the role of Cellular Pathology Laboratory Manager .
This is a senior operational leadership role within the Pathology Directorate, responsible for the safe, effective and high-quality delivery of Cellular Pathology services at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.
Reporting to the Directorate Manager, the postholder will work in close partnership with the Service Clinical Lead and Directorate Professional Lead as part of the Directorate senior leadership team.
The role provides visible, credible leadership to Cellular Pathology services and ensures that clinical priorities are translated into resilient, sustainable and high-performing operational delivery.
***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as ‘Priority’ and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***
The postholder will provide senior operational, workforce, quality and financial leadership for Cellular Pathology services, including Histopathology, Cytology and Mortuary services (as applicable).
Key responsibilities include:
Leading the day-to-day operational delivery of Cellular Pathology services
Ensuring compliance with ISO15189, HTA and relevant regulatory frameworks
Providing senior leadership to Section Leads and multidisciplinary teams
Managing delegated budgets and delivering agreed efficiency and productivity plans
Ensuring workforce sustainability, professional development and succession planning
Leading governance, risk and performance processes within the portfolio
Working collaboratively with Consultant Histopathologists and clinical teams to ensure safe, timely and clinically responsive diagnostic services
The postholder will contribute to Directorate-wide planning and support cross-portfolio resilience.
We are a people business – where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment manager for this post who will put you in touch with the recruitment team. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.
1. Operational Management
a) Lead the operational delivery of Cellular Pathology services, ensuring safe, timely and effective diagnostic provision.
b) Monitor service performance and take corrective action to address operational pressures and risks, maintaining continuity of service.
c) Ensure effective workforce deployment to meet service demand, including extended hours and service resilience arrangements where applicable.
d) Manage operational responses to service disruption, escalation and business continuity issues across Cellular Pathology.
e) Ensure robust operational arrangements for Histology, Cytology, Neuropathology and Mortuary services, in line with Trust and regulatory requirements.
2. Planning & Performance Management
a) Contribute to the development and delivery of Directorate operational and business plans.
b) Lead and maintain demand and capacity planning across Cellular Pathology services, recommending service configurations and workforce models to meet demand.
c) Monitor, analyse and report on key service metrics, providing assurance to Directorate leadership and supporting performance reviews.
d) Lead or support improvement projects, ensuring bottlenecks are identified, pathways optimised and productivity improved.
e) Support implementation of service change and modernisation, including workforce redesign, digital solutions and the introduction of new methods or technologies where applicable.
For further details please see the attached JD & PS
