Associate Director of Transformation and System Improvement

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust; Preston; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare organization is seeking an exceptional leader for the role of Associate Director of Transformation and System Improvement. This pivotal position will involve leading a newly formed transformation team to deliver large-scale change initiatives aimed at improving healthcare outcomes and reducing inequalities. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in program management and a commitment to health equity.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Positive work/life balance

Qualifications

• Educated to Masters level and/or equivalent experience.
• Experience in large scale change within a healthcare organisation.
• Strong understanding of NHS performance improvement strategies.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire transformational change across teams.
• Use data and insight to drive decision making.
• Build trusted relationships with clinical and non-clinical leaders.

Skills

Leadership

Data analysis

Project management

Communication

Negotiation

Education

Masters level education

VMI Advanced Process Improvement certification

Managing Successful Programmes (MSP)

Job description

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Associate Director of Transformation and System Improvement

The closing date is 27 October 2025

Are you ready to lead transformational change at scale and make a lasting impact on population health and equity? Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an exceptional leader to join us as our Associate Director of Transformation and System Improvement, a pivotal role at the heart of our improvement journey as we build on our recent CQC rating of Good.

This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic and experienced professional who thrives on complexity, collaboration, and innovation. Following a recent review and strengthening of the Trusts improvement approach, you will lead a newly formed transformation team, working across clinical networks, corporate services, and system partners to deliver large-scale change programmes that improve outcomes, reduce inequalities, and embed sustainable improvement.

Main duties of the job

You’ll bring advanced knowledge of improvement methodologies, such as Kaizen, Model for Improvement, and human factors, alongside strong programme leadership skills. You’ll be instrumental in shaping and delivering a Trust wide portfolio that aligns with our strategic priorities, including our commitment to health equity and system wide collaboration.

We’re looking for someone who can:

• Inspire and lead transformational change across diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Champion innovation and improvement, embedding tools and techniques into everyday practice.
• Build trusted relationships with clinical and non-clinical leaders, service users, and system partners.
• Use data and insight to drive decision making and evaluate impact.
• Lead with compassion, authenticity, and a commitment to our values: We are Kind, Respectful, Always Learning, and Always a Team.

This is more than a leadership role, it’s a chance to shape the future of care across Lancashire and South Cumbria. If you’re ready to take the next step in your career and be part of a Trust that is ambitious, inclusive, and focused on making a difference, we’d love to hear from you.

About us

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of services including secondary mental health care across this area. Specialist provision comprises inpatient child and adolescent mental health services, perinatal mental health and forensic services including low and medium secure care.

The Trust also provides a range of physical health and well-being services in the community alongside a range of partners in the Lancashire, Cumbria and Sefton area.

Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust encourages flexible working, we believe that a positive work/life balance benefits NHS employees through improved health and wellbeing. We would consider working patterns such as; term time, part time, compressed hours, flexi-time and career breaks. We encourage applicants to state clearly on their application forms this request and discuss these options at interview.

For more information please visit our website via Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS FT

Job responsibilities

Please see attached the job description and person specification for more information about this role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Educated to Masters level and/or equivalent experience
• VMI Advanced Process Improvement or similar qualification in Value Management.
• Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) & PRINCE2 or equivalent, qualifications and/or experience

Knowledge

• Extensive knowledge, expertise and experience in programme management, project management and service transformation and improvement methodology
• Excellent appreciation of performance improvement and implementation with the NHS, external environment, including national and regional strategies and priorities and the political agenda.
• Exceptional skills and experience in leading portfolio and transformational change management across a large healthcare organisation or system.

Experience

• Demonstrable experience of leading complex and large scale change at a senior level working directly with senior operational and Executive teams in a large healthcare organisation or system.
• Significant experience in utilising improvement methods within large scale change an system transformation programmes, including use of advanced process improvement, Model for Improvement, human factors and the System of Profound Knowledge
• Effective relational leadership skills and the ability to work with people at all levels, and an approach that builds and nurtures collaborative working and coproduction

Skills

• Ability to analyse, interpret and make judgements in relation to substantial amounts of complex data to make reasoned, logical deductions and plans.
• Ability to plan workload considering conflicting priorities and deadlines.
• High level of interpersonal, oral, presentation and written communication skills with the ability to persuade and influence others at all levels in the service, demonstrating political and diplomatic skills and awareness of organisational culture, the sensitive, confidential or controversial nature of material and the tactful and appropriate use of it.
• Negotiating on complex matters of critical organisational importance with directors and senior managers and across multiple partners.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offences Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer name

Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust