Associate Director – Programme Delivery
Base: The Beehive, Crawley/Gatwick, West Sussex
Reports to: Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Direct reports: Heads of Portfolio, Programme Managers
Budgetary responsibilities: Up to £500k per project: Up to £1.5m in total
Income generation ambition: To be agreed as part of annual objective setting and in relation to business need.
Salary Banding: up to £88k per annum
Closing Date - 3rd August 2026
Job purpose
The Associate Director(s) will have full managerial responsibility for the development and delivery of a portfolio of projects. This includes team and project performance, client satisfaction, the quality of work delivered and financial oversight of projects. This role exists to specifically influence, lead and deliver successfully in a complex, multi-organisational and multi-professional networked context.
The postholder will be responsible for leading engagement, planning and delivery of work related to all of the KSS Integrated Care System (ICS) This will include:
- Facilitating the development, agreement and execution of agreed ICS delivery plans, overseeing that local business planning priorities are agreed and executed to the highest possible standard within agreed governance and reporting frameworks, based on strong engagement with communities and key stakeholders across the system.
- Working in partnership with the wider SLT as appropriate to individual roles and responsibilities, ensuring that resources are aligned.
The postholder must have highly developed specialist knowledge and skills, acquired over a significant period, in innovation programme and project leadership, management and delivery, achieving income generation and growth through business development, performance management, stakeholder engagement and leadership, financial management, public relations, team leadership and highly advanced skills in persuading, influencing and delivery in a complex, multi-organisational and multi-professional networked context.
As well as innovation project leadership, development and delivery, the postholder is responsible for complex and broad-ranging stakeholder management, income generation and will make a significant contribution to internal management through being part of the senior leadership team of Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex (Health Innovation KSS).
In line with the Health Innovation KSS matrix management approach to agile working, the role requires the flexibility to work with more than one executive lead delivering outcomes and through leading flexible project teams.
The range and purpose of projects are wide-ranging, covering health, social care as well as working with the third sector, industry and other statutory bodies in line with Health Innovation KSS’s business plan and wider strategic ambitions. We aim to make a greater impact for the communities we serve, include addressing health inequity and inequality through our work as well as driving economic growth.
The specific area of responsibility and portfolio of the role holder is outlined at Appendix A. This is subject to change, according to future delivery requirements.
Key responsibilities
Stakeholder leadership
Supports the COO, with ICS relationships on behalf of Health Innovation KSS, as well as national stakeholder relationships, building support for and commitment to the networks portfolio of programmes and projects.
Builds long term networks & relationships in localities. Significant contribution to developing and delivering the content of locality support plans and our organisation’s business plan.
To succeed the postholder will use their highly developed specialist knowledge and skills in stakeholder engagement, management and leadership, with highly advanced skills in persuading, influencing in a complex, multi-organisational and multi-professional networked context which can be highly un-cooperative and/or contentious.
Income generation
This is a senior post and as part of the senior leadership team, the postholder is expected to make a significant contribution to income generation for the organisation. This includes income generation and growing the ICS localities accounts, so the organisation does more high impact work in localities, year on year in line with it’s refreshed strategy.
The postholder is expected to use their insights into localities and subject matter expertise to identify new opportunities as part of the organisation’s income generation and business growth effort.
The postholder will use their highly developed specialist knowledge and skills in innovation, programme and project management and delivery, achieving sales and growth through business development, stakeholder engagement and leadership, and public relations.
Development and delivery of innovation projects
Full managerial responsibility for the development and delivery of a portfolio of projects. This includes financial responsibility and responsibility for team and project performance, including client satisfaction and the quality of work delivered and the ability to persuade and influence and deliver successfully in a complex, multi-organisational and multi-professional networked context.
Responds with confidence to changing customer needs across the systems we operate within.
The postholder will achieve this through highly developed specialist knowledge and skills in programme and project management and delivery, performance management, stakeholder engagement and leadership, financial management, public relations, team leadership and highly advanced skills in persuading, influencing and delivery in a complex, multi-organisational and multi-professional networked context.
Team leadership and development
Professional lead and line manager of multiple project teams. Manages high performing teams, ensuring strong, positive culture. Deals with staff problems and performance management. This includes:
- Line management of Heads of Portfolio and Programme Managers, supporting them in delivering project outcomes and in contributing to professional and personal development.
- Team management: getting the best out of multi-disciplinary, flexible and networked part-time teams.
- Professional lead: contributing to the transfer of professional knowledge to others in the Health Innovation Network; maximising potential through professional and personal development; contributing to the growth in the organisation’s professional capability.
