Chief Commissioning Officer

This is a defining moment for NHS Kent and Medway. We are building a different kind of integrated care board, a high-performing strategic commissioning organisation that designs the shape of healthcare in our system, sets the model of care we expect to see, aligns resources to that model, and holds partners to account for delivery through commissioning based on population health requirements.

Our role is not to manage the day-to-day running of services. Our role is to be the architect of system change so that every pound spent, every pathway and every partnership is directed towards better outcomes, greater equity and stronger value for the population we serve.

Kent and Medway faces profound challenges. Our population is growing and ageing. The number of people aged 85 and over is projected to rise sharply over the next 20 years, and prevalence of multiple long-term conditions is closely linked to deprivation, ethnicity, unemployment, housing insecurity and social isolation. Health inequalities remain persistent and significant, demand continues to rise, and system performance remains fragile.

These pressures require more than incremental change. They require a confident commissioner with the authority, analytical grip and system leadership to reshape how care is designed and delivered.

That is why the Chief Commissioning Officer is such an important appointment. This role will help define the architecture of our future system. It will connect prevention, population health, quality, safety, clinical transformation and outcomes into one coherent commissioning approach. The postholder will bring authoritative leadership to the board, ensure our decisions are grounded in evidence and outcomes, and strengthen how we translate strategy into delivery across providers, places, primary care and wider partners.

If you are motivated by the opportunity to help design the future of a whole system, improve outcomes at scale and bring clear leadership to that task, this is an exceptional role at a pivotal moment and we would like to hear from you.

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.