Job vacancy: Head of Continual Service Improvement, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton in Ashfield

Job summary

Main area: Digital and Information
Grade: NHS AfC: Band 8c
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 214-NHIS-8035837

Employer: Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: King's Mill Hospital
Town: Sutton in Ashfield
Salary: £79,504 - £91,609 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 29/06/2026 23:59

Head of Continual Service Improvement

NHS AfC: Band 8c

Thank you for your interest in this role, we would be delighted to welcome you to Sherwood Forest Hospitals.

Sherwood is nationally recognised as being an excellent place to work and deliver care. We are rightly proud of the 5,500 colleagues who work here and know that happy colleagues deliver better care.

Our teams work in a supportive, inclusive environment, which nurtures wellbeing and has opportunities for development and progression. We do not just care for our patients, we also care for you.

At Sherwood Forest Hospitals, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. As such, we particularly welcome applications from people who identify as Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, or Disabled. We believe that a diverse team better represents the communities we serve and brings a wealth of perspectives and experiences to our work.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience) in a relevant discipline (e.g. improvement, service management, digital/IM&T, transformation, business or related)
Recognised advanced improvement qualification (e.g. Lean Six Sigma Black Belt) or equivalent
ITIL (or equivalent service management) qualification and/or demonstrable expertise in service management best practice

Desirable criteria

Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt (or equivalent advanced improvement qualification)
Relevant leadership/management qualification and/or formal training in change leadership, programme governance or transformation delivery
Master’s level qualification (or equivalent experience) in a relevant area (e.g. improvement, transformation, leadership, digital/IM&T or business)

Contractual Requirements

Essential criteria

Ability to work flexibly, outside normal office hours, in order to suit the needs of the users
Ability to travel in order to attend meetings/deliver training at point of need
Clean driving licence and use of own car

Experience

Essential criteria

Extensive experience as senior manager
Significant senior leadership experience within an IM&T and/or digitally enabled service environment, operating at pace and under scrutiny
Extensive experience leading continual service improvement, transformation and/or service redesign across complex services and stakeholders
Experience of managing complex programmes and projects with multiple stakeholders, including governance, risks, dependencies and benefits realisation
Experience of specifying and supporting the delivery of digital tools and technology-enabled change to improve services
Strategy development and implementation
Experience managing service relationships, service level expectations and supplier/customer engagement to deliver agreed outcomes
Experience managing complex and sensitive programmes and projects that require significant clinical and executive engagement for success
Experience managing significant revenue and/or capital budgets and assuring financial performance across a portfolio of work
Researching, analysing and presenting information to Executives and Board members
Successfully managing a diverse team
Strong digital literacy, including advanced use of Microsoft applications and reporting/visualisation tools (e.g. Power BI) to support insight and decision-making
Experience contributing to service continuity planning and risk controls for critical digital services
Ability to communicate with a diverse group of professionals to very large groups
Ability to motivate staff, colleagues and stakeholders to achieve the project outcomes

Desirable criteria

NHS or public sector experience
Significant appreciation, knowledge and experience of good IT practice across the acute sector
Experience of major system procurement
Significant knowledge of Health Care IT

