KMPN Head of Quality Risk and Governance

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust; England; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare trust in the UK is seeking a Head of Quality, Risk and Governance responsible for driving quality assurance and risk management within the Kent and Medway Pathology Network. The role requires strong leadership skills and experience in embedding quality standards, alongside managing existing quality teams. Candidates should possess a Master’s degree in a relevant field, alongside essential qualifications such as HCPC or GMC registration. This position offers an exciting opportunity to influence healthcare quality across multiple sites.

Benefits

27 days annual leave

NHS Pension Scheme

Blue Light card eligibility

Qualifications

• Advanced experience in quality and governance at a senior level.
• Experience of regulatory and accreditation processes.
• Experience developing quality standards.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for the quality and governance agenda.
• Manage quality management teams.
• Accountable for oversight and governance processes.

Skills

Leadership

Problem-solving

Communication

IT competence

Negotiation

Education

Masters’ Degree in Biomedical Science or equivalent

Quality management qualification

HCPC/NMC/GMC registration

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Job description

Job summary

The Kent and Medway Pathology Network Head of Quality, Risk and Governance is a new role that will be responsible for the quality assurance, risk management, and governance within the new Kent and Medway Pathology Network (KMPN) joint venture. The postholder will support the broader network leadership team to develop a single oversight and reporting framework for the existing pathology laboratories and will represent health and safety in the network leadership team.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide leadership and oversight of all aspects of the quality and governance agenda for the Network, manage the existing quality management teams, and be accountable via a joint oversight and governance process.

About us

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is a large acute hospital trust in south‑east England, offering general hospital services and specialist care to around 600,000 residents. The Trust employs over 8,000 staff, provides specialised cancer services and recently integrated Fordcombe Hospital into the network.

Benefits

• At least 27 days of annual leave plus public/bank holidays (pro‑rata for part‑time staff).
• Membership in the NHS Pension Scheme with an employer contribution of 23.7% and life assurance benefits.
• Blue Light card eligibility.
• Additional benefits are documented in the linked benefits documents.

Job responsibilities

Review the person specification and provide specific examples that demonstrate how you meet the required criteria. All successful applicants will complete the corporate trust induction and a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check at Standard Level.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• HCPC/NMC/GMC registered
• Masters’ Degree or equivalent experience in Biomedical Science, Quality Management Systems or healthcare management
• Quality management or healthcare management qualification or equivalent experience
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience

Desirable qualifications

• Appropriate qualification in Health & Safety (e.g. NEBOSH, IOSH)

Experience – Essential

• Advanced experience in quality and governance at a senior level.
• Experience developing and embedding quality standards.
• Experience managing staff development within a quality setting.
• Experience of regulatory and accreditation processes and assessment/inspection findings.
• Experience organising and presenting external assessment and inspection visits to senior management.
• Experience working in various laboratory settings.
• Implementation of quality assurance programmes/initiatives.
• Understanding of audit methods.
• Advanced knowledge of risk and incident management, health & safety and quality management.
• Knowledge of Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) and current guidelines.

Experience – Desirable

• Work across multiple organisations and sites.
• Experience with serious incident investigation and panel meetings.
• Experience implementing health and safety legislation.
• Attendance at Duty of Candour meetings with patients.
• Project management experience.

Skills – Essential

• Effective leadership and motivation skills.
• Drive change and manage cross‑site teams.
• Problem‑solving and innovative thinking.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication.
• Influence and negotiation in challenging situations.
• Organisational and workload management.
• Presentation skills for large groups.
• IT competence with document control, Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint.
• Managing staff across multiple sites.

Skills – Desirable

• Coaching/mentoring and presenting skills.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

The post requires a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check at Standard Level; a DBS check with a barred list check is required for regulated activity. Applicants on the barred list cannot apply.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from candidates requiring Skilled Worker sponsorship are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.

Employer details

Employer name: Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
Address: Kent House Ashford or Maidstone General Hospital, Ashford, TN231PJ