- Contributing more widely to the Health Innovation Network by supporting the development of the organisation and its culture (such as proposing new ideas and organising key events).
- Using highly developed specialist knowledge and skills in programme and project management and delivery, performance management, financial management, public relations, team leadership and highly advanced skills in persuading, influencing and delivery to achieve the above.
Key result areas
1. Leadership, ambassadorial function and capability building
- Delegated authority as Health Innovation KSS representative for the work theme across all member and other client organisations across Kent, Surrey and Sussex, promoting the work of the organisation, and using high level persuasion, influencing and negotiating skills to secure commitment, input and resources from members and other clients to support the activities of the work theme and the Health Innovation Network more broadly.
- To identify areas where there may be tensions with member and other client organisations and the organisation, or a lack of engagement, and identify and seek resolution of these tensions on behalf of Health Innovation KSS.
- Represent Health Innovation KSS at regional or national level, as required.
- Work with a collaborative and influencing management style by negotiating with others to achieve the best outcomes.
- As a highly motivated individual, demonstrate a transformational leadership style and adopt a flexible approach to meet the competing demands of the role.
- Take a clear leadership role for a defined function within the organisation; for example, the practical spread and adoption of new innovations beyond networks currently within the post holder's portfolio.
- Demonstrate enablement of others to successfully deliver, where not specifically line managed by the post holder.
- Make a significant contribution to the organisation’s leadership, for example at core team and/or executive team meetings.
- Forge positive working relationships, to support an effective matrix approach to achieve organisational objectives.
- Work effectively across project, programme and organisational boundaries and to foster close working relations with those within the organisation and all Health Innovation members, client organisations and other stakeholders across Kent, Surrey and Sussex and beyond. Lead discussion and dialogue with Integrated Care Systems, Boards and relevant sub-committees to ensure that the projects and interventions identified for the work theme are prioritised and supported. This will be achieved through using highly developed specialist knowledge and skills in programme and project management and delivery, a robust approach to needs articulation from local communities, financial management, public relations, team leadership and highly advanced skills in persuading, influencing and delivery in a complex, multi-organisational and multi-professional networked context.
2. Programme and project management and leadership
- To turn possible opportunities for business development into new business/increased revenue and concrete project work.
- Operates independently, using personal capability and leadership skills to set up new projects from scratch and oversee or enable others to undertake delivery requirements to succeed. Plans and organises a broad range of highly complex activities, formulating, and adjusting plans and strategies as required.
- Manages highly complex facts and situations requiring analysis and interpretation of a range of options.
- Provides and receives highly complex and contentious information, where there are substantial barriers to understanding to clinical and non-clinical staff including managing this within large groups that can be hostile, antagonistic and highly emotive in terms of making change, where this can be unwelcome.
- Increase impact by building on discussions and outputs from stakeholders such as clinical leads to determine and introduce specific evidence-based interventions and innovation.
- Accountable for developing plans for the specific work projects, objectives and actions, and resource requirements, to deliver against the work programme and implement the specific projects, innovations and interventions.
- Ensure evidence and analytics are secured to support and inform activities and use the information in an insightful way to identify and mitigate risks and make measurable improvements to quality of health and social care.
- Promote the systematic application of the quality framework tools such as NICE Quality Standards, Quality Accounts and other local and national standards.
- Contribute to the strategic planning process and delivery of business priorities.
- Drawing from experience and expertise from Kent, Surrey and Sussex academic partners and others including industries, ensure that the population of the area benefits from access to research programmes and other appropriate innovations.
- Highlight, promote and report innovative approaches to education and training, and how this can be used to improve current models of health and social care.
- Work with executive team and wider members of the senior leadership team and Board.
- Work in partnership with staff of all levels to deliver corporate goals.
- Propose changes to own roles and responsibilities to advance the work of the organisation and wider stakeholder objectives.
- Support the establishment and lead the maintenance of robust and systematic governance arrangements for project activities.
- Identify and secure project resources.
- This will be achieved through the extensive use of highly developed specialist knowledge and skills in programme and project leadership, management and delivery; stakeholder engagement and leadership, financial management, public relations, team leadership and highly advanced skills in persuading, influencing and delivery in a complex, multi-organisational and multi-professional networked context.
3. Performance management and reporting
- Against the detailed delivery plan for the work theme, lead negotiations on appropriate milestones and metrics against which the success of the project will be judged. These measures should be able to demonstrate clear improvements in health and social care outcomes, patient and service user experience and value for the taxpayer.
