Job description

Job title:

Grade:

Specialist Applications Casework Manager

3a

Department:

Joint Committee on Surgical Training (JCST)

Responsible for:  N/A

Accountable to:

Head of Specialist Applications

Job summary

The post sits in the Joint Committee on Surgical Training (JCST). Although based at the Royal
College of Surgeons of England (RCS England), the JCST is an intercollegiate body, working on
behalf of the four Surgical Royal Colleges (‘the Colleges’) of the UK and Ireland.  Our mission is
to  develop,  promote  and  ensure  the  highest  standards  of  surgical  training  for  the  benefit  of
patients and the future of surgery.

One of our key roles is to evaluate applications for entry to the General Medical Council’s (GMC)
specialist  register  via  the  Portfolio  Pathway  (formerly the  Certificate  of  Eligibility  for  Specialist
Registration  (CESR)  route).  We  do  this  on  behalf  of  the  GMC  and  support  the  process  by
providing expert advice to the GMC on whether applicants meet the standard. To be entered on
the GMC’s Specialist Register doctors who have not completed a UK training programme are
required  to  demonstrate  they  have  the  ‘knowledge,  skills  and  experience  (KSE)  required  for
practising as an eligible specialist or GP in the UK’.

The post holder will  be responsible for managing applications for entry to the GMC’s Specialist
Register, by supporting JCST’s evaluators and the evaluation process, and performing other duties
as directed by the Head of Specialist Applications to ensure the Surgical Royal Colleges fulfil their
contractual and legal obligations as required by the GMC.

Specific duties and responsibilities

The post holder will be responsible for managing the specialist applications in the specialties
allocated to them and providing support to members of the team when necessary.

Duties and responsibilities will involve:

1.  Support for Specialty Evaluation Panels

•  Supporting  the  Specialty  Advisory  Committee  (SAC)  members  (the  ‘evaluators’)  by
circulating applications and supporting papers, minuting meetings, initiating and drafting
related correspondence, and organising ‘evaluation’ virtual meetings as required.

•  Providing guidance to evaluators on the regulations and legislation required for entry to

the GMC’s Specialist Register.

•  Drafting guidance and training materials for the specialty assessment panels, and training

of the new evaluators.

•  Distributing  applications  to  evaluators  evenly  and  tracking  their  progress  against

contractual deadlines, ensuring these have been met.

•  Ensuring databases and records are updated accurately, including the contact details for

SAC Chairs and evaluators.

2.   Support to Portfolio Pathway Applicants

•  Drafting  applicant  guidance  for  the  JCST’s  website  and  contributing  to  the  guidance

published by the GMC

•  Dealing  with  enquiries  from  prospective  applicants,  those  whose  applications  are
currently  in  progress  and  those  who  wish  to  discuss  recommendations  following
unsuccessful applications.

•  Maintaining accurate databases and records to enable the JCST to respond appropriately
to  any  data  subject  access  or  freedom  of  information  requests  in  conjunction  with  the
GMC.

3.  Other

•

In conjunction with the Head of Specialist Applications and the team, keeping processes
and procedures under review.

•  Providing  regular  reports  for  the  GMC,  the  JCST  and  Colleges  on  workload  and  other

matters.

•  Attending various meetings in an advisory capacity, including SAC meetings and

meetings with the GMC’s team, and deputise for the Head of Specialist Applications at
meetings as required.

•  Support  and  deputise  for  the  Head  of  Specialist  Applications  when  required,  including
assisting  in  the  preparation  of  appeal  submissions  and  advising  the  SAC  evaluators  on
aspects of the appeal process.

4.  General

•  The post holder is expected to represent the JCST in a professional manner in

relation to their responsibilities and in ensuring their own continuing professional
development.

•  The post holder is expected to undertake such duties appropriate to the grade, as

required by the Head of Specialist Applications.

This job description will be subject to review in the light of changing circumstances and may include
other duties and responsibilities as may be determined.  It is not intended to be rigid or inflexible but
should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works.

November 2024

Person specification

Essential

Desirable

Qualifications

•  Educated to degree level or
equivalent or proven track
record in a similar role

•  Experience in working in a
healthcare or training-
related organisation

•  Experience in managing
projects and/or improving
processes

Experience and
skills

•  Experience in managing an

•  Experience in casework

area of work

roles

•  Use of IT systems – including

•  Experience in committee

experience in using
databases

•  Experience in a busy

customer-facing environment

work

People and
interpersonal skills

•  Excellent written skills,
including report writing
•  Ability to interrogate and

synthesise large amounts of
information and present
these in a cogently written
format

•  Ability to work independently
with limited supervision.

•  Attention to detail
•  Excellent communication
and presentation skills,
including the ability to
explain complex/ technical
concepts articulately

•  Experience of working with a
broad range of internal and
external stakeholders at all
levels and building
lasting relationships

•  Excellent interpersonal skills

including the ability to
influence and gain support
or actions from others
•  Demonstrable experience of
working effectively as part of
a team

•  An understanding of and

commitment to equality and
diversity at work

•  A confident computer user,
including Microsoft 365
applications

•  Highly organised with an
ability to work effectively
under pressure and to strict
deadlines.

•  Positive attitude and

resilience, and ability to work
in a rapidly changing
environment.

The post holder will also need to demonstrate the following values:

Collaboration

Respect

Excellence

We embrace our collective responsibilities working
collaboratively and as one college.

•  We work together, using our collective expertise and

experience to effect positive change

•  We are open, honest and transparent, straightforward in our
language and actions, acting with sincerity and delivering on
our commitments

•  We take our responsibilities to each other, to patient care and
to the environment seriously and we act with this in mind
across our work

We value every person we come into contact with at the College
as an individual, respect their aspirations and commitments in
life, and seek to understand and meet their physical and
wellbeing needs.

•  We treat everyone we meet with kindness and integrity and

we seek to promote these behaviours in others

•  We actively seek a range of views and experiences across

our work, and we listen to, and make everyone feel, a valued
part of the team

We aspire to excellence and success. We share learning from
our experiences, apply feedback into practice, and commit to
continual improvement.

•  We work hard to be the best at what we do, recognising and
celebrating effort and achievement, and reflecting on our
work, so we can learn and improve

•  We value and invest in research, education and training to
drive excellence and put improvements in surgical practice,
dentistry and patient care at the heart of our work
•  We always seek to learn and discover more, valuing

knowledge and scientific evidence, basing our decisions on
insights, fact and experience

The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We are open to all
talent  and  we  actively  ensure  that  all  qualified  applicants  will  receive  equal  consideration  for
employment without regards to age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage  or civil partnership,
pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.