Knowledge

Essential criteria

Proven ability to build and sustain effective relationships with customers, partners, suppliers and contractors
Expert knowledge of continual service improvement and service management best practice, including how to embed standards, governance and measurable outcomes
Highly developed analytical, problem-solving and root-cause analysis skills, using qualitative and quantitative evidence to prioritise action
Ability to handle highly complex, sensitive and sometimes contentious issues, maintaining professionalism and focus on outcomes
Ability to influence, negotiate and build consensus at all levels, including across organisational boundaries where there is no direct line authority
Ability to make sound, evidence-led decisions on service improvement priorities, risks, dependencies and delivery approaches
Strong understanding of digital and data-enabled service delivery within health and care, and how IM&T services support safe, reliable operations and transformation
Good working knowledge of Information Governance, confidentiality and data protection requirements, and how these apply to reporting and improvement activity
Ability to understand, apply and promote best practice in service management and continual improvement, including governance, measurement and benefits realisation
Ability to produce clear strategic papers, business cases and performance reports, and present recommendations to senior leaders and external stakeholders
High-level facilitation skills, including leading workshops, co-design sessions and complex stakeholder discussions
Ability to anticipate the impact of internal and external decisions on service delivery, including risks, dependencies and service continuity, and to plan mitigating actions
Understanding of cyber security and information security considerations within digital service improvement and change
Excellent communication and presentation skills, able to tailor messages and influence decisions with a wide range of audiences
Strong problem-solving skills combined with the ability to maintain concentration in a fast-paced environment, making timely decisions and facilitating delivery across multiple workstreams
Demonstrable leadership and coaching skills, able to motivate others and build improvement capability
Ability to apply risk management and assurance within a complex IM&T environment, ensuring change is delivered safely and sustainably
Experience using service management and reporting tools (e.g. Ivanti ITSM, Power BI) to monitor performance, identify trends and support improvement delivery

Desirable criteria

Experience working with enterprise architecture and/or operating model design to support strategic change and standardisation

Skills

Essential criteria

Strategic continual service improvement leadership
Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship-building
Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills
Ability to influence, negotiate and build consensus
Excellent written, verbal and presentation skills
Leadership, coaching and staff development capability
Strong planning, governance and benefits realisation skills

Not all of our roles are eligible for visa sponsorship. To find out which roles are eligible, please refer to the shortage occupation list found here:

Skilled Worker visa: eligible healthcare and education jobs - GOV.UK

Home Office guidance has changed as of 9th April. Anyone that requires switching visa type may not be eligible for sponsorship even if the role is on the shortage occupation list.

We as a Trust support the use of AI and other tools to support your application. However, all personal statements and behavioural examples must be truthful and factually accurate. Your application should reflect your own personal/professional experiences and qualifications to ensure authenticity and credibility.

For the avoidance of doubt, plagiarism includes presenting the ideas or experiences of others or content generated by artificial intelligence as your own. We review all applications carefully to ensure that the information provided in your supporting statement aligns with your qualifications, work history and the duties undertaken within those roles. Your experience will also be explored further during the interview process.

If you would like this information in an alternative format or in a different language please contact us on 01623 622515 ext 3271.

Please note that we no longer accept handwritten/paper applications and that the email address given on your application will be used for all correspondence regarding this post.

We reserve the right to close a vacancy before the closing date if a sufficient number of applications have been received. Priority for vacancies at the Trust will be given to existing employees of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust whose roles are currently at risk of redundancy due to organisational change.

Only applications received on or before the closing date will be considered for short listing. This is to ensure that the Trust meets its commitment to Equality of Opportunity.

In submitting an application, you authorise Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to confirm any current and previous NHS Service details and you agree to the Trust obtaining and transferring personal date held about you, including Occupational Health data (inoculations and screening tests). This data will be shared using the NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and third party systems via an automated process and will only be used for the purposes of maintaining your employment record.

Please note if you are successful in obtaining this position and the post involves regulated activity you will be required to undertake a Disclosure & Barring Service check. The Trust will pay for the check initially and then the money will then be deducted from your first salary once you've commenced employment. The current price of a check is £26.40 for a standard check and £54.40 for an enhanced. If you are asked to complete a DBS check and have a previous identity that you do not wish to be disclosed to your employer and/or on your DBS certificate, you should call or email the dedicated sensitive applications team before submitting your application. The team is experienced in dealing with sensitive cases and will advise you of the process and what you need to do.

Please note any genuine job offer letters will only be received if you have applied, interviewed, and received a verbal offer from the appointing manager for a vacancy within Sherwood Forest Hospitals. If you receive a job offer and you are not sure of its authenticity, please report it to the following email [email protected]