Service Manager, Healthcare

ABOUT MEDEFER

Medefer is a pioneer in virtual-first specialist healthcare. Founded by NHS consultants over a decade ago, we were delivering consultant-led virtual outpatient care well before “virtual hospitals” became a national priority. Our model has since been cited in government and NHS England material on the NHS Online vision as one of the service models informing this direction.

JOB TITLE: Service Manager

REPORTING TO: Director of Operations

LOCATION: Remote

CONTRACT: Permanent, Full time

SALARY: £50,000 per annum

Join us in our mission to transform patient care and be part of a dynamic and innovative team. We pride ourselves on a supportive, collaborative and inclusive culture and you will have the opportunity to work alongside a team of intelligent, driven and compassionate people who care deeply about transforming the way healthcare is delivered.

Everything we do is guided by our values: Patient First, Inventive and Collaborative, and brought to life through our five behaviours: Open, Adaptable, Curious, Compassionate and Accountable.

ROLE OVERVIEW:

We’re looking for an experienced Service Manager to take ownership of the day-to-day delivery of assigned healthcare contracts. Reporting to the Director of Operations, you’ll lead teams, manage performance and improve patient pathways, ensuring services are safe, effective and delivered against national and local targets.

This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys responsibility, solves problems confidently and can balance operational detail with service improvement.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Lead service delivery and performance

• Take responsibility for assigned contracts, ensuring service level agreements, KPIs and contracted activity are delivered.

• Monitor demand, capacity and resources, identifying underperformance early and taking action to keep services on track.

• Provide clear performance reporting and assurance to senior colleagues and clients, using data to guide decisions and improvements.

Keep patient pathways moving

• Oversee patient tracking lists (PTLs), ensuring daily validation, accurate records and timely progression through care.

• Identify and resolve pathway delays across clients and specialties, supporting timely clinical decisions.

• Ensure waiting-time monitoring and reporting meet RTT, DM01 and national reporting requirements.

Lead people and build partnerships

• Lead, coach and develop administrative teams, supporting recruitment and building a culture of accountability and learning.

• Act as the main operational contact for your services, developing strong relationships with clients, clinicians and internal teams.

• Lead multidisciplinary meetings, present complex information clearly and handle sensitive or challenging conversations with confidence and empathy.

Improve and develop services

• Work with implementation colleagues to launch new services and bring new clients into operation.

• Design and improve processes, maintain effective standard operating procedures and deliver service-specific training.

• Use performance data, patient feedback and operational experience to identify improvements and lead change.

Maintain quality and governance

• Maintain oversight of patient safety, experience and service quality, ensuring governance processes are followed.

• Support timely investigation and resolution of complaints and incidents, follow through on action plans and embed learning.

• Identify, document and manage operational risks through the risk register, escalating concerns and working with relevant teams to reduce risk.

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE, SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES:

• At least five years’ experience in an operational leadership role within healthcare, ideally in an NHS Acute Hospital Trust.

• Strong knowledge of patient pathways, RTT and DM01 reporting requirements.

• Experience leading teams, managing resources and delivering against agreed budgets or targets.

• Confidence analysing complex information and translating it into practical action.

• Experience implementing service improvements and investigating complaints or incidents.

• Strong stakeholder management skills, including working with senior healthcare managers and resolving conflict.

• Commercial awareness and a clear understanding of the pressures facing healthcare services.

• A calm, proactive approach, with the confidence to make decisions and get involved in delivery as well as manage others.

• Strong Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel reporting, are important. Experience with Asana and AI tools to improve workflows would be an advantage.

WHY JOIN MEDEFER:

You’ll join a supportive, collaborative team with the opportunity to influence how services develop as we grow. Our values—Patient First, Inventive and Collaborative—guide how we work.

We offer:

• Remote working.

• 28 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays.

• Private healthcare insurance and a workplace pension.

• Employee discounts and an Employee Assistance Programme.

• Wellbeing support, including access to GP and counselling services.

• Training, career development and opportunities for progression.

WORKING ARRANGEMENTS AND KEY TERMS:

Medefer is a Disability Confident Employer.

We commit to interviewing applicants who declare a disability and meet the minimum essential criteria for the job. If you would like to be considered under this scheme, please let us know in your application or by contacting our recruitment team.

Medefer fully complies with the Equality Act 2010. We are an equal opportunities employer, value diversity and welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds.

This job description is non-contractual and the postholder will be expected to perform additional duties and tasks that may be assigned by management from time to time to suit business needs.

Medefer contact details are provided for the specific purpose to support potential candidates and are not to be used to market services. The named individual has not consented to unsolicited marketing emails. ‘Direct marketing’ means the communication, by whatever means, of marketing material which is directed at individuals. Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) apply to unsolicited emails, for which the individual has not provided consent. Medefer takes the privacy of individuals very seriously and failure to abide by this notice will result in action taken.