Job summary
- Main area
- Cellular Pathology
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 8a
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (Maternity cover)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 362-AHP-8-CEL-03-26
- Employer
- Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Sepping Hill Hospital
- Town
- Stockport
- Salary
- £55,690 - £62,682 pro rata per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 10/04/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Technical Head of Cellular Pathology (Maternity Cover)
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
There are lots of good reasons to choose to come and work at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust. A dynamic integrated Trust with integrity and vision. Exactly the same qualities you’ll see in yourself. Stockport NHS Foundation Trust aims to be the organisation of choice for patients and an employer of choice for staff. In order to continually improve all aspects of our patient experience, we rely upon having a highly skilled, motivated, diverse, productive and patient focused workforce.
Stockport Foundation Trust is one of four ‘specialist’ hospital sites in Greater Manchester. Being a ‘specialist’ hospital will enhance our general surgery, anaesthetics, critical care and emergency medicine for the benefit of people in Stockport, High Peak, Cheshire and across Greater Manchester.
In your application for this post, please describe how your experience and skills align with 'Our values-based behaviours' ( see additional documentation) and provide examples.
Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment
As well as recognising previous NHS service, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust is a member of the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment. If you are currently employed by Greater Manchester Local Authority, Combined Authority, GMFRS, TfGM as well as other public service organisations, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust will recognise your previous service for sickness and maternity/paternity/adoption entitlement and also for annual leave purposes (providing there has been no break in service). If you currently work for one of the above organisations and successfully apply for a post with Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, please ensure the Recruitment team are aware so that this service is reflected in your contract of employment.
Job overview
The Technical Head of Cellular Pathology (Maternity Cover) is a one year fixed tern role established to maintain service delivery and quality standards during maternity leave for the post holder.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will be responsible for the effective leadership, management, and delivery of Cellular Pathology, ensuring a high-quality, safe, and efficient diagnostic service in line with ISO standards and organisational objectives; there is responsibility for the operational management of Mortuary and Bereavement services with HTA regulations compliance and assurance of the dignity of the deceased key.
The successful candidate will ensure the highest scientific and technical standards are maintained, actively contributing to improvement of laboratory practice and service delivery. A key aspect will be ensuring maintenance of UKAS accreditation and ensuring the department’s participation in all relevant EQA Schemes. The postholder will ensure the department maintains full engagement with Clinical Governance processes, including audit, risk management, and quality improvement activities.
The role oversees the quality management system in place, works closely with the Consultant Clinical Lead and other stakeholders to ensure procedures remain current, effective, and compliant. There is responsibility for ensuring authorised laboratory results are accurately released, with appropriate verification of data entry and, where necessary, consultation with clinical colleagues to determine the need for further testing.
The postholder will support staff development, mandatory and role-specific training compliance and promoting a culture of continual professional development (CPD).
Working for our organisation
We hold a unique position in the Stockport community as the provider of healthcare and we are one of its largest employers.
We believe that the best organisations are those that reflect the communities they serve. We are therefore seeking to improve the diversity of our workforce to make it truly representative of our local population.
We actively encourage applications irrespective of race, age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage & civil partnership, or pregnancy or maternity. Recognising those communities that are underrepresented within our workforce, we would particularly welcome applications from you.
If you require support with your application please contact a member of the recruitment team, who can discuss alternative application methods.
We recognise that flexible working is important. We take requests for flexible working seriously, consider any request we receive and try to work with you, so we can explore if your request may fit with the needs of the service.
Benefits we offer to you:
- Between 27-33 days of annual leave plus bank holidays
- NHS pension scheme membership
- Salary sacrifice schemes for lease cars, home electronics and more, to make your salary go further
- NHS Staff discounts
- Cycle to work scheme
- Salary finance – for loans, savings, budget planning and tips on managing debt
- Stockport Credit Union– for local financial advice
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- Responsibility for the delivery of the Cellular Pathology service within SNHSFT
- Responsibility for the delivery of the Mortuary and bereavement services
- To ensure the highest scientific standards are maintained and to contribute to the improvement of technical and scientific standards within the department.
- To ensure the department meets the national standards required by UKAS - retaining accreditation status.
- To undertake Continual Professional Development (CPD) and to encourage the staff to do likewise.
- To co-ordinate the setting-up, monitoring and maintenance of quality control procedures
- To be responsible for the department’s full compliance with National Assurance Schemes
- To oversee the release of authorised results and to ensure such results are checked for accuracy of computer inputting. To determine, in discussion with the consultants, the necessity for further tests where appropriate and to ensure all tests and processes are accurately performed to departmental protocols.
- To co-ordinate the formulation of operational policies and to assess the need for additional resources and new developments
- To maintain set targets for staff mandatory and role specific training
- To co-ordinate the department standard protocols in conjunction with Consultant Clinical Lead and other relevant parties
- To be responsible for the department’s full participation in Clinical Governance e.g. Audit, Risk Management, Quality etc
- To supervise investigations of varying complexity, this includes both routine and specialist work.
- To oversee the delivery of the Mortuary contract with SMBC
Person specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to degree level or equivalent – degree acceptable to HCPC.
- HCPC registration in a relevant discipline
- MSc/Higher Specialist Certificate or training/experience to Masters level equivalent
- Management qualification or relevant experience
Desirable criteria
- Fellowship of the Institute of Biomedical Science
- Chartered Scientist
- Evidence of continued personal and professional development
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Laboratory UKAS standards
- Staff management
- Budgetary management
- Knowledge of current methodology and developments in Cellular Pathology
- Governance and risk management
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of developments in the NHS
Experience
Essential criteria
- Senior operational / service management experience in an NHS environment
- Experience of significant people management including multi-professional staff
- Business planning and change management
- NHS Policy Implementation
Desirable criteria
- Project management
skills and abilities
Essential criteria
- Effective written communication skills including analysis and presentation of reports.
- Able to build and maintain working relationships with others
- Ability to critically analyse complex data and identify key trends
- Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
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Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
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.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Mark Gordon
- Job title
- Associate Divisional Director for Pathology
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0161 419 4676
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