Associate Director for Strategic Planning

Central East Integrated Care Board; Ely; On-site; GBP 94,000 - 109,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Job summary

Central East Integrated Care Board in Ely, Cambridgeshire, invites applications for the Associate Director for Strategic Planning (NHS AfC Band 8d). The role leads the development of the ICB's ten-year strategy and translates it into credible plans, commissioning and operating plans, and annual cycles.

This senior post requires strategic leadership across finance, commissioning, contracting, and workforce streams.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a health/public services or related field.
• Evidence of continuous professional development with cross-disciplinary knowledge (finance/management).

Responsibilities

• Lead the co-ordination & development of the annual commissioning intentions.
• Lead the annual planning cycle, including national returns and organisational delivery plans.
• Develop and deliver the ICB's operating plan using population health intelligence.
• Develop long-term capacity and demand modelling to support sustainable services.
• Ensure planning policies are reviewed and localised to ICB priorities.

Skills

Strategic planning

Leadership

Public sector

Finance knowledge

Policy analysis

Education

Master’s degree in a relevant field

Job description

Main area Administrative Grade NHS AfC: Band 8d Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week (Part time options will be considered) Job ref 644-CE095

Employer Central East Integrated Care Board Employer type NHS Site Central East ICB Town Ely, Cambridge Salary £94,356 - £108,814 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 14/10/2026 23:59

Associate Director for Strategic Planning

NHS AfC: Band 8d

We are Central East ICB, the new organisationentrusted with serving more than 3.5 million people across Bedfordshire, Luton, Milton Keynes, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and Hertfordshire.

We are responsible for making sure that the NHS can continue to support our community – now, and in the future. Everything we do will be guided by our core purpose: to do what best serves the population of this area.

We promise to focus on what makes the biggest difference to people’s lives – acting earlier to help prevent illness and detect disease and making it easier for our community to get the health care they need, closer to home, whenever that’s possible.

Read about our priorities in our strategy document, Our Way .

Job overview

The Associate Director for Strategic Planning (8D) is specifically responsible for developing the ICB’s strategy for the next ten years, aligned to the NHS Ten Year Plan, and converting that into credible plans for delivery. This role includes accountability for the development of the ICB’s commissioning plan, operational plans, and the annual planning cycle. The role will ensure that priorities determined in the strategy are clearly articulated in ICB plans and communicated to providers and wider stakeholders. The role will coordinate inputs from ICB colleagues in finance, commissioning, contracting, place and workforce development teams to ensure both the technical and narrative planning requirements are met.

Main duties of the job

The Associate Director Strategic Planning provides senior leadership and operational assurance to the Deputy Director, contributing to a cohesive, high-performing system that delivers on immediate priorities while building the foundations for long-term improvement and integration across health and care.

• Lead the co-ordination & development of the annual commissioning intentions
• Lead the annual planning cycle, including the co-ordination of the national technical returns and organisational/system delivery plans
• Lead the development & delivery of the ICBs annual operating plan, using population health intelligence to ensure the plan reflects both the long- & short-term objectives of the organisation.
• Lead on the development of long-term capacity & demand modelling to support sustainable service delivery
• Ensure that national planning policies are reviewed and localised, linked to the PHM framework and agreed ICB priorities.

Working for our organisation

We are committed to promoting equal opportunities to achieve equity of access, experience and outcomes and to recognising and valuing people’s differences. We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity; we see this as a strength and part of our founding mission, values and behaviours. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers patient outcomes.

We are committed to creating the best place to work, where your contribution is valued, your wellbeing is supported and all our colleagues can reach their full potential. We welcome and encourage applications from all areas of the community, who meet the criteria for the role, regardless of their protected characteristic. We work to ensure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible to everyone, including making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition and support with the recruitment process for people with lived experience.

We are happy to discuss flexible working options for all roles.

We operate a Carer friendly working environment that is supportive and inclusive. We actively encourage Carers to self-identify themselves.

We are a Disability Confident Employer and commit to shortlisting suitable applicants who meet the essential criteria for an interview. Please inform us of any adjustments you may require.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information on this role please see the job description and person specification attached.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Educated to Master’s degree level or equivalent level of experience in a relevant field (e.g. health, care, public services, professional expertise, or related discipline).
• Evidence of continuous professional development, with a track record of keeping skills and knowledge current covering a number of disciplines such as Finance or Management.

Knowledge and Experience

• Significant experience at Senior Management (sub board) within the NHS, public sector, or a comparable complex system
• Leadership experience in a complex, multi-agency environment, ideally within health and care commissioning
• Demonstrable success in delivering organisational change, transformation, and integration at scale
• Strong track record in delivery of strategic planning, commissioning, and/or system-wide service redesign to improve outcomes and value for money
• Experience of leading in a politically sensitive environment and balancing competing demands with diplomacy and sound judgement.