Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, experienced and dynamic individual to join the Histology Department within Paediatric Laboratory Medicine at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust (GOSH). GOSH is a national centre of excellence for specialist children's healthcare, delivering the widest range of paediatric specialties of any hospital in the UK. Our laboratories play a vital role in the diagnosis and treatment of children with highly complex, rare and life-limiting conditions.

The laboratories are housed within a purpose-built facility and provide a unique range of fully accredited (ISO 15189) diagnostic services. In addition to supporting GOSH, the department acts as a nationally and internationally recognised specialist referral centre. The Histopathology Service comprises a consultant-led multidisciplinary team providing a comprehensive tissue diagnostic service, supported by a well-established Digital Pathology programme.

This is a senior leadership position responsible for the effective and efficient management of the Histology Laboratory Service. You will work closely with the senior laboratory leadership team to deliver high-quality services, drive continuous improvement, and ensure compliance with all relevant regulatory and accreditation requirements.

Main duties of the job

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing operational and strategic leadership for the Histology Laboratory service.
• Leading service development, innovation and quality improvement initiatives.
• Ensuring service continuity, resilience and workforce planning.
• Managing staff performance, development and wellbeing.
• Supporting budgetary and resource management.
• Developing effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensuring compliance with ISO 15189, HCPC, IBMS and all relevant regulatory standards.
• Leading education, training and competency programmes within the department.

Applicants must be:

• HCPC-registered Biomedical Scientists.
• Holders of the FIBMS, MSc, or an equivalent advanced professional qualification.
• Highly experienced within Histology services.
• Able to demonstrate recent leadership or supervisory experience within a diagnostic laboratory environment.

You will be an ambitious, forward-thinking leader with a passion for delivering excellence in patient care and laboratory services. A strong understanding of contemporary NHS pathology services, quality management systems, workforce challenges and service transformation is essential.

Working for our organisation

We are committed to recruiting the best person for the job through a fair, open and consistent process that is free from bias and discrimination.

We are working towards becoming an anti-racist organisation. This means creating a workplace where every colleague feels seen, heard and valued, and where racism in any form has no place. Our anti-racism commitment is backed by action through our Anti-Racism Statement and action plan, developed in collaboration with our REACH staff network.

We actively challenge discrimination, dismantle barriers and embed equity across all aspects of our workforce, including recruitment, progression and development. All applicants will receive equal consideration regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, health condition or employment history.

We particularly welcome applications from ethnically diverse communities, people with disabilities or long-term health conditions, and LGBTQ+ community members. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, a member of the Business Disability Forum, and a Stonewall Diversity Champion.

Our staff networks, including REACH, PRIDE, ENABLED and Women’s Networks, are active and executive supported. These employee-led networks play a vital role in shaping an inclusive culture at GOSH and are open to all colleagues.

Together, we are building a culture where inclusion is not optional - it is essential.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. For both documents please view the attachment/s below.

The postholder will have regular contact with vulnerable people and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.