Director of Improvement and Organisational DevelopmentinWorthinginWorthingPUBLISHED WED 26 FEB 2025

Stakeholder Event: 24.03.25 / Panel Interview: 27.03.25

The Trust is seeking a dynamic, strategic, and highly experienced improvement and OD leader to drive a culture of continuous improvement and leadership development. This is a pivotal role in shaping how we develop our people, improve our services, and embed sustainable change across UHSussex.

Reporting to the Deputy Chief Executive, the successful candidate will lead our Kaizen and continuous improvement approach, ensuring improvement is at the heart of everything we do. They will also drive organisational development and leadership programmes, working across a complex matrix structure with divisional, people, and strategy teams to enable meaningful, system-wide transformation.

This is a key opportunity for a credible leader with a strong track record in OD and improvement at board/sub-board level. The role requires strategic thinking, collaborative leadership, and a hands-on approach to delivering impact at scale.

For an informal discussion, please contact Dr Andy Heeps, Deputy Chief Executive, via his EA, Nicky Burrage ).

The Director of Improvement and Organisational Development (DIOD) is a key leadership role within UHSussex, responsible for embedding a culture of continuous improvement, organisational development, and leadership development across the Trust.

Reporting to the Deputy Chief Executive, the DIOD will integrate improvement methodologies with cultural and organisational change to enhance staff engagement, operational effectiveness, and patient care.

This role will provide strategic oversight for the improvement and organisational development agenda, ensuring alignment with NHS Impact principles, strategic priorities, and annual Breakthrough Objectives. Working collaboratively across clinical and corporate teams, the DIOD will ensure staff at all levels are empowered to drive and sustain meaningful change.

The post holder will work closely with the Director of Strategy, the People and HR team, and other senior leaders to align improvement and OD initiatives with broader transformation efforts while ensuring a focus on operational sustainability.

About us

Lead the development and implementation of the Trusts improvement and OD strategy, ensuring measurable and sustainable improvements in patient care, operational efficiency, and staff engagement.

Ensure all improvement initiatives align with NHS Impact principles, strategic priorities, and annual Breakthrough Objectives.

Develop and oversee leadership and management development programmes, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

Drive the Trusts cultural transformation programme, embedding compassionate, inclusive, and psychologically safe leadership at all levels.

Develop and oversee leadership development programmes, including executive coaching, talent pipelines, and management development frameworks.

Establish a robust governance framework for improvement and OD, ensuring measurable outcomes aligned to strategic priorities and Breakthrough Objectives.

Provide Board-level reporting on cultural transformation, leadership development, and improvement performance.

Oversee the development and delivery of improvement training programmes, ensuring staff across all levels have the skills to lead and implement improvement initiatives.

Lead OD interventions that support high-performing teams, staff engagement, and talent retention across the Trust.

Collaborate with HR and workforce teams to embed OD principles into recruitment, career progression, and staff development initiatives.

Actively contribute to the Trusts senior leadership team, participating in corporate decision-making and strategy development.

Take part in the Trusts Director on call rota.

Ensure all improvement and OD initiatives align with NHS Impact and Trust-wide priorities.

For further information, please review the Job Description and Person Specification.