King's College London

About Us

The London Anatomy Office (LAO) is responsible for coordinating the donation of human bodies for anatomical education, training and research. Each year approximately 350 donated bodies are accepted by the LAO on behalf of nine medical schools in London and the south-east of England. Representatives from the nine medical schools constitute the London and South East Committee of Anatomists (LSECA). Whilst the LAO is housed in the Centre for Education at Kings College London, it is directly accountable to LSECA.  

The LAO consists of two members of staff – Office Manager and Operations Assistant. They will be employed by Kings College London (KCL) on behalf of the LSECA. Therefore, they will have a dual line management system. The operational elements of the LAO and its staff will be supervised and line managed by the Chair of the LSECA whereas the HR aspects of their job will be overseen by a nominated KCL HR professional.

The LSECA is seeking to appoint an experienced and highly motivated individual to lead the operations of the LAO. The post holder, supported by one member of staff will be required to lead and manage the day to day running of the office and the services they provide to a high standard, in line with LSECA’s Code of Practice and the Human Tissue Authority standards.  

About The Role 

The post holder will be a key contact whilst liaising with donors and their next of kin, before and after death, the medical schools and the LSECA, ensuring that the processes and records of the donation are meticulously implemented and maintained whilst also being a source of solace for the donors and their relatives.

They will manage all the administrative procedures associated with a donor’s pathway including but not limited to notification of death, acceptance of donor for anatomical examination, allocation to a medical school, and release of donors from medical schools.

The post holder will require excellent communication and organisational skills in order to be instrumental in providing operational leadership to ensure the delivery of a high quality, timely and effective body donation service. They will be expected to continually monitor and ensure a positive, caring, professional service, incorporating stakeholder and relatives' feedback to improve quality of service delivered.

The post holder is also expected to respond positively to the changing demands of the service in order to ensure the effective delivery of a high-quality service that meets the needs of all users and displays high standards of dignity and respect.

This is a hybrid role with at least 2-3 days on campus. The hybrid working pattern will need to be approved by the Chair of LSECA.

This is a full time (35 hours per week), and you will be offered an indefinite contract.

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1. Educated to relevant Degree level or equivalent.
2. Experience in a relevant post or extensive service administration experience with clear transferable skills. Excellent communication skills both verbal & written with excellent interpersonal skills. Good computer skills.
3. Practical and creative approach to problem solving and able to resolve conflicts.
4. Ability to make decisions on a day-to-day basis for advising and implementing policies. Excellent organisational, time management and prioritisation skills with the ability to work on own initiative. Able to work with minimal supervision and to manage competing priorities.
5. An understanding of the practical and emotional issues around bereavement and an ability to handle them appropriately. A basic understanding of death certification procedures and the relevant legal framework and the roles of other agencies.
6. Proactive and responsive to contacts in immediate area, across the wider organisation and externally, to build relationships and network.
7. Excellent planning and analytical skills, with a good level of numeracy, an eye for detail and a systematic approach to work.
8. A basic understanding of the HTA standards for anatomical examination, particularly in the area of consent, governance and quality systems.

Desirable criteria

1. Experience of supervising/advising junior team members, giving feedback on performance levels and training/coaching where necessary.
2. Able and willing to provide support beyond core hours, as required.
3. Previous experience of working with the bereaved.
4. Basic knowledge of medical terminology.

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘How we Recruit’  page.