- Undertakes substantial work requiring frequent concentration, within an unpredictable work pattern, in terms of interpreting analysis, complex report writing and contributing to meetings within the organisation and beyond in a range of healthcare settings.
- Agree milestones and metrics with the Service Delivery Director for regular reporting to the executive team and board.
- Responsible for robust contract, performance and financial management across work themes and projects, ensuring compliance with all contractual and partnership agreements.
- Lead and develop project documentation for the work theme, through which progress can be tracked ensuring appropriate collaboration with key stakeholders and informatics colleagues.
- Deliver regular performance reports (with exception reports and corrective action plans as appropriate) to the executive team and Board.
- Provision of advice where expert opinion differs, leading appropriate negotiations to seek resolution for the work theme.
- The postholder must achieve this using highly developed specialist knowledge and skills in programme and project leadership, management and delivery, performance management, and financial management.
4. Financial responsibilities and people management
4.1 Financial responsibilities
- Accountable for work theme budget of up to £500K per project, and up to £1.5m in total. Work with colleagues to bring in additional income against a target for the work theme from other sources. Lead on development of partnerships and joint ventures relevant to the work theme which may be financially advantageous to the work theme and the organisation.
- Deliver value for money and greater efficiency in the use of budgets.
- Transfers expertise and knowledge as appropriate, regarding innovation issues throughout the project teams and other key stakeholders – to include the development and delivery of formal briefings and training to promote innovation across Kent, Surrey and Sussex and beyond.
- Uses highly developed specialist knowledge and skills in programme and project leadership, management and delivery, performance management, and financial management.
- The postholder must achieve this using highly developed specialist knowledge and skills in financial management, performance management and achieving sales and growth through business development.
4.2 People management
- Manage, motivate, appraise and develop staff within the team to ensure that they are able to deliver.
- Recruit as necessary and performance manage the project teams to deliver a range of outcomes within a matrix structure in a demanding environment.
- Ensure project performance and personal development reviews are conducted regularly for staff working on the postholder’s projects.
- Perform regular performance and personal development reviews with staff line managed by the post holder, with personal development plans regularly updated.
- Ensure staff receive appropriate training and support / mentorship.
- The postholder will achieve this through using their highly developed specialist knowledge and skills in programme and project management and delivery, performance management, financial management and team development and leadership.
5. Academic and Industry
- Supports and delivers on strategic and operational objectives with regard to growth of the innovation pipeline, the spread of innovation into practice and the growth of the innovation and research ‘eco-system’. This will include the development and delivery of innovation projects based around technologies through the network engaging with local communities as well as wider industry partners.
- Leads on the identification and maintenance of a pool of health system experts within their allocated areas (geography, pathway, etc.) necessary to support the engagement with industry and academic partners.
- Manages day to day relationships with companies for projects as is appropriate for the relevant portfolio of work.
6. Engagement with service users, experts and others
- Lead the development and management of comprehensive expert resources, which will draw on clinical, health and social care, professional, managerial and academic expertise from across Kent, Surrey and Sussex, including stakeholder representatives.
- Undertaking co-design activities with the public, patients and service users as appropriate in the work theme and in line with the organisational strategy to ensure we address longstanding inequity and health inequalities through our work.
- To ensure public and patient/service user contact with Health Innovation KSS is of the highest professional standard.
- To become a trusted strategic adviser helping national and local charities and voluntary organisations work well with NHS and local authority operational staff, managing closer relationships with key organisations nationally and grow the work with partners in line with our strategic ambitions.
- To create and manage relationships with a range of national and local charities and voluntary organisations that are involved with the work theme agenda.
- Secure experts from local communities to support specific projects and activities within the work theme.
- To succeed the postholder will use their highly developed specialist knowledge and skills in stakeholder engagement, management and leadership, with highly advanced skills in persuading, influencing in a complex, multi-organisational and multi-professional networked context which can be highly un-cooperative and/or contentious.
7. Information management
- Work in collaboration with all relevant staff to ensure the development, management and maintenance of systems and framework across the work theme.
- Partner with the suppliers/partner, public health observatories, council public health teams and commissioners to ensure that information management systems are in place to effectively monitor quality standards, outcomes and value improvement.
- To ensure evidence and analytics are secured to support and inform activities and support insight in the use of these to drive innovation and the highest standards of work.
8. Education and professional development
- Maintain and improve advanced theoretical, professional and practical knowledge.
