Continuous Improvement programme manager
The closing date is 13 May 2026
The post holder will support and help build GESH a shared purpose and vision for improvement. The post holder will support the development, implementation and application of a group-wide improvement culture and quality management system. This will support the group to deliver its key strategic priorities, enhancing the capability and capacity of our staff, investing in our people to continually improve clinical care, financial and operational efficiency, and effectiveness across each core business. Building improvement capacity for the long‑term while delivering essential, purposeful improvement to support current challenges.
The post holder will use specialist knowledge and proven in‑depth experience in the management and supportive delivery of improvement programmes and projects within a highly complex healthcare setting.
Main duties of the job
Contribute to the GESH vision and shared purpose so that they are lived everyday by its people and are underpinned by core values.
Ensure all improvement work is focused on the shared purpose and vision and question any work which does not align to these, focusing on the current GESH and NHS priorities.
Support the creation of a powerful, purpose‑driven context and narrative for improvement work so that people are more likely to engage, based on commitment to the purpose rather than compliance with a process.
Understand the world in which frontline staff are working, their challenges, their successes, and the improvement they’d like to see to guide this vision and shared purpose, and support new innovative methods of co‑design, collaboration or engagement events.
Support the design, development and implementation of a group‑wide system of working which enables and sustains a culture of continuous improvement.
Support teams’ capabilities to improve safety, reduce unwarranted variation and adopt operational best practices by using improvement skills.
About us
St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals and Health Group cares for a population of four million people in South West London and North East Surrey. Our sites include St George’s Hospital, one of 11 major trauma centres in the UK and the largest healthcare provider and major teaching hospital in the area; St Helier Hospital, home to the South West Thames Renal and Transplantation Unit and Queen Mary’s Hospital for Children; and Epsom Hospital, home to the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre (SWLEOC).
After years of collaboration, our two Trusts became a hospitals group in 2021. While remaining as two separate Trusts, being a hospitals group will help us to collaborate more closely on research, and the development, education and training of our 17,000‑strong workforce.
At GESH we are committed to supporting flexible working arrangements. Applicants are encouraged to discuss any flexibility they may need during the recruitment process.
Job responsibilities
Responding to deficient performance and / or embedded challenges in both organisations and systems.
Develop skills and capabilities across the group to support all staff and develop future improvement leaders.
Help create an improvement faculty that will support staff and leadership teams across the group to embed an improvement culture.
Help create opportunities for increased connectivity and opportunity across GESH.
Invest in and support people to understand and own their work, enabling them to make improvements in their own area of work.
Undertake planned and deliberate cultural readiness work, to establish and maintain a shared set of values that everyone can align to.
Use a coaching‑based approach to leadership in areas where improvement is required, encourage idea generation, and run PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act) cycles regularly.
Encourage and teach the use of measurement to evaluate improvements and to learn.
Support the development of a locally agreed method to measure and assess organisational improvement culture, including drawing on NHS staff survey information, to support organisational development and learning working with GESH OD colleagues.
Proactively use data and information from all available resources including staff feedback and patient feedback to inform continuous improvement approaches.
Promote a culture of safety, high‑reliability, patient and staff engagement and performance excellence through the adoption and use of improvement skills.
Develop, evaluate and maintain metrics to demonstrate delivery.
Support business transformation and improvement within the group and the wider southwest London networks.
Lead through a principle of co‑production in the development of solutions and improvement.
Work with other leaders and functions to ensure a coherent and aligned approach covering culture, continuous improvement and leadership development activities helping to develop improvement leadership behaviours.
Support identification of improvement priorities aligned to group strategy, quality and performance priorities.
Establish and maintain links with recognized improvement bodies to ensure that GESH’s continuous improvement methodology remains fit for purpose and is exploiting latest ideas and innovation from other health partners and wider industry.
Supporting GESH’s participation in key national and commissioner transformation initiatives through opportunity identification and response, stakeholder engagement, bidding, implementation planning and delivery oversight.
Take account of the current Care Quality Commission Well‑Led scores and support teams where there are areas for improvement.
Design ways to celebrate and share good practice.
Main duties and responsibilities to develop leadership behaviours for improvement.
Provide subject matter expertise and lead the implementation of the GESH approach to embedding the leadership practices and behaviours that enable a continuous improvement culture and high‑performing teams.
Work with senior leaders to embed a coaching leadership style, people‑orientated approach to change and a continuous improvement approach in their day‑to‑day work.
Identify the behaviours, skills and competencies required by leaders to implement and sustain a consistent approach to leadership that enables continuous improvement. Support leaders embed new ways of working and adopt new habits.
Work with colleagues in the OD team to ensure congruence with OD programmes and alignment in our approach and overall leadership development strategy.
Person Specification
- Experience in delivering and leading improvement or change management programmes.
- Experience of using data and measurement for improvement.
- Educated to degree level or equivalent, with evidence of further formal study to Masters level or equivalent.
- Ability to present information in a clear and coherent manner.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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