Job vacancy: Blood Transfusion Laboratory Operational Manager, Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Milton Keynes

Job summary

Main area: Blood Transfusion
Grade: Band 8a
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 430-CC25-656A

Employer: Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Blood Transfusion Service (Dept)
Town: Milton Keynes
Salary: £55,690 - £62,682 Per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 19/02/2026 23:59

Blood Transfusion Laboratory Operational Manager

Band 8a

At Milton Keynes University Hospital, you will be welcomed into a friendly and supportive environment where teamwork and respect are at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to live our Trust values and behaviours every day, creating a culture where everyone feels heard and valued.

MKUH staff's Motivation and Involvement scores are among the highest in our peer group, showing that our people feel inspired and included in decision-making (Staff Survey, 2024).

Our benefits

We believe in recognising and rewarding the amazing contribution of our staff and that is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing, work-life balance, and professional growth, including:

Free on-site parking including EV charging
Complimentary refreshments
Flexible working arrangements
Discounted gym membership
Salary sacrifice car scheme
Generous annual leave, with the option to bank holiday entitlement
Membership of the NHS Pension Scheme
On-site nursery (charges apply)
A wide-ranging staff health and wellbeing programme including EAP
VIVUP products to support your mental, physical, and financial Wellbeing

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Communication and relationship skills

• Liaise with the Blood Sciences manager and the Clinical Lead Consultant Haematologist in the technical, scientific, clinical and administrative work of the Blood Transfusion service

• Liaise with departmental technical and clinical staff to ensure that all scientific and clinical work is performed to professional standards.

• Liaise with other professionals e.g. the coroner’s office and the police, which may include sensitive information, as required.

• Motivate staff in the performance of their duties to enable them to meet personal and departmental targets.

• To organise, attend and present at local, Directorate, Trust and other meetings as required.

Analytical & Judgemental Skills

• Use experience, knowledge and judgement to interpret complex results, authorise and take appropriate actions in line with local and national policies.

• To advise and provide expert interpretation of results produced by the laboratory. Ensure that technical and clinically relevant comment is given.

• Provide statistical analysis of service workload including test volumes, cost per test, test turnaround times and test requesting frequency/repeat intervals.

• Perform complex option appraisal for service delivery including existing and/or novel pathology investigations, equipment procurement and staff shift patterns.

Planning & Organisational Skills

• Coordinate delivery of laboratory service with other Blood Science and Pathology operational leads.

• Responsible for ensuring a high standard of scientific work is maintained and professional standards are monitored.
• To resolve and manage any situation which may compromise service delivery and ensure that the Blood Science/Pathology Service Managers and clinical lead are informed of any such development.

• Take a leading role strategic planning in service area ensuring that changes in user’s requirements are monitored, planned for, costed and where agreed implemented.

Responsibility for Patient/ Client Care

• Responsible for managing all patient/service user complaints and/or incidents in accordance with Pathology and Trust Policies.

• Lead investigations where service delivery falls below expectations and present reports if required to the Trust Quality Board and Serious Incidents Review Group.

• Responsible for delivery of laboratory service to the Trust.

• To provide expert opinion and scientific/technical advice to clinicians and that relevant clinical staff are informed of clinically significant results which may impact on patient care.

Responsibility for Financial & Physical Resources

• Management of resources within the department such that the expected 24/7 service level is achieved at all times.

• Ensure all wastage of resource including blood products is monitored and embed strategies to reduce wastage.

• To ensure equipment is maintained, repaired and used appropriately in accordance with Pathology and Trust Equipment policies.

Please refer to the job description for further details.

Person specification

Qualifications and knowledge

Essential criteria

Relevant Biomedical Science degree or equivalent
Relevant Master’s degree or equivalent
HCPC registered & knowledge of requirements
Evidence of CPD
Understanding of current recommended practice/guidelines including but not exclusive of BSH & SaBTO guidance
Understanding of current accreditation/regulatory requirements including but not exclusive of ISO 15189 Standards for Medical Laboratoriies, Blood Safety & Quality Regulations (BSQR) 2005 and Good Practice Guidelines for Blood Establishments Required to Comply with Directive 2005/62/EC 2018.
Understanding of UK Haemovilgence requirements

Desirable criteria

Management qualification
Quality Management qualification

Experience

Essential criteria

Experience at a Band 7 level in Haematology/Blood Transfusion Healthcare laboratory
Experience of accreditation and/or regulatory inspection
Personnel management
Stock management
Problem solving
Change management
Staff training and/or mentorship
Equipment installation

Desirable criteria

Previous operational experience at Band 8a level in Haematology/Blood Transfusion
Managing budgets & attaining financial targets
Performance management
Procurement processes

Skills

Essential criteria

Technical skill/expertise in a healthcare blood transfusion service.
Complex analytical/interpretation skills in a blood transfusion context
Presentation skills
IT skills – LIMS, Word processing & spreadsheets, order communications
SOP & Policy development
Workload planning

Desirable criteria

Business case development
Set objectives and complete within agreed time
Project management

Personal and people development

Essential criteria

Proven leadership/management
Direct staff effectively
Motivational skills
Self-motivated

Communication

Essential criteria

Ability to communicate with different staff grades & professions internally & externally
Ability to negotiate effectively with suppliers/purchasers

Specific requirements

Essential criteria

Able to perform the duties of the post with reasonable aids and adaptations
Patient focused
Effectively manage conflicting priorities
Ability to support 24/7 working if required

We believe success lies in the diversity of our employees and are committed to promoting equality, encouraging diversity and embracing inclusion. We welcome applications from everyone interested in working for us.

We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

MKUH uses identification scanning technology to confirm the authenticity of documents; all prospective employees of MKUH will have their original documents verified using this technology.

By applying for this role, you accept if successful, that information from your application will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) system. Your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which aims at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.