Business Manager - Independent Maternity Review

Job summary

University Hospitals Sussex is the subject of an important Independent Maternity Review (IMR), commissioned by the Department of Health on behalf of the Secretary of State. This is due to commencein October 2026 and is expected to last at least 3 years. The review will examine approximately 1,000 cases of stillbirths, neonatal deaths, maternal deaths, neonatal harm due to severe brain injury and severe maternal harm dating back to at least 2018. The purpose is to understand what happened, reach conclusions on the care provided, provide answers for families andidentifylearning for the organisation and wider NHS. The review is, by its' very nature, extremely sensitive and politically charged. The impact is expected to be significant for the families at the heart of the review, current and paststaffand the wider organisation. In parallel, the Trust is the subject of an active police investigation - Operation Bramber.

The programme of workrequiredto ensure the Trust can meet the needs of families, the IMR team, Sussex Police,staffand other bodies is complex and diverse. It will span quality and corporate governance, information management, information governance, analytics, communications, wellbeing, recruitment, training,inclusionand professional standards. Working effectively with teams across Women and Children's services and critical corporate teams will be essential.

Main duties of the job

Thebusinessmanager will work as part of a small team in the trust contact centre,line managing two administrative staff. They willoverseethe flow of requests coming into the contact centre from within and outside the Trust, ensuring the Trust has logged,trackedand respondedpromptly to each enquiry. The postholder will also organise andparticipatein daily huddles and weekly panelswhich bring together experts to consider how we best respond to more complex requests.As a core member of the team,the Business Manager willcontributeideasonhow we keepimproving our response over the course of the review and investigation.

This is a real opportunity to be involved inatrulyconsequential piece of work.You will be part of anew team and a new programme,able to shape how we respond using your professionalexpertiseand experience.Applicantsshould behighly organised and ideally with experience of working oncomplex, time-critical programmesin the NHS. An ability tobuild good working relationshipswith staff from diverseparts of the organisation is essential, as areattention to detail, tenacity and follow through.Given the nature of the work,high standardsof professionalism, discretion,sensitivityand commitment to preserving confidentiality ofhighly sensitiveinformation are critical.Previousexperience ofdirect contact with members of the public, including handling sensitive concerns or complaints is beneficial.

About us

This vacancy is advertised as a time-limited opportunity is expected to be undertaken on a secondment basis.

Before applying, employees must discuss the opportunity with their current line manager to confirm whether they may be released from their substantive role if successful. Release to undertake a secondment is not an automatic entitlement and must be agreed by all relevant parties: the employee, their current line manager, and the recruiting line manager.

Working for our organisation

At UHSussex, diversity is our strength, and we want you to feel included to help us always deliver Excellent Care Everywhere, as shown in our Outstanding for Caring CQC rating. Your uniqueness and experiences will be part of our creative and innovative community where everyone is encouraged to succeed. We have a range of staff networks to help break down barriers, and can offer abuddy to help new members settle in. We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer (Level 3) and a Veteran Aware Trust.

Candidate Pack

Job responsibilities

Please see further detailed information in the job description and person specification.

If you fit the bill,we would love to hear from you. For an informal discussion please contact(add contact details for our Interim quality lead when appointed) .

Please note: This role does not meet the minimum criteria for visa sponsorship under the current UK immigration rules, which set specific salary and skill thresholds. As such, we are unable to provide sponsorship for this post. Applicants will therefore need to already have the right to work in the UK to be considered. We include this information at the outset to provide clarity and avoid unnecessary inconvenience for applicants.

If you do not meet the sponsorship requirements, and you are applying using a Graduate visa as your right to work, you must have a minimum of 18 months remaining on your visa at time of application.

Person specification

Qualifications/ Knowledge and skills

Essential

• Be educated to degree level or have an equivalent level of experience in Management and Leadership.
• Minimum GCSE passes (or equivalent) in English and Maths
• Evidence of on-going further personal and professional development

Desirable

• Formal Administration Qualification
• Project management qualification
• Understanding of information governance and Caldicott principles

Experience

Essential

• At least previous experience of working in a business manager role, on a large, complex piece of work
• Previous experience of working in a hospital / health care environment at middle management level
• Line and performance management of junior administrative staff
• Setting up team ways of working including weekly routines, standard operating procedures, meeting terms of reference etc

Desirable

• Experience of supporting regulatory or compliance work eg CQC compliance, corporate governance or quality governance
• Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team including clinicians, managers and corporate staff

Planning & Organisational Skills

Essential

• Detail orientated
• Completer-finisher
• Tenacious
• Able to set out clear schedules of daily weekly and monthly tasks
• Forward thinking and proactive

Communication Skills

Essential

• Able to give clear written and verbal instructions
• Thoughtful in communicating sensitive or confidential information
• Active listening
• Confidence and ability to challenge colleaguesand ask questions to clarify understanding

People Management and Development

Essential

• Able to translate aims into objectives for individuals and hold people to account
• Able to coach people in new ways of working and identify training and experiential ways to develop their skills and confidence
• Models Trust values and behaviours

Desirable

• Familiarity with processes and policies for people management eg sickness absence management

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Essential

• Awareness of unconscious bias
• Evidence of championing diversity and inclusion inpreviousroles

Desirable

• Understanding of the equalities issues in perinatal care
• Unconscious bias /EDI trained

Analytical & Judgment skills

Essential

• Good basic numeracy skills
• Able to manipulate spreadsheets and extract data eg through Excel functions
• Able to proactively identify risks and issues, problem solve or escalate as appropriat
• Able to respond appropriately to requests for sensitive or confidential information

Freedom to Act

Essential

• Ability to make autonomous decisions on complex issues, often under pressure
• Knows own limitations and when to ask for help from other experts

Equality Diversity & Inclusion

Essential

• Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues
• Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role).