Operational Coordinator - Women's Services

Role overview

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an organised and solutions-focused Operational Coordinator to support Gynaecology and Maternity Services at Colchester Hospital. This position sits at the centre of patient-facing operations and plays an important part in keeping the service safe, responsive, and well coordinated.

You will work alongside clinical staff, managers, and support teams to help steer day-to-day activity, maintain smooth patient movement through the service, and react quickly when priorities change in a busy healthcare setting. The role calls for someone composed, confident, and able to keep things moving efficiently even under pressure.

Key duties

The post involves overseeing daily operational activity across Gynaecology and Maternity services, including supervision and coordination of a sizeable administrator team. You will help manage patient flow, capacity planning, and escalation activity, while also working closely with midwives, clinicians, ward teams, and corporate colleagues.

Additional responsibilities include monitoring staffing requirements, supporting safe deployment of the workforce, and using data and operational systems to inform decisions. You will also contribute to improvement work and quality-focused initiatives aimed at strengthening service delivery.

What the trust is looking for

The ideal candidate will bring experience from an operational, administrative, or coordination role; experience in the NHS or a healthcare environment would be an advantage. Strong planning and prioritisation skills are important, along with clear communication, good interpersonal ability, and confidence in handling multiple stakeholders.

You should be comfortable working with data and systems, able to stay calm when workload increases, and flexible enough to adapt to changing service needs. A strong commitment to high-quality patient care is essential.

About East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust

ESNEFT provides hospital and community health services to nearly one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Its teams deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, as well as from community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics, and patients’ homes.

The trust is among the largest NHS employers in England, with more than 12,000 staff members. It places a strong emphasis on staff development, offering training and development opportunities alongside flexible working where possible.

Benefits and support

The trust offers a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments where relevant, 27 days of annual leave from the start of employment on a pro-rata basis, and access to NHS discounts. Staff also have access to a health and wellbeing programme with a range of support services.

ESNEFT follows a “Time Matters” philosophy, focusing on reducing delays and improving the experience of both staff and patients. The organisation is also investing in digital transformation through a partnership with Epic, a leading electronic patient record provider, to introduce a major new EPR system across the trust.

Additional information

For an informal discussion or further details, contact Rebecca Simpson, Service Manager, at [email protected].