Job vacancy: Senior Improvement Lead, Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust, Maidstone

Job summary

Main area: Improvement/Project Management
Grade: Band 8a
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 380-SS0813

Employer: Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Farm Villa
Town: Maidstone
Salary: £57,528 - £64,750 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 23/07/2026 23:59

Senior Improvement Lead

Band 8a

We are the Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust. We offer a range of ongoing benefits to our valued workforce. From an active health and wellbeing programme to regular recognition events, we work hard to provide varied benefits that make a difference to your work-life balance.

Here are some clips of our Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust staff, speaking about their role and why they enjoy working for us

Would you like to work flexibly? In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you.

Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.

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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description for full details and main responsibilities of the role.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential criteria

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 criteria

Coaching qualification (ILM 5 or higher)

Experience

Essential criteria

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 criteria

Experience of applying continuous improvement methodologies within a healthcare setting
Working within a blended learning improvement culture

Communication

Essential criteria

Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Experience of presenting complex and sensitive information to key stakeholders and large groups

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Essential criteria

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

Important Information:

In cases where we receive a high volume of applications for a post, it may be necessary to bring the closing date forward. Please submit your completed application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Due to the high volume of applications received, it is not possible to respond individually to your application. Should you not hear from us within six weeks of the vacancy closing, please assume that your application has not been successful.

Probation Period. New employees external to the trust are subject to a six-month probationary period.

To deliver an effective service it is essential in some of our roles that you are able to travel between work bases in a timely manner.

Production of false or forged documents/qualifications in order to obtain employment is a criminal offence and will be reported to the Police.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check.
Certain roles are subject to criminal record checks called Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks. Therefore, you will be required to submit a completed Disclosure form to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust are signed up to NHS England's Sexual Safety in Health Care Organisational Charter

The trust takes a systematic zero-tolerance approach to tackle any unwanted, inappropriate and/or harmful sexual behaviours within the workplace and in our care provision. We are committed to sexual safety which encompasses prevention, support and decisive action against perpetrators. We are committed to keeping you and our patients safe.

Use of AI when writing job applications

While AI tools can be helpful in generating ideas and drafting initial versions, they should never be the sole source for writing your job application.

AI cannot truly understand the specific job you're applying for or what makes you a good fit. Therefore, it's crucial to personalise any AI-generated content to accurately reflect your skills, experiences, and aspirations.

Relying solely on AI to write your application may result in generic, impersonal, and potentially inaccurate content. Always review and refine any AI-generated text to ensure it effectively communicates your experience, skills, accomplishments, and aspirations, and demonstrates your suitability for the position.