Lead Contract Manager

The Methodist Church in Britain; Norwich, Ipswich; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

The Lead Contract Manager role sits within the Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board team, directing contract compliance and management for the board's provider contracts. You will guide senior staff across a portfolio spanning performance, risk and value for money, handling complex negotiations and multi-ICB collaborations.

Hybrid role with some office work, prioritising internal staff. You will lead a team to deliver contracting priorities, oversee risk and drive pathway change in a

Qualifications

• Masters level education or equivalent senior-level experience.
• Evidence of post-qualifying and continuing professional development.
• Extensive experience of complex NHS contracting and provider management.
• Previous budget responsibility and involvement in budget setting and financial processes.
• Understanding of healthcare policy and the relationships between DHSC, NHS England, providers and commissioners.
• Experience identifying and interpreting national policy and advising on implementation.

Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate and coordinate staff supporting the contract portfolio to deliver priorities.
• Lead on complex provider contracts within the portfolio.
• Implement contracting requirements across the provider portfolio.
• Provide integrated oversight of contracts across the portfolio.
• Identify and manage contractual risks across the portfolio.
• Use contractual levers and provider relationships to deliver better outcomes and value.
• Lead complex and contentious contract negotiations.
• Coordinate multi-ICB contracts through commissioner protocols.
• Deliver against national and local standards and priorities.
• Support commissioners with pathway transformation.
• Lead and contribute to directorate development and continuous improvement.

Skills

Stakeholder communication

Negotiation

Risk management

Programme leadership

Leadership of a team

Microsoft Office skills

Education

Masters degree or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office

Power BI

Oracle

Job description

The Lead Contract Manager post sits in the Norfolk and Suffolk Integrated Care Board team that handles contract compliance and management for the contracts the board holds. It gives senior leadership to staff who support an allocated portfolio of provider contracts, covering performance, risk and value for money. The work centres on complex and contentious negotiations, coordinating multi-ICB contracts and supporting commissioners on pathway change. The role is hybrid with some office working, and priority goes to internal staff.

What the job involves

• Lead, motivate and coordinate the staff supporting the allocated contract portfolio to deliver its priorities
• Lead on complex provider contracts within the allocated portfolio
• Lead the implementation of contracting requirements across the provider portfolio
• Lead integrated oversight of contracts across the provider portfolio
• Identify and manage contractual risks across the portfolio
• Use contractual levers and provider relationships to deliver better outcomes and value
• Lead complex and, where necessary, contentious contract negotiations
• Coordinate multi-ICB contracts through coordinating commissioner protocols
• Lead delivery against national and local standards and priorities
• Support commissioners with pathway transformation
• Lead and contribute to agreed areas of focus for directorate development and continuous improvement

What's required

Qualifications

• Educated to masters level, or equivalent senior-level experience and extensive specialist knowledge in a specialist area
• Evidence of post-qualifying and continuing professional development

Experience

• Extensive experience of complex NHS contracting and provider management
• Previous responsibility for a budget, including involvement in budget setting and working knowledge of financial processes
• Understanding of current healthcare policy, its aims and its implications for engagement, and of the relationships between DHSC, NHS England, providers and commissioners
• Experience of identifying and interpreting national policy and researching best practice to advise on implementation

Skills & knowledge

• Communicating with internal and external stakeholders, some at senior level, and presenting complex concepts
• Negotiating and influencing on difficult and controversial issues, including performance and change
• Identifying risks, anticipating issues and resolving problems in project or service delivery
• Planning across short, medium and long-term timeframes and delivering programmes, projects and services on time
• Providing visible leadership to a team, including performance, wellbeing, succession and change
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office with intermediate keyboard skills

Other

• Working autonomously and making decisions on difficult issues under tight, changing timescales
• Adaptability and ability to cope with uncertainty and change
• Thorough understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships
• Self-motivated, able to move between detail and the bigger picture, and demonstrating honesty and integrity

Nice to have

• Member of a relevant professional body
• Comprehensive experience of project methods such as PRINCE2 and Managing Successful Projects
• Familiarity with NHS systems such as Atamis, Power BI and Oracle