- Develop own skills and knowledge and provide information to others to support individual and team development.
- Participate in personal objective settings and review, including a personal development plan.
- Demonstrate high standards of integrity when dealing with shared data or information and ensure individual and organisational confidentiality is maintained at all times.
9. Corporate contribution
- To “lead from the front” and act as role model to others in working to organisational values and head specific corporate initiatives.
- To be a proactive participant in corporate initiatives and contribute towards corporate policies and programmes, as a proactive member of the senior leadership team.
10. Contribution to income generation, commercial development and change agendas
- To make a defined contribution to the income generation and sales pipeline for the converting leads into delivery focussed projects/programmes.
- To demonstrate leadership of defined change projects within the health and social care economy which make a significant positive contribution to patient and service user outcomes and value for the taxpayer.
- Working with the Communications team internally as well as wider staff, to lead development of a communications strategy for relevant work themes, ensuring comprehensive marketing and dissemination of good practice.
- Achieving sales and growth through securing new business, using specialist knowledge and skills in business development, performance management, stakeholder engagement and leadership, financial management and public relations.
11. Strategic thinking and strategic account planning
- To lead the development of relevant core project strategies and oversee their implementation reporting to the service delivery director, executive team and according to organisational governance arrangements, as required.
- Lead stakeholders to a point of mutual support for the defined strategy as required; taking on board their perspectives, views and input and tailoring Health Innovation KSS contributions as may be required for the particular function.
12. Special Requirements:
- Deputise for members of the Executive Management Group as may be required.
- May on occasion be required to work irregular hours in accordance with the needs of the role.
- Expected to routinely travel extensively across Kent, Surrey and Sussex and beyond, including international travel when required.
General responsibilities
To be an active member of senior leadership team.
To promote the vision and values of the organisation.
To share knowledge and work collegiately to mutual benefit with national and local voluntary sector organisations particularly relevant to the work themes.
To ensure effective communications within and between teams, be involved in and participate in meetings, team briefings, development days, corporate events etc.
To engage in regular performance reviews against agreed objectives. To be responsible for actively identifying own development needs and committing to a personal development plan based on continuous learning.
Values and behaviours
Health Innovation KSS has developed a clear vision for the direction of the company. A set of values and behaviours have also been developed and agreed to underpin this vision. Our values and behaviours framework can be found below. Applicants and employees will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to these values and behaviours, which will be assessed through the recruitment, selection and appraisal processes.
Person specification: Associate Director
Qualifications/ education
Essential:
- Educated to masters level or equivalent and supplemented by specialist training in project and/or programme management
- Experience of working in a senior project delivery role
- Evidence of continuous professional development; record of CPD shows strong self-development ethos and learning from a broad range of interests
Knowledge and experience
Essential:
- The postholder must have highly developed specialist knowledge and skills, acquired over a significant period, in programme and project leadership, management and delivery; achieving sales and growth through business development, performance management, stakeholder engagement and leadership, financial management, public relations, team leadership and highly advanced skills in persuading, influencing and delivery in a complex, multi-organisational and multi-professional networked context
- A substantial and successful track record of operational, programme and project management acquired over a significant period
- Experience of working in a fast paced, complex environment, and working collaboratively with a diverse range of stakeholders and project managing cross-organisation work
- A deep understanding of the background to and aims of current health and social care policy nationally and in the southeast and appreciate the implications of this on engagement
- Strong project management experience and skills, with track record of successful delivery
- Experience of working effectively across boundaries with multiple organisations
- Previous responsibility for a budget, involved in budget setting and working knowledge of financial processes
- Experience of testing and developing new services and/or business models based on client and customer needs
- Experience of leading and presenting at workshops and seminars
- Experience of developing and/or implementing communication and engagement activities that grow commitment and create behaviour and culture change
- Significant operational knowledge of health and/or social care
- Experience of building consensus and driving change and performance improvement in systems and culture
Desirable:
- An appreciation of the relationships within and between health and social care systems, the Department of Health, Department for Communities and Local Government, NHS England, local authorities, individual healthcare and social care providers and commissioning organisations, and the link between health and social care
- Familiarity with Kent, Surrey and Sussex and its stakeholders
- Able to bring a personal network of stakeholders from around the KSS patch
Skills and abilities
- Highly developed communication skills with the ability to communicate on highly complex matters and difficult situations and with a flair for adapting tone and message for different audiences
- Self- reliance and ability to work unsupervised: able to demonstrate the capability to operate totally independently and lead others to deliver improvement without guidance or supervision and be able to build the full trust and confidence of the executive team
- Ability to provide and receive, convey and present highly complex, sensitive and/or contentious information to large groups
- Strong people management skills, including performance management and professional development
- Proactive, creative and flexible approach to identifying and taking forward opportunities, shaping new ideas and partnerships
- Ability to engage and influence a broad range of professional groups at all levels of seniority
- Political nous and the ability to negotiate on behalf of Health Innovation KSS
- High level analytical skills and the ability to draw qualitative and quantitative data from a wide range of sources and present in a clear and 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
- Leadership, vision, strategic thinking and planning with highly developed political skills
- Ability to work on own initiative and organise workload, allocating work as necessary, working to tight and often changing and competing deadlines
- Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues
- The ability to handle a rapidly changing and ambiguous environment
- Numerate and comfortable in dealing with financial information
- Advanced IT Skills including collaborative working tools and good understanding of Microsoft Office
Personal style and behaviour
- Flexibility of style to reflect the needs of a small organisation
- Understanding of own strengths and limitations and impact on others
- The confidence, determination, perseverance, resilience and energy to overcome obstacles to achieve the best outcomes
- Collegiate knowledge sharer
- Highly results orientated; with a strong drive to deliver and have an impact
- A strong sense of personal and team accountability; delivers on commitments
- High levels of personal integrity
- Is positive, proactive and has a “can do” attitude
- Takes responsibility for own actions
- Demonstrates ability to handle change effectively
- Has a flexible and adaptable approach to work
- Ability to work using own initiative
- Has self-awareness
- Values diversity and looks for opportunities to improve equality
- Respectful of the company’s core values
- Networker with a range of loose connections that can be brought together to create new collaborations
- Ability to maintain a positive attitude in challenging circumstances
- Influential leader with flair and energy
Other requirements
- Reliable work record
- Demonstrates flexibility within working patterns and prepared to work flexible hours when required
- Able to work flexibly across a wide geographical area as necessary
Specific responsibilities for Associate Director of Programme Delivery
In addition to the responsibilities set out in the main job description described above, outlined below are specific responsibilities and requirements for the Associate Director - Programme Delivery.
The aim of this appendix is to provide the role holder with defined responsibilities and a detailed portfolio description, which can be communicated both internally and externally. It should be noted that as described in the substantive Associate Director job description, the specific responsibilities and portfolio of the role holder are subject to change and adaptation, according to ongoing delivery requirements.
Location:
- The role will cover the whole Kent, Surrey, Sussex geography.
- The post holder will be required at times to travel in and around the geography.
Key stakeholders:
- Due to the requirements associated with the Associate Director of Programme Delivery role, the postholder will be overseeing a range of programmes and projects with a wide variety of stakeholders, including, for example, primary care, community teams, acute teams, mental health teams, commissioners, voluntary sector, public health, third sector colleagues etc.
Key responsibilities:
Key responsibilities for the role of the Associate Director - Programme Delivery include:
- Taking an active role in the organisations senior leadership team.
- Ongoing leadership, management and oversight of work to support the spread of innovation into practice; meeting delivery requirements set out within the business plan, including delivery against agreed milestones and deliverables for national, local and third party programmes and projects. This includes working as organisational lead for a number of projects that sit within the wider organisational innovation spread portfolio of the organisation. This may be reviewed on an annual basis dependent on the requirements of the network business plan.
- Demonstrating impact through the work of the organisation.
- Managing relevant assurance processes required in relation to the innovation adoption portfolio. This includes reporting locally, regionally and nationally as required.
- Developing strategic plans and operational plans to underpin the delivery of agreed projects sitting within the innovation adoption portfolio, as part of the wider organisation innovation portfolio.
- Supporting members of the wider professional group and organisation with respect to the above requirements.
- Taking an active role in business development in line with the above commitments – in line with the requirements of the main job description above.
- Managing appropriate budgets as required of the role, monitoring income and expenditure and liaising between the programme team and management teams as may be needed.
- Taking a leadership role to support the Professional Group to strive for excellence in its delivery ambitions, collaborating with and supporting team members as per expectations set out in the main job description.
- Taking a leadership role in identifying needs of the system and local populations for Health Innovation Kent Surrey and Sussex to respond to in its delivery activity.
- Taking a leadership role in relevant national for a and groups as may be required of the role.
The key responsibilities described above are not exhaustive and intended only to be a guide to the principal generic duties and responsibilities required of the post. It may be amended at any time with the agreement of the post holder and the post holder’s line manager.
