I’m working exclusively with a large, multi-site organisation that has grown rapidly and is now centralising how it manages short-notice staffing requirements.
They operate a successful internal staffing model and are implementing a national framework where all same-day and planned cover is coordinated through a dedicated Absence Hotline.
This is a pivotal hire in that transition.
When a call comes in early in the morning, you are the calm, decisive operator who assesses availability, makes fast decisions, manages suppliers, and ensures sites remain operational. Initially hands-on, this role is designed to grow into leading a national scheduling and operations function.
What you’ll be responsible for
In the initial phase, you will:
- Own the Absence Hotline, managing same-day and planned cover requests
- Schedule and deploy pre-vetted internal staff in response to short-notice absence
- Coordinate bookings with approved external agencies when internal cover is unavailable
- Ensure all agency-supplied workers meet required booking standards, including:
- Confirmed DBS clearance
- Receipt and recording of agency CVs and booking forms
- Maintain accurate booking records and clear communication between sites, agencies and internal teams
- Act as the central point of coordination as booking authority is removed from individual sites
In addition, you will:
- Produce regular operational reports showing:
- Where and when agency cover has been required
- Roles, locations and days most frequently impacted
- Use this insight to feedback directly to internal recruitment teams, highlighting:
- Gaps in internal staffing availability
- Priority areas for hiring to reduce ongoing agency usage
- Work closely with recruitment leads to ensure data-led workforce planning, rather than reactive agency booking
As the model matures, you will:
- Create scalable processes, playbooks and SLAs for centralised absence management
- Support site leaders through the transition to a national scheduling model
- Hire, coach and manage a small team of Schedulers / Coordinators
- Track and improve KPIs such as fill rate, time-to-fill, agency dependency and service satisfaction
- Work with senior stakeholders to continuously refine and scale the operating model
This role will suit someone who
- Thrives in fast-paced, real-time operational environments
- Is comfortable working early hours and managing competing priorities
- Takes a commercially disciplined approach to agency usage
- Enjoys turning operational data into practical insight
- Can influence without authority, working effectively alongside recruitment teams
- Builds credibility through consistency, service and strong communication
