Job summary
The East Lancashire Alliance is recruiting an Operational Manager to join the team at our Burnley HQ.
Working closely with the CEO, Service Delivery Manager, Finance Manager, Nurse Lead and Compliance Officer, the postholder will oversee how ELAs departments operate, ensure agreed governance structures and processes are embedded, and coordinate action where performance, compliance or systems require improvement.
Salary: Band 7 or 8 DOE
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Location: Burnley Business Centre, Empire Way, Burnley, BB12 6HH
Main duties of the role
- Operational leadership, including:
- Overseeing ELAs daily operations and coordinating service delivery, clinical, HR, finance and corporate functions.
- Turning strategy and Board decisions into operational plans with responsibilities, milestones and reporting.
- Reviewing departmental processes, identifying gaps and supporting managers to resolve them.
- Governance and assurance, including:
- Developing governance structures, terms of reference, reporting schedules, action trackers and escalation arrangements.
- Helping the CEO define delegation, departmental responsibilities and decision making routes.
- Ensuring ELA policies, procedures and processes are understood, implemented and monitored.
- CQC readiness and organisational compliance, including:
- Leading operational CQC readiness across ELAs regulated activities with the CEO, clinical leads and designated Registered Manager or Nominated Individual.
- Coordinating evidence against current CQC requirements, reflecting practice and service-user experience.
- Maintaining a readiness plan with owners, review dates, gaps and actions.
- Coordinating audits, evidence reviews, readiness assessments and mock inspections appropriate to the services provided.
- Quality, risk and improvement, including:
- Maintaining organisational risk reporting and working with departmental leads to identify, assess, mitigate and review risks.
- Escalating significant risks and immediate safety concerns through appropriate clinical, safeguarding and executive routes.
- Analysing themes from incidents, complaints, audits, workforce issues and feedback.
- HR oversight workforce and line management, including:
- Overseeing the effective day to day running of ELAs HR function, ensuring consistent processes, case tracking and escalation to the CEO.
- Ensuring systems cover recruitment, checks, induction, probation, appraisal, supervision, attendance, mandatory training and development.
- Working with HR and managers to monitor employment records, compliance, checks and training.
- Monitoring vacancies, turnover, sickness absence, recruitment times, mandatory training and appraisal completion.
- Complex employee relations, including:
- Leading or coordinating complex conduct, capability, grievance, absence and other employee relations cases within delegated authority.
- Ensuring cases are managed fairly and promptly under ELA policies, obtaining specialist HR or employment law advice where needed.
- Line management and leadership, including:
- Line managing designated staff, setting clear objectives, priorities and standards.
- Conducting regular one to ones, supervision and appraisals; support development and wellbeing.
- Addressing performance, conduct and attendance through organisational procedures.
- Service delivery and community nursing, including:
- Working with the Service Delivery Manager to oversee service performance, capacity, pressures and improvement actions.
- Working closely with the Nurse Lead and community nursing division to ensure systems support safe, effective and sustainable care.
- Supporting clear interfaces between clinical services and corporate functions, including HR, administration and Finance.
- Coordinating responses to operational issues affecting services, while clinical decisions and professional standards remain with qualified clinical leads.
- Working across senior roles, including:
- Working with the Service Delivery Manager on operational barriers and assurance; service delivery remains their responsibility.
- Policies procedures and corporate systems, including:
- Maintaining a policy register with owners, approval routes, review dates and version control.
- Developing or coordinating practical standard operating procedures where processes need clarification.
- Communicating policy changes and providing necessary guidance or training.
- CEO and Operational Board reporting, including:
- Providing regular consolidated reports, using departmental evidence, on service performance, CQC readiness, quality, risks, workforce, training, policy compliance, incidents, complaints, improvement actions, partnerships and operational pressures.
- Organisational development, including:
- Helping the CEO strengthen ELAs operating model, structures and infrastructure. Lead delegated process and system changes, including consultation, implementation and evaluation.
- Promoting coordinated working and clear accountability as the organisation develops.
You can find more details about the key duties and the required skills in the job description – link below.
About us
East Lancashire Alliance (ELA) is a not-for-profit community interest company providing services to our GP practice members and offering a portfolio of patient services. All our clinical services are led by clinical leads who work as part of a team with Federation managers.
To apply
You can find further information about this role – including a full job description – and submit your application via NHS Jobs
Apply
The closing date is 5th November 2026