Contract Manager

NICE – The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A national health agency is seeking a Contract Manager to oversee the management and implementation of processes within the Health Economics and Decision Modelling team. This role involves coordinating projects, enhancing contract management systems, and ensuring delivery aligns with KPIs. The ideal candidate will have a relevant degree and experience in managing research contracts, as well as excellent communication skills. The position offers a salary of £38,682 to £46,580 per annum with flexible working options.

Benefits

Generous NHS Pension

Flexible Working

Exclusive Discounts

27 days' annual leave plus Bank Holidays

Inclusive Staff Networks

Qualifications

• Proven examples of substantial experience managing research contract workflows.
• Experience coordinating projects with internal teams and external partners.
• Evidence of implementing new systems to enhance service delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day management of the DTSU contract.
• Coordinate the contract management group for effective communication.
• Monitor supplier performance against KPIs and escalate issues as needed.

Skills

Contract management principles

Project coordination

System implementation

Stakeholder communication

Education

Relevant degree (law, business administration, life sciences)

Postgraduate diploma or equivalent experience

Job description

Go back NICE – The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Contract Manager

The closing date is 08 February 2026

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and motivated Contract Manager to join the Health Economics and Decision Modelling team at NICE. You will play a pivotal role in shaping and embedding new processes to enable cutting-edge research and decision support, working within a collaborative, high-performing team.

The Contract Manager will lead the development and implementation of processes to manage the decision and technical support unit (DTSU) element (Lot 2) of the External Assessment Group framework. This will include designing and operationalising new systems for project prioritisation, workflow, quality assurance and capacity management to streamline contract initiation and maintain alignment across the framework. The contract manager will also support procurement and tendering processes.

Working closely with the Senior Programme Manager, Senior Health Economics Adviser, and colleagues across NICE you will ensure clear, consistent processes are established for accessing the DTSU service.

You will manage the project pipeline, monitor equity of access, and oversee contract delivery against agreed milestones and KPIs. The role also involves coordinating regular supplier performance reviews, forward planning to support capacity management, and driving continuous improvement across all aspects of contract management.

This role can be based in either our Manchester (M1 3BN) or London (E20 1JQ) office.

Interview date Monday, 23rd February 2026

Main duties of the job

The Contract Manager will lead the day-to-day management of the DTSU contract as part of the wider External Assessment Group framework. The contract manager will:

• establish and manage the operational processes to support effective contract management.
• coordinate the contract management group, ensuring strong communication across internal teams and external supplier(s)
• maintain clear, up-to-date documentation, including project dashboards and risk registers
• develop and refine reporting templates in line with broader framework requirements
• monitor supplier performance against milestones and KPIs, escalating issues and proposing solutions where needed
• organise quarterly performance reviews and ensure timely submission of all reporting materials

About us

The Health Economics and Decision Modelling team is NICE's central hub for health economic expertise, delivering high quality evidence synthesis, decision modelling and quality assurance to support impactful, timely and user focused guidance. We lead the development and refinement of methods, models and reference case extensions, provide expert advice and training across NICE, and work with partners across and outside of NICE to innovate and strengthen the robustness and efficiency of guidance development. Through managing the decision and technical support unit contract and contributing to research and international projects, we help ensure NICE remains a global leader in health economics and supports the delivery of high value, evidence-based recommendations.

Our benefits include:

• Generous NHS Pension - Secure your future with one of the most rewarding pension schemes in the UK.
• Flexible Working - Enjoy a healthy work-life balance with options like remote working, compressed hours and flexible start/finish times.
• Exclusive Discounts - Save on shopping, dining and more with a Blue Light Card.
• Time to Recharge - Start with 27 days' annual leave plus Bank Holidays.
• Inclusive Staff Networks - Join supportive communities like Women in NICE, Race Equality Network, Disability Advocacy and more - we celebrate diversity.

Job responsibilities

To be considered for this role, you should be able to particularly demonstrate the person specification criteria in the job advert in your application. However, applicants should be able to demonstrate all essential criteria through the entirety of the recruitment process to be considered for the job.

Please see job description attached for full list of responsibilities.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Relevant degree (e.g., law, business administration, life sciences, or a related field) or equivalent knowledge and experience gained through further training and development, plus additional business management experience or training to postgraduate diploma level or equivalent.

Experience

• Proven examples of substantial experience managing research contract workflows or coordinating projects with internal teams and external academic or commercial partners.

Experience

• Proven examples of experience implementing new systems and processes to enhance service delivery in research, healthcare, or academic environments.

Knowledge

• Proven evidence of in-depth knowledge of contract management principles, processes, tools, and techniques.

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.

NICE – The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

£38,682 to £46,580 a year per annum, pro rata