Job overview
Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust is embarking on its biggest improvement journey and working alongside our system colleagues we are shaping the agenda of care for Mental Health, learning disability, and autism across the county.
This Senior Improvement Lead role is an exciting opportunity to work with an amazing team to deliver an agenda and really make a difference to our patients, services users, carers and our people.
We are serious about diversity and inclusion, and we are working hard to build this into our DNA. We warmly welcome applications for any of our roles from people from diverse backgrounds, and we are proactively encouraging applications from under-represented communities for our more senior roles, like this one.
Main duties of the job
This is a full time permanent role to deliver a range of strategic programmes as part of our 'Doing Well Together' improvement programme. We are a high performing team looking to continuously improve our approach to delivering change within KMMH. In addition to utilising your programme and project management skills, we are looking for someone who will actively contribute to the development of the PMO.
- Support the Head of Projects and programmes to determine resource requirements and negotiate the provision of resource with the sponsor and other senior managers and provide ongoing management of resources.
- Implement a time bound management approach, including the articulation of the delivery roadmap for programmes.
- Underpin change initiatives with appropriate documentation including charter, project plans, risk and issues registers, benefits realisation documentation, and other associated relevant documentation.
- Support and coach senior managers, clinicians and project teams in articulating and utilising project/programme management. methodologies to implement change.
- Communicate the progress of improvement initiatives.
- Deliver projects/programmes to the agreed quality standards, to time and cost and in accordance with the Trust’s project management framework and processes.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description for full details and main responsibilities of the role.
Person specification
Experience
Essential
- Demonstrate background of delivering improvement projects/ initiatives in complex and challenging environments
- Experience of forming effective working relationships with colleagues in order to achieve common goals
- Experience of leading a change project in which the change was successful and enduring.
- Ability to work independently, make informed decisions and achieve objectives whilst working with continually changing demands and priorities
- Experience of leading projects which are recognised as being successful and where the project or change management supported the departmental or organisation’s success
- Experience of managing a team/staff effectively
- Previous experience in methods of improvement and theories of change and experience of at least one Lean based improvement method.
Desirable
- Experience of applying continuous improvement methodologies within a healthcare setting
- Working within a blended learning improvement culture
Communication
Essential
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Experience of presenting complex and sensitive information to key stakeholders and large groups
Education and Qualifications
Essential
- Trained and accredited in Operational Excellence to Yellow Belt standard
- Trained in project management methods or equivalent experience working within an environment (e.g. Prince2, APM)
Desirable
- Coaching qualification (ILM 5 or higher)
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Good motivational and negotiating skills to successfully manage resistance to change
- Proven improvement project planning skills such as scoping and creation of project aims, RCA, action plans and mapping of critical paths, management of interdependencies, benefits realisation and progress reporting
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Senior Improvement Lead with Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust in Maidstone, South East, England. It is listed as a Band 8 Manager and corporate role. The advertised salary is £57,528 - £64,750 per annum. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 23 Jul 2026.
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