About this role
Job summary
The Deputy Head of Service Stop Smoking provides technical, operational and pathway leadership for the smoking cessation element of the One You Kent Service.
The postholder is accountable for the daytoday operational performance, quality, workforce leadership and delivery of smoking cessation services, ensuring they are safe, evidencebased, outcomefocused and aligned with national guidance and local commissioning priorities.
Working in partnership with the Head of Service, this role translates strategic direction into highquality operational delivery, providing subjectmatter expertise in smoking cessation, overseeing performance against KPIs and linemanaging some of the Operational Team Leads while ensuring each lead across the service embed excellent smoking cessation pathways and clinics. The Deputy Head plays a key role in service development, pathway improvement and partnership working, particularly across primary care, secondary care, maternity and mental health settings.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will provide technical, clinical, and operational leadership for smoking cessation services within One You Kent, ensuring delivery aligns with national guidance, evidence-based practice, and tobacco control strategies. They will oversee treatment models, quality assurance, practitioner competence, and workforce development, while supporting consistent standards and continuous professional development across teams.
The role will lead the day-to-day operational delivery of smoking cessation services across Kent, driving performance against key targets including referrals, engagement, quit outcomes, and retention. The postholder will use performance data and insight to identify risks and improvement opportunities, produce reports in line with commissioner expectations, and contribute to demonstrating the impact of the service through annual reporting and communications activity.
In addition, the postholder will support service development, innovation, and pathway redesign, while building strong relationships with healthcare professionals and partner organisations to strengthen referral pathways and collaborative working. They will ensure compliance with governance, safeguarding, and clinical standards, represent the pathway at stakeholder meetings, and deputise for the Head of Service where required.
About us
One You Kent is Kents free, countywide lifestyle and wellbeing service, supporting adults to make positive, sustainable changes to improve their health and reduce the risk of longterm conditions. The service provides evidencebased support including smoking cessation (whole of Kent), weight management, physical activity and healthy lifestyle interventions (East Kent only), delivered through a strengthsbased, personcentred approach. Working closely with GP practices, Primary Care Networks, local authorities and community and voluntary sector partners, One You Kent is embedded within local communities to ensure support is accessible, inclusive and responsive to local need. The service plays a key role in reducing health inequalities across Kent through partnership working, community engagement and flexible delivery models.
Job description Job responsibilities
The postholder will provide technical, clinical, and operational leadership for smoking cessation services within One You Kent, ensuring delivery aligns with national guidance, evidence-based practice, and tobacco control strategies. They will oversee treatment models, quality assurance, practitioner competence, and workforce development, while supporting consistent standards and continuous professional development across teams.
The role will lead the day-to-day operational delivery of smoking cessation services across Kent, driving performance against key targets including referrals, engagement, quit outcomes, and retention. The postholder will use performance data and insight to identify risks and improvement opportunities, produce reports in line with commissioner expectations, and contribute to demonstrating the impact of the service through annual reporting and communications activity.
In addition, the postholder will support service development, innovation, and pathway redesign, while building strong relationships with healthcare professionals and partner organisations to strengthen referral pathways and collaborative working. They will ensure compliance with governance, safeguarding, and clinical standards, represent the pathway at stakeholder meetings, and deputise for the Head of Service where required.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Degree or postgraduate qualification in public health, health promotion or related field. Significant experience delivering smoking cessation services. Strong technical knowledge of smoking cessation and tobacco control
Desirable
NCSCT practitioner or equivalent qualification.
Experience Essential
Experience in an operational leadership role within public or community health. Experience of managing staff and/or team leads. Project or pathway leadership experience.
Desirable
Experience working in maternity, secondary care or mental health settings.
Job Specific Requirements Essential
Ability to travel independently across Kent. Willingness to work flexibly to meet service needs. Willingness to undertake an Enhanced DBS check.
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.
Employer details Employer name ABL Health Ltd
Address Kent House
81 Station Road
Kent
TN23 1PP
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.ablhealth.co.uk/work-for-us/join-our-team/ (Opens in a new tab)