Kent and Medway is embarking on an ambitious programme to reshape health and care around its communities, strengthening prevention, integrating services and enabling more people to receive the right care closer to home.

We are seeking an exceptional Managing Director, Neighbourhood Collaborative to lead this work across a system serving almost two million people. Bringing together primary care, community and mental health services, local authorities, acute providers, the voluntary sector and wider partners, you will turn the ambition for neighbourhood health into practical and sustainable delivery.

Working closely with NHS Kent and Medway ICB as strategic commissioner, you will help translate the system's Commissioning Intentions and Four Layers of Care into new models of provision. A central priority will be the development of Integrated Neighbourhood Teams, accelerating the Left Shift towards prevention, proactive care and support closer to home and levelling up community, mental health and primary care provision across Kent and Medway.

This is a role requiring both strategic vision and an ability to make change happen across organisational boundaries. You will bring partners together around shared outcomes, tackle variation and inequality and build the relationships, governance and delivery arrangements required to turn system ambition into measurable improvement.

We are looking for a highly credible senior leader who understands integrated and neighbourhood health and care and has demonstrable experience of delivering substantial transformation through partnership and influence. You will be as comfortable working with primary care and local authorities as with provider Boards, clinical leaders and commissioners, and will bring the energy, judgement and resilience required to deliver change across a complex system.

This is a rare opportunity to help create a fundamentally different model of health and care for Kent and Medway, with neighbourhoods at its heart.

For a confidential discussion, please contact Lucy Deane - lucy.deane@gatenbysanderson.com , Melanie Shearer melanie.shearer@gatenbysanderson.com or Julia St Clare - julia.stclare@gatenbysanderson.com at GatenbySanderson .

To view the job description and person specification, please scroll to the bottom of the page, tick to agree to the privacy policy, then click 'Continue to full details'.

Documents

Fit and Proper Person Declaration - New.docx

Recruitment Timetable

Closing date
9am Monday 30th November 2026

Preliminary Interviews for Information
w/c 7th December 2026

Stakeholder Engagement and Final Interviews
w/c 14th December 2026

How to Apply

• Please submit an up to date copy of your CV, along with a Supporting Statement that addresses the criteria set out in the person specification, using examples to demonstrate how you meet the essential requirements.
• A completed fit and proper person form - the template can be downloaded from the same place as the job description.
• Detail any employment or education gaps.
• You should provide the names, positions, organisations, and contact details for your referees, which must be your line managers and include your current and most recent employer. The referees should cover at least two roles as the minimum. Please note, should you be appointed, you will be required to provide references covering your last 6 years of employment as per the new NHS Fit and Proper Person regulations. Where there have been gaps in employment, this six year period will be extended accordingly. Referees will only be contacted for those proceeding to the final stage - we will always gain your permission before we contact referees.
• Let us know any difficulty you may have with the indicative timetable.
• Check that your contact details are correct before you submit.

Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an automated email to confirm that you have applied. If you do not receive this email, please make contact with GatenbySanderson.

Acceptable use of AI

Candidates may use AI tools to support proofreading, editing and presentation. However, all application materials should represent the candidate's own experience, perspectives and leadership thinking. We are seeking original and authentic responses, and applicants should ensure that any submission reflects their own analysis, judgement and vision for the role.