Associate Director People Services Transformation

NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board; Maidstone; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 92,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board is seeking an Associate Director of People Services Transformation to lead a portfolio of strategic programmes, including Future Workforce and South East Scaling People Services. You will drive change across Kent, Medway, and the South East, translating strategy into practical delivery across organisational boundaries.

As a senior transformation leader, you will align people, technology, services and organisations to deliver sustainable improvements at

Qualifications

• Master's degree or equivalent senior-level experience in programme management, organisational development, management or a related discipline.
• Formal programme or project management qualification (MSP, PRINCE2, APM or equivalent) or equivalent experience.
• Experience of governance, risk management and benefits realisation in large programmes.
• Experience of developing business cases and implementation plans.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior programme leadership across a complex portfolio with clear delivery plans and governance.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams and collaborate with senior leaders to mobilise future People Services models.
• Offer high-quality advice and reporting to Executive and Board-level forums.

Skills

Programme management

Organisational development

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Education

Master's degree or equivalent senior-level experience

Tools

MSP

PRINCE2

APM

Job description

Employer NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board Employer type NHS Site Gail House Town Maidstone Salary £79,504 - £91,609 pro rata, per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 01/10/2026 23:59 Interview date 12/10/2026

Associate Director People Services Transformation

NHS AfC: Band 8c

Job overview

Please note: at this stage, the role is open only to colleagues currently employed by the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Southeast Integrated Care Boards; and current at-risk employees within Kent and Medway NHS Trusts.

This is an exciting opportunity to join NHS Kent and Medway as Associate Director of People Services Transformation, leading a portfolio of strategic programmes that will shape the future of People Services across Kent and Medway and the wider South East. Working closely with the Director of People Services Transformation, you will lead the Future Workforce Solution Programme and South East Scaling People Services Programme, translating ambitious strategic priorities into practical, deliverable change across organisational boundaries.

This is a high-profile role for an experienced transformation leader who can bring together people, technology, services and organisations to deliver sustainable improvements at scale.

Main duties of the job

You will provide senior programme leadership across a complex portfolio, developing clear delivery plans, governance and assurance arrangements and ensuring programmes remain focused on outcomes, benefits and delivery confidence.

You will lead multidisciplinary teams and work with senior leaders across ICBs, NHS organisations, NHS England and external partners to develop and mobilise future People Services and shared service models, manage organisational change and service transitions, and address risks, dependencies and competing priorities. You will also provide high-quality advice, reporting and recommendations to Executive and Board-level forums, using strong analytical, influencing and relationship-building skills to turn complex information into clear decisions and action.

Working for our organisation

We are committed to a culture that supports all staff at NHS Kent and Medway to be the best version of themselves.

Our ability to improve outcomes for our population depends on how effectively clinical, operational, financial and strategic professionals work together to make informed commissioning decisions. That’s why our workforce works a minimum of two days-a-week on-site, with the expectation that all one-to-ones are held face-to-face and that colleagues will regularly visit the services we are commissioning to understand more about them.

We believe regular on-site working supports stronger collaboration, faster problem-solving, peer learning, visible leadership and the integration of colleagues into our organisation. We also know that culture is built through shared experiences and day-to-day interactions.

We are a flexible working friendly organisation; we aim to support you to work flexibly in a way that will suit you and us.

We work with staff to agree objectives through regular supervision, annual appraisal and access to training opportunities.

We are committed to equal opportunities and diversity. In order to reflect the diversity of our population, we positively encourage applications from all areas of the community regardless of gender, race, faith, disability, age or sexual orientation.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Person specification

Qualifications and Experience

• Master's degree or equivalent senior-level experience in programme management, organisational development, management or a related discipline.
• Formal programme or project management qualification (MSP, PRINCE2, APM or equivalent) or equivalent experience
• Experience of programme governance, risk management and benefits realisation
• Experience of developing business cases, options appraisals and implementation plans

Experience

• Significant experience leading large-scale transformation programmes within the NHS or public sector.
• Experience of workforce or People Services transformation
• Experience of stakeholder management across complex organisational environments
• Experience of digital transformation or enterprise systems implementation.
• Experience of TUPE, service transition or organisational change