Deputy Chief People & Culture Officer & Director of People

Job summary

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.

We are looking for a passionate and ambitious professional to support our vision of delivering better health outcomes for the people of Kent and Medway. Working within a collaborative system, you will help drive transformation across health and care services, ensuring organisations work together to provide seamless, person-centred care.

You'll contribute to key priorities including improving health outcomes, reducing inequalities, enhancing productivity and value for money, and supporting thriving local communities. Working closely with NHS organisations, local authorities, provider collaboratives, patients and partners, you'll help develop innovative healthcare pathways that improve experiences and outcomes for local people.

Main duties of the job

• Strategy Implementation: Lead the development and delivery of the ICBs People Strategy and People Plan.
• Workforce Leadership: Oversee Organisational Development, HR Business Partnering, operational HR, recruitment, retention, and internal workforce planning.
• Organisational Development: Champion a compassionate, inclusive culture (EDI) and leadership development.
• Transformation: Lead change management, culture development and the use of digitalisation for People services, including AI.
• Promote equality, diversity, inclusion, and belonging across both workforce and operational service portfolios.

About us
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.

Job responsibilities
The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this.

Still have questions? The recruiting manager would love to hear from you, their contact details can be found in the job advert.

We can get a lot of applications for some roles so to be in with the best chance of being shortlisted please make sure you apply as soon as possible. A vacancy may close early if there is a lot of interest in the job.

If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know so they can help you with this.

All information you supply on your application should, to the best of your knowledge, be true and accurate.

Person Specification

Knowledge, Training and Experience
Essential

• Educated to master's level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area.
• Extensive knowledge of specialist areas, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to master's level equivalent
• Evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development
• Must have an understanding of the background to and aims of current health and care policies in ICBS an appreciate the implications of this on engagement
• Member of relevant professional body

Analytical
Essential

• High level analytical skills and the ability to draw qualitative and quantitative data from a wide range of sources and present in a clear concise manner
• Ability to analyse numerical and written data, assess options and draw appropriate conclusions
• High level critical thinking skills
• Ability to develop, maintain and monitor information systems to support innovation initiatives
• Demonstrates sound judgement in the absence of clear guidelines or precedent, seeking advice as necessary from more senior management when appropriate

Communication & Relationship Skills
Essential

• Highly developed communication skills with the ability to communicate on highly complex matters and difficult situations
• Ability to provide and receive, convey and present highly complex, sensitive and/or contentious information to large groups, responding openly to questions to ensure full understanding and engagement

Management Skills
Essential

• Experience in leading a major change initiative with entrepreneurialism in a challenging organisational environment
• Experience of creating a new team and motivating and inspiring staff to work together to achieve a common objective

Planning Skills
Essential

• Leadership, vision, strategic thinking and planning with highly developed political skills

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders 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.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details
Employer name: NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board
Address: Gail House, Maidstone, ME15 6NB, United Kingdom
Employer's website: Apply through our website

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: People Manger, Emma Jonas, emma.jonas@nhs.net