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Job summary

Main area
People
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 9
Contract
12 months (Fixed Term/Secondment 12 months)
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
095-8321074-TS
Employer
NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board
Employer type
NHS
Site
Gail House
Town
Maidstone
Salary
£112,782 - £129,783 pro rata, per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
05/10/2026 23:59

Employer heading

NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board logo

Deputy Chief People & Culture Officer & Director of People

NHS AfC: Band 9

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.

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.

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

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

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Disability confident committed

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if it receives a high number of applications. Please complete and submit your application in good time to avoid disappointment.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Emma Jonas
Job title
People Manger
Email address
[email protected]
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