Head of Service

NHS AfC: Band 8a

Main area: Speech and Language Therapy
Grade: NHS AfC: Band 8a
Contract: Secondment: 12 months
Hours: Part time – 7.5 hours per week (one day per week)
Job ref: 349-LCO-6938700*

Site: Manchester
Salary: £53,755 – £60,504 per annum, pro rata
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 03/03/2025 23:59

Job Overview

This is an exciting Head of Service secondment development opportunity with the MLCO Paediatric SALT Management Team. The secondment will be for 7.5 hours per week for a period of 12 months.

The secondment will involve the operational leadership of the Schools Traded Team. This will include:

• Triage of DLD referrals/requests
• 1:1 meetings
• Liaising with other stakeholders from LEA/schools/alternative provisions
• Overseeing the Elklan work
• Management of difficult schools
• Dealing with complaints
• Dealing with HR issues related to the team
• Ensuring timetabling of staff is complete
• Recruitment of new staff – JD/PS/TRAC
• Liaising with Finance regarding budgeting of traded service
• Attendance at HOS meetings

Main Duties of the Job

The Head of Service (HoS) role is a key strategic and operational leadership role within the SLT Service. The HoS will provide leadership, operational management, and strategic direction to the services.

The HoS will ensure the supportive and responsive day-to-day operational management of the service. They will provide visible leadership to the team and will be committed to delivering a focused, modern, effective, and efficient service.

Working for Our Organisation

MFT is one of the largest NHS Trusts in England with a turnover of £2.8bn and is on a different scale than most other NHS Trusts. We’re creating an exceptional integrated health and social care system for the 1 million patients who rely on our services every year.

Bringing together 10 hospitals and community services from across Manchester, Trafford, and beyond, we champion collaborative working and transformation, encouraging our 30,000 workforce to pursue their most ambitious goals. We set standards that other Trusts seek to emulate, so you’ll benefit from a scale of opportunity that is nothing short of extraordinary.

We’ve also created a digitally enabled organisation to improve clinical quality, patient and staff experience, operational effectiveness, and driving research and innovation through the introduction of Hive; our Electronic Patient Record system which launched in September 2022.

We’re proud to be a major academic Research Centre and Education provider, providing you with a robust infrastructure to encourage and facilitate high-quality research programmes. What’s more, we’re excited to be embarking on our Green Plan which sets out how MFT continues to play its part in making healthcare more sustainable.

At MFT, we create and foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, providing equal opportunities for career development that are fair, open, and transparent, protecting your health and wellbeing, and shaping the future of our organisation together.

Detailed Job Description and Main Responsibilities

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience you’ll need, take a look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the ‘Supporting Documents’ heading. So that you’re even more equipped to make an informed decision to apply to us, you’ll need to take time to read the ‘Candidate Essentials Guide ’ that sits with the Job Description and Person Specification. This document provides you with details about the Trust, our benefits, and outlines how ‘we care for you as you care for others’. Most importantly, it also contains critical information you’ll need to be aware of before you submit an application form.

Diversity Matters

MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating, and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, email our team at

We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

• Degree level or equivalent level or significant relevant experience
• Professional Healthcare registration specific to the service

Desirable Criteria

• Management qualification or equivalent experience

Skills and Experience

Essential Criteria

• Previous recent Operational Experience
• Extensive experience of service area in paediatric SLCN
• Innovative, Evidence-based practice

Management Skills

Essential Criteria

• Evidence of Leadership development
• Service Planning
• Ability to counsel, mentor, and support staff

Applicant Requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

Documents to Download

• Band 8A HoS JD PS (PDF, 192.6KB)
• ft form (PDF, 920.2KB)
• Candidate Essential Guide Non Medical (PDF, 1.3MB)

Further Details / Informal Visits Contact

Name: Philippa Green
Job title: Head of Service
Email address:
Telephone number: 01614706770 #J-18808-Ljbffr