Job summary
- Main area
- Business Management
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
- Home or remote working
- Job ref
- 914-BSA7381549
- Employer
- NHS Business Services Authority
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Newcastle Stella House
- Town
- Newcastle
- Salary
- £47,810 - £54,710 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 31/08/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Optimisation Business Manager
NHS AfC: Band 7
Job overview
The post holder will work as part of a dynamic team to deliver administrative support to the NHSBSA Workforce Services Optimisation programme of work. The Workforce Services Directorate is made up of NHS Recruitment Service, Electronic Staff Record (ESR), NHS Pensions, HR Shared Services and Student Serice.
This role supports the Optimisation Team’s Senior Management Team (SMT) to deliver service strategic and operational goals.
The Business Management Team operates across a broad spectrum of operational, strategic, business, and data-driven initiatives. The Management Information (MI) Team plays a vital role by delivering data analysis, visualisation, reporting, and technological solutions to support decision-making, workforce planning, compliance, and wider service delivery requirements.
The Business Manager sets strategic direction of its outputs, guiding decision-making, and championing the development of data-driven capabilities. The postholder is responsible for enabling the delivery of actionable insights that empower SMT to make informed, evidence-based decisions.
What do we offer?
- 27 days leave (increasing with length of service) plus 8 bank holidays
- Flexible working (we are happy to discuss options such as compressed hours)
- Flexi time
- Hybrid working model (we are currently working largely remotely)
- Career development
- Active wellbeing and inclusion networks
- Excellent pension
- NHS Car lease scheme
- Access to a wide range of benefits and high street discounts
Main duties of the job
They will drive the service to apply project delivery functional and professional standards, to maximise customer satisfaction whilst delivering significant improvement, ensuring organisational effectiveness and value for money. They will facilitate and foster collaborative approaches, working across the team to ensure robust plans are in place to optimise resource utilisation, deliver strategic goals and reporting.
The post-holder will have a breadth of skills and experience across a range of business functions including finance, procurement, operations, HR and project management, and will use subject matter expertise, people and technical skills to support the delivery of change and transformation projects and programmes.
The postholder will forge successful relationships with all stakeholders (internal and external) and suppliers to ensure a robust and effective experience while engaging with our optimisation activities. Leading by example, demonstrating strong team leadership skills, developing team members to build on existing skills and knowledge, in line with the NHSBSA and Optimisation Team’s people objectives.
The post holder must be flexible, be committed to continuous improvement, adaptable and prepared to move quickly between all tasks
or duties, as we operate services from 8.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and working hours may need to vary according to business
needs.
Working for our organisation
Here at the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), what we do matters.
We manage the NHS Pension scheme, process prescription payments and much more. Our services are used by NHS organisations, contractors and the public: we’re proud to be part of something meaningful, that touches millions of lives.
We design our services around customer needs and place people at the heart of our organisation. That’s why when you join us, you’ll be empowered and supported to help your career grow.
As one of the UK’s Best Big Companies to work for, we’re connected to our values: Collaborative, Adventurous, Reliable and Energetic. We care about our people, our purpose, and your progress.
We strive to offer a fantastic colleague experience, where every colleague is heard, supported and respected. Wellbeing, diversity and inclusion is at the centre of this, and you can join our Lived Experience Networks who help us bring our authentic selves to work.
We’re committed to being a flexible employer and we try to offer a working pattern that suits you where possible, through hybrid working, flexible hours and more.
Alongside a competitive salary with pay progression, we offer a people-centric benefits package, connecting you to the rewards and benefits you value most!
Ready to join us in delivering business service excellence to the NHS, helping people live longer, healthier lives? Apply today and see where the NHSBSA can take you.
We are people connected to care
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
In this role, you are accountable for:
Business and strategic planning
1. Working with the SMT to support the development and delivery of their strategies and business plans; facilitating the business planning process; using insight to inform, focus and drive improvement planning.
2. Supporting the SMT in business and financial planning activities
3. Supporting the Performance Manager in the process for producing an annual business plan, supporting strategies and development action plan, allocating tasks as appropriate, identifying risks, issues, and dependencies, considering best practice and current options
4. Developing and reporting on a robust process to assure the delivery of the team’s Strategic Plan, allocating tasks as appropriate, identifying risks, issues, and dependencies, considering best practice and current options, and ultimately making decisions in the best interest of the NHSBSA.
Business Function Improvement
1. Supporting each team by defining best practice and introducing new and better ways of working.
2. Review and maintain a range of service procedures and process maps.
3. Planning and organising numerous events/meetings. Ensuring communication tools are used to their maximum value for circulating the minutes, agenda, and presentations in a timely manner.
4. Ensure the team complies with all data reporting requirements to Leadership Team, Board and other operational governance forums (including KPI reporting, financial reporting, and board report narratives)
5. Responsible for making recommendations, providing advice and able to prepare strategic reports/briefings and progress reports for the Workforce Optimisation SMT as required.
6. Analyse, interpret and present data to highlight issues, risks and support decision making.
7. Co-ordinate the creation, maintenance and regular updates of the team’s management information including responsibility for the operational and service risk and issue register, disaster recovery and business continuity plan(s), collation of the PMD document set comprising key operational information (including the PMD strategy, business plans, functional standards, and professional delivery capability frameworks)
8. Line management for direct reports and responsibility for the effective implementation of policies relating to appraisal, absence management, disciplinary and grievance processes, performance monitoring and management and personal development plans.
Stakeholder engagement and networking
1. Work effectively with a variety of external and internal colleagues, commissioners and stakeholders on projects and programmes as required.
2. Committed to working and engaging constructively with internal and external stakeholders on a range of business sensitive issues.
3. Provide and receive complex, sensitive, and contentious information, presenting information to a wide range of stakeholders in a formal setting.
4. Nurture key relationships and maintains networks internally and externally, potentially including national networks. Demonstrate effective stakeholder management across different departments and at all levels.
Person specification
Personal Qualities, Knowledge, and Skills
Essential criteria
- Business management skills and knowledge of business process improvement approaches, tools, and techniques.
- Strategic thinking – ability to anticipate and resolve problems.
- Skilled in working autonomously, planning work to meet delivery timescales and identifying key issues and priorities.
- Ability to work with and support senior leaders and managers within a directorate, providing management information and analysis and tracking delivery of objectives and action plans.
- Highly skilled communicator with the ability to plan and prepare a wide range of internal communications, to convene and chair meetings and to interact with senior stakeholders.
- Committed to championing equality and diversity.
- Passionate and committed to making a positive difference to the organisation.
- Self-aware, appropriately confident, resilient under pressure.
- Advanced knowledge and experience of the Microsoft 365 suite of tools, such as Teams, SharePoint etc.
- Comprehensive decision making and problem solving skills.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options, including development of business cases through to implementation.
- Extensive experience of networking and stakeholder engagement to drive improvements in customer experience, service delivery and performance outcomes.
- Delivering business/quality improvement within a diverse organisation.
- Managing multiple projects and tasks.
- Facilitating and contributing to service improvement and business process re-engineering exercises..
- Experience of applying project planning and management techniques to own work.
- Knowledge of financial processes and approvals.
- Business process improvement experience.
- Experience of implementing new systems and processes.
- Ability to demonstrate effective, inclusive management and motivational skills.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of applying HR policies and procedures.
- Line management and leadership experience.
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to degree level or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level or in a similar role.
- Evidence of continuing professional development.
Desirable criteria
- Project Management qualification.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Jasmine Thake
- Job title
- Optimisation Business Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 000000000000000
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