Skip to main content
Please wait, loading

Job summary

Main area
Recruitment
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Contract
Fixed term: 7 months (Maternity cover)
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Hybrid working)
Job ref
278-RM-0825-SBW
Employer
South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Crawley HQ
Town
Crawley
Salary
£55,690 - £62,682 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
20/08/2025 23:59

Employer heading

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust logo

Recruitment Manager *maternity cover*

NHS AfC: Band 8a

South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) has a vision to ‘support our staff to provide a caring, high quality and efficient urgent and emergency care service to our communities’. We are rated ‘Good’ for care by the Care Quality Commission and while the other areas under their most recent report require improvement, our aim is to continually improve and to reach outstanding across all areas of the Trust.

Our 4,000+ workforce provide services to 4.9m people across Kent, Surrey, Sussex and North East Hampshire. We handle over 1 million calls to 999 and 1 million calls to NHS 111 every year. More information regarding our services and locations can be found on our website.

Job overview

We’re looking for an experienced and dynamic Recruitment Manager (Band 8a) to join South East Coast Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) for a 7-month maternity cover. This is a vital leadership role, responsible for delivering a high-quality, efficient, and responsive recruitment and onboarding service across the Trust. Working from our headquarters in Crawley, you’ll lead a committed team supporting recruitment for a diverse range of roles, including urgent care services, specialist, corporate, and senior leadership hiring. This is an exciting opportunity to shape recruitment strategy, build strong stakeholder partnerships, and drive service improvements within a fast-paced, high-volume healthcare environment.

Main duties of the job

As Recruitment Manager, you’ll oversee the operational management of the Recruitment Team, providing expert advice on recruitment practices and employment legislation. You’ll lead the delivery of hiring targets, ensuring compliance with NHS standards and legal frameworks, and act as the Trust’s subject matter expert in recruitment and selection. The role requires driving improvements in recruitment systems, managing budgets, and supporting international and senior-level hiring. You’ll also deliver recruitment training and coaching for hiring managers and lead on initiatives to reduce agency reliance and support workforce sustainability.

Working for our organisation

  • Option to join NHS pension scheme
  • A minimum 27 days' holiday each year, increasing after 5 years’ service.
  • Personal and professional development and training opportunities.
  • Salary Sacrifice schemes for cars or push bikes.
  • Access to occupational health and counselling services.
  • Award winning wellbeing hub
  • Back up buddy App
  • Access to NHS discounts, offering NHS employees a range of money-saving deals.

Other than in exceptional circumstances, the starting salary for staff new to the NHS will be the bottom point of the band to which they have been appointed.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

In this leadership role, you will:

  • Manage Recruitment Team Leaders and the wider recruitment service.

  • Provide expert advice on policy, legislation, and best practice in recruitment.

  • Ensure compliance with NHS Employment Standards and Right to Work requirements.

  • Lead high-volume, specialist, and executive recruitment campaigns.

  • Oversee delivery of workforce numbers in line with operational and strategic plans.

  • Maintain and develop the Trust’s recruitment systems (TRAC).

  • Coach and support hiring managers, embedding inclusive, effective recruitment practices.

  • Build influential relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

  • Manage recruitment budgets and contribute to cost improvement initiatives.

  • Support international recruitment programmes and act as UKVI Level 1 user.

  • Champion equality, diversity, and inclusion in all recruitment activity.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Recognised higher level qualification / masters (e.g. MBA, MA) / post graduate qualification in a relevant area or masters level equivalent experience.
Desirable criteria
  • Willingness to undertake further training as required to carry out the role and to support continued professional development within field

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Significant experience of the recruitment sector with previous experience of working at management level. Knowledge of a comprehensive range of Human Resource and recruitment processes essential for staff management and service development.
  • Evidence of an in-depth knowledge of NHS priorities, processes, and operational issues
  • Knowledge of recruitment legislation and employment law, managing risks
  • Knowledge of full end to end recruitment process, including statutory and legal requirements.
  • Knowledge of NHS Employment checking standards

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Proven experience of managing both large operational recruitment teams as well as Candidate Attraction teams within a high-volume and specialist resourcing, recruitment market ideally within healthcare.
  • Interview and assessor trained and significant assessment experience ideally within an NHS environment.
  • Experience in a high volume and customer facing environment
  • Able to work autonomously, interpreting employment legislation and providing authoritative advice on resourcing issues

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Exceptional verbal and written communication; able to communicate clearly and effectively on a range of highly complex resourcing and employment issues.
  • Exceptional analytical skills; able to assess and understand high complex management, data and service issues.
  • Outstanding interpersonal skills, ability to build relations and influence at all levels with internal and external clients.
  • Strong leadership qualities, ability to motivate and effectively delegate to develop teams and individuals.
Desirable criteria
  • Fully competent in the use of TRAC and or equivalent electronic job sites/ ATS and human resources management systems.
  • Knowledge of TRAC/ESR NHS systems
  • Presentation skills and report writing
  • Power BI knowledge

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Veteran AwareAge positiveInvestors in People: GoldImproving working livesArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)Mindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.The Employers Network for Equality & Inclusion (enei) is the UK's leading employer network covering all aspects of equality and inclusion issues in the workplace.Care Quality Commission - Requires improvementStep into healthEmployers Network for Equality & InclusionArmed Forces CovenantCycle to Work

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post will require a submission for Disclosure to be made to check for any unspent criminal convictions.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Shannon Bowie-Wooler
Job title
Recruitment Manager
Email address
[email protected]
Apply online nowAlert me to similar vacancies