Income & Contracts Manager

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust; West Midlands; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in the UK is seeking a skilled individual to lead contract management and financial strategy. The role focuses on negotiating complex NHS contracts, ensuring compliance with national policies, and providing expert financial analysis. The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong analytical skills, effective communication, and a solid understanding of the NHS Payment System. This position offers a chance to make a significant impact on healthcare finances and service delivery.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Health and wellness programs

Qualifications

• Proven experience in contract management and negotiation.
• Expertise in financial analysis and NHS policies.
• Ability to communicate complex information effectively.

Responsibilities

• Lead contract negotiations with stakeholders.
• Analyse financial data to mitigate risks and maximize income.
• Provide expert guidance on contractual matters.

Skills

Analytical skills

Contract negotiation

Financial modelling

Communication skills

Education

Relevant financial qualification

Tools

Microsoft Excel

SQL

Job description

Reporting to the Head of Income & Contracts, the post holder will lead on key elements of the Trusts income and contracting strategy, taking responsibility for financially material and highly complex aspects of contract negotiations with commissioners and SLA partners. They will ensure robust mechanisms are in place to identify, assess, and manage both financial risk and opportunity across a range of contracts. The post holder will provide expert and detailed technical knowledge of the NHS Payment System. They will analyse and interpret large volumes of complex data, making informed judgements and recommendations that support the Trusts financial objectives.

They will communicate these insights clearly and persuasively to both finance and non-finance professionals, ensuring that complex, sensitive, and contentious information is conveyed appropriately to a range of stakeholders. The post holder will operate with a high degree of autonomy, guided by interpretation and detailed understanding of organisational and national policy, and will be expected to demonstrate advanced analytical, judgement, and communication skills in all aspects of their work. The role will involve working collaboratively with operational colleagues and service leads to optimise contract specifications, minimise liabilities, and maximise income and quality. The post holder will champion robust contract monitoring and governance, developing guidance for clinicians and service leads.

They will liaise with Business Intelligence and Costing teams to ensure data quality and accurate financial modelling, reporting and forecasting, and will monitor national policy changes while actively networking with NHS colleagues to develop and share best practice.

Contract Management & Negotiation. Work collaboratively with the Head of Income & Contracts, alongside operational and financial colleagues at varying levels, to lead the drafting, negotiation, and management of service level agreements and NHS contracts with external parties. While the contractual terms themselves may vary in complexity, the financial modelling and regulatory frameworks underpinning these agreements are often highly intricate and involve substantial monetary values. The postholder will be expected to negotiate with senior stakeholders both internal and external to ensure agreements align with national policy and Trust priorities, and to manage these through appropriate governance and contract recording processes, whilst safeguarding the strategic and financial interests of the Trust.

Maintain a comprehensive awareness of national, regional and local health economy guidance and priorities with respect to performance issues and objectives. Provide expert technical interpretation of the highly complex NHS payment system and contracting guidance to identify areas of risk and opportunity within the Trusts current income position, ensuring the Trust is positioned to respond effectively to current and emerging requirements. Use advanced analytical tools to interpret complex financial and activity data, assessing current income position and proposed contract offers to commissioners. Identify trends, variances, and gaps to make informed recommendations that mitigate risk and maximise income opportunities, ensuring all proposals align with nationally-prescribed parameters.

Provide senior finance, operational, and clinical colleagues with expert, solution-focused advice on achieving contractual incentives and avoiding penalties. Ensure recommendations support improved patient safety, service quality, and third-party performance, while maximising value through effective contract management. Deliver income and contract briefings written, verbal, or via presentations to financial, operational, and clinical teams to support awareness and decision making. Clearly communicate complex and overlapping contract and payment system principles, including associated risks and financial impacts, to non-financial and executive audiences. Collaborate with service leads to champion strong contract governance and monitoring - essential for securing Trust income, enhancing service delivery, and optimising performance.

Design and deliver targeted guidance and training for clinicians and operational colleagues, equipping them with the knowledge to effectively oversee, execute, and enforce contractual duties and remedies. Provide expert business advice to senior management on the potential risks and rewards in the contracts being negotiated and associated financial and non-financial implications. Navigate large volumes of highly complex data across a range of key contracting issues and provide appropriate recommendations, recognising that precedent may not exist in relation to evolving national guidance, and that interpreting of guidance may differ amongst internal and external stakeholders. Identify and understand the Trust policies that apply to a contract, advise operational colleagues how they apply to the running of that contract and make recommendations accordingly. Ensure data quality concerns raised by Commissioners are addressed by the Trust and help to identify and disseminate best practice in data quality across the team and the organisation.

Liaise with the Business Intelligence team to ensure the Trust is recording activity in line with National Payment System guidance and that the financial implications of current and forecast activity trends are understood. Investigate and advise on highly complex and sensitive issues relating to contract performance and provide strategic financial and business planning advice in this area.

Strategic / Financial Planning. Play a key role in delivering the requirements of the annual planning and contracting cycles, contributing to the formulation of medium and long-term financial strategy and associated plans with regard to income and contracting. Prepare and review operational plans to deliver income targets, adapting proactively to changes in guidance, contracts, and commissioning intentions.

Ensure the Trusts income and contracting assumptions are robust, aligned with the Trust strategic objectives, and reflective of current and long-term NHS guidance. Deliver recommendations to senior leadership where the Trust income and contracting assumptions and wider Trust / National objectives may not be aligned, sensitively navigating differing or contentious opinions where applicable. Provide financial expertise and support for the implementation of complex changes in service models, including the redesign of patient pathways, ensuring alignment with evolving regional and national guidance and Trust strategy. Collaborate with clinical and operational teams to assess the financial impact of service model changes and advise on optimal approaches.

Provide Senior support and guidance in the production of business cases. Develop system and modelling tools for use in advising operational managers and clinicians. Present risk and financial analysis to support business decision making in business cases where no precedent or incomplete information exists. To be able to think independently, understand the decisions needed and then present advice and recommendations on complex healthcare issues.

Policy Development & Implementation. Develop, document, and implement policies within the finance department and for divisions, ensuring compliance with Trust and NHSE standards. Lead the development of procedures, system documentation and controls within the commissioning function, and provide appropriate system development environments, standards and controls.

Additional Duties. Maintain awareness of best practice and developments in relevant areas. To ensure that the Trusts standing financial instructions and codes of procedures are adhered to at all times.

To utilise at a sufficiently advanced level all the relevant software required to successfully undertake this role, including Microsoft Office, with particular excellence in excel and ability to work with Big Data. Experience in SQL and Business Intelligence reporting would be an advantage. To assist generally in the financial management of the Trust. Provide functional leadership to staff involved in income and contracting activities, setting direction, allocating work, and ensuring delivery of objectives, even though these staff may not report directly from a line management perspective.

Contribute to the training and development of colleagues within the Income & Contracting team and the wider department, particularly those in earlier career stages or working at lower bands, by sharing expertise, offering guidance on financial and contractual matters, and supporting skills growth through informal mentoring and knowledge transfer. To take a lead role in the completion of routine and ad hoc returns which are required internally and externally, by the commissioners, NHS Improvement / England and the Department of Health. To represent the Head of Income & Contracts in various internal and external meetings as and when required. Any other duties as required.