Job summary
- Main area
- Administration
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- 6 months (6-month contract from start date. Fixed term and secondments considered.)
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Flexible working
- Compressed hours
- Job ref
- 354-CO-21960-1
- Employer
- Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Portland House
- Town
- Worthing
- Salary
- £49,387 - £56,515 pa
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 07/09/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Improvement Advisor
NHS AfC: Band 7
Come and join us
We’re looking for people who share our values of compassion, accountability and optimism to help us provide high quality care for the patients, carers, families and communities we serve. We specialise in NHS mental health and learning disability services and we’re proud to make a difference every day.
At SPFT we put people first. We’ll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You’ll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development.
We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it’s part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we’ll explore what works for you and the role.
We recognise that tools like AI are becoming part of everyday life and you may choose to use them when preparing your application. We welcome this, as long as what you submit reflects your own experience, skills and voice. AI can be helpful for structuring or refining your answers, but it should not replace your own examples or create content that isn’t based on your real experience.
Our recruitment process is designed to get to know you, and we’ll explore your examples further at interview, so it’s important your application genuinely represents what you bring. You can read more about using AI in applications and interviews on our recruitment process page.
We’re shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve. If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we’d love to hear from you.
Job overview
Job overview
The Improvement Advisor will support the delivery and embedding of continuous improvement across Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Working with divisional, corporate and frontline teams, the post holder will help services use improvement methods, coaching and practical tools to improve quality, safety, experience and effectiveness for people who use our services, staff and partners.
The role will implement a new Trust Quality Management System with frontline teams, as well as supporting divisional and Trustwide improvement priorities, capability building and the development of a consistent improvement management system.
Main duties of the job
Main Duties
The post holder will coach and support teams to apply improvement methods in day-to-day practice; help implement improvement huddles, driver meetings and standard work; deliver improvement training and capability-building activity; support the use of A3 thinking, PDSA and other improvement tools; and work with leaders and teams to identify, deliver, measure and sustain improvements. The role will also support clear communication, learning and sharing of good practice across divisions and the wider Trust.
Working for our organisation
Working for your organisation
Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust are fully committed to embracing quality in patient and staff safety, experience and effectiveness. We work to ensure we provide the very best care to the people who use our services, utilising resources, expertise and energy to think creatively and differently about service delivery. Embedding quality improvement across the Trust as the method for change is fully supported by our Executive board and equally by our staff, patients and partners, who are excited about the prospect of not only thinking about but doing things differently.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
As detailed within the job description and main duties above.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Trained and accredited in Operational Excellence to Yellow Belt level; or equivalent experience
- Educated to Degree Level or equivalent experience
Knowledge/Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of successfully managing and delivering improvement or change programmes in challenging environments
- Experience of leading projects which are recognised as being successful and where the project or change management supported the departmental or organisation’s success
- Ability to work independently, make informed decisions and achieve objectives whilst working with continually changing demands and priorities
- Knowledge and experience of improvement tools and methodology
- Experience of providing improvement training
- Knowledge and experience of Coaching and coaching standards/ practises
- Experience of programme planning and delivery, including all aspects of programme governance and control
- Experience of training large groups
- Experience of forming effective working relationships with colleagues to achieve common goals
- Ability to work independently, make informed decisions and achieve objectives whilst working with continually changing demands and priorities
- Demonstrate background of delivering projects in complex and challenging environments
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- James Atkinson
- Job title
- Deputy Director Improvement & Effectiveness
- Email address
- [email protected]
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