225860 – General Manager

Job Description

Overview

NHS Lothian is looking for a talented leader who is driven, ambitious and passionate about patient care to work as a key member of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital and Associated Services Senior Management Team as General Manager for Adult and Older Adult Mental Health and Learning Disability Services.

You will need to have a desire to influence decisions and direction of travel within the Mental Health Services, working in close partnership with senior clinical and managerial staff and key partners to promote and co-deliver strategic and operational initiatives and objectives.

The successful individual will be able to demonstrate a track record of effective leadership in respect of significant service change. To succeed in this role you will need to be able to build confidence across the organisation and work autonomously, whilst contributing to the co-designed development and co-produced implementation of key Mental Health and Learning Disabilities service strategies.

You will contribute to shaping the vision of the health economy in Lothian through collaborative working with partner organisations and be required to ensure the delivery of all Health Board’s Service, Financial, Performance and Improvement Plans.

This post will support the Service Director in managing and driving change for the whole system and in developing fully integrated and aligned services for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities and provide cross cover with counterparts in other service areas.

Responsibilities

• Reporting directly to the Service Director, the post holder will have strategic and operational management responsibility for a range of designated service areas based on the Royal Edinburgh Hospital site, including staff and resources.
• To improve patient flow across the site, the General Manager will have to work closely with the Integration Joint Boards in planning and delivery of future pathways in order to minimise delayed discharges.
• Act as a strong role model for all colleagues by demonstrating credibility and visibility, a strong commitment to identifying development opportunities, celebrating success, and encouraging creativity, innovation, and excellence in practice.
• Demonstrate compassionate leadership and hold joint responsibility with the Associate Nurse Director for Mental Health’s agenda and clinical Governance and Compliance standards across the directorate; supporting the Service Director and working in collaboration with HSCP leads in these areas.
• Lead effective regional networking and the implementation of national policy with external organizational bodies, including engagement with Integrated Joint Boards and providing assurance on service quality.
• Promote a positive culture of learning and openness; ensure clinical staff have the knowledge, capability, systems and support to embed lessons learned in practice for ongoing improvement, including leading learning events and promoting positive cultures within teams and the directorate.

Qualifications and Expectations

• Track record of effective leadership in respect of significant service change.
• Ability to influence decisions and direction of travel within Mental Health Services; capable of working autonomously while contributing to co-designed development and co-produced implementation of key strategies.
• Experience in building confidence across an organisation and collaborating with partner organisations to deliver strategic and operational objectives.
• Strong compassionate leadership and ability to engage with HSCP leads and external bodies; skilled in regional networking and policy implementation.

Additional Information

This includes the role operating across the Royal Edinburgh Hospital site, cross-cover with counterparts in other service areas, and working with Integration Joint Boards to plan future pathways.

For further information on what is included in the role and what skills/experience are being looked for, click on the links at the bottom of the screen to the job description and person specification.

If you have any questions or if it would be helpful to have an informal chat in the first instance please contact Jillian Torrens, Service Director at . Informal chats are encouraged ahead of shortlisting and we are also happy to arrange visits to the site.

We will fully support disabled candidates, and candidates with long-term conditions or who are neurodivergent by making reasonable adjustments to our recruitment policy and practices.

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service. Further information on what NHS Scotland Boards are required to do to check this as well as what your responsibilities include can be found in the further information for this vacancy.

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

Reference: 225860

Contract Type: Permanent

Posted On: 10 Sep 2025

Closing Date: 24/09/2025

How To Apply: