Head of Improvement

Reporting to the Director of Planning, Insights, and Improvement, the Head of Improvement is responsible for shaping and embedding continuous improvement strategies and programmes across the University. This role is important to fostering a culture of operational excellence, optimising processes, and delivering measurable improvements in efficiency, effectiveness, and service quality. 

The Head of Improvement will drive the development of continuous improvement capabilities at all levels of the institution. By collaborating with colleagues and stakeholders, the role holder will design and implement the University's continuous improvement approach, actively engaging and supporting staff to cultivate a mindset of continuous improvement throughout the University community.

 Additionally, the role holder will coordinate the Master Schedule, ensure the effective operation of project governance and assurance processes, and support the alignment and integration of programme governance with the University's established governance structures.

  As Head of Improvement, you can expect to be involved in :

• Collaborating with the Director of Planning, Insights & Improvement to develop and implement a university-wide continuous improvement strategy aligned with institutional goals.
• Designing and maintain the University's Continuous Improvement Framework, establishing and embedding appropriate processes and standards across the institution in collaboration with the Improvement Practitioners.
• Supporting the Improvement Practitioners to build and nurture a cross-university continuous improvement community of practice, ensuring they engage colleagues from various departments and acting as a coach to support the Improvement Practitioners' professional growth and development.
• Championing the continuous improvement community of practice and supporting capability building in Schools and Services through coaching and training to strengthen the continuous improvement mindset across the university.

 What will you bring to the role?

• Degree in a relevant discipline or relevant professional qualification/experience
• Recognised process improvement qualification (e.g. Lean Competency level 2b, Six Sigma) OR substantial experience in a similar role
• Experience of managing large scale programmes and initiatives and their implementation in a large and complex environment
• Comprehensive understanding and experience of business process improvement (e.g. Lean Thinking) and project management methodologies (e.g. PRINCE2, Agile), and change management within a complex organisational environment.
• Proven track record of successfully leading, designing and delivering impactful design and continuous improvement approaches and developing strategies to realise benefits across a large­ scale and complex landscape

What we can offer in return:

As a member of our team, you can expect a friendly, open and collaborative working environment and support in your development and wellbeing. You'll enjoy a range of great staff benefits including:

• Hybrid working options allowing a flexible blend of office and home working (to be agreed in line with business needs) (remove this bullet for ACADEMIC roles)
• 43 days' leave per year (personal leave, bank holidays and additional days allocated for the Christmas period, pro rata for part-time staff)
• Excellent pension scheme with generous employer contributions
• Corporate employee-funded healthcare plan, in partnership with Benenden Health

For more information about what you can look forward to if you join us, visit our dedicated webpage: Working at Kent

We are ambitious for our people, our communities and the region we serve – join us in making the world a better place. Visit our website for more on who we are: http://www.kent.ac.uk/about/

Please see the links below to view the full job description and to apply for this post. For further information regarding the application process, please contact peopleserviceshr@kent.ac.uk quoting reference number PII-001-25-R

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