Senior Strategy and Planning Manager

NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board; Northampton; On-site; GBP 67,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board is seeking a Senior Strategy and Planning Manager to support the Head of Strategy and Planning and Director of Strategy in developing and coordinating high quality strategic and operational plans across Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland.

This Band 8b role requires strong leadership, policy understanding and collaborative working, with a minimum of two days on patch in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, and a proven track record in

Qualifications

• Master’s level or equivalent experience in strategic planning
• Extensive knowledge of strategic planning and related functions
• Proven and significant leadership experience
• Evidence of post qualifying continuing professional development
• Understanding of NHS policy and its engagement in operational/5-year planning
• Knowledge of relationship between Department of Health, NHS England and providers/commissioning bodies
• Member of a relevant professional body

Responsibilities

• Lead defined strategic workstreams and contribute to systemwide planning.
• Develop and deliver high quality strategic and operational plans.
• Draft and coordinate sections of the annual Operational Plan with NHS England and ICB Board requirements.
• Identify opportunities for system improvement and better population outcomes.
• Collaborate across ICB Directorates and system partners to translate plans into delivery.
• Use Population Health Management insights to inform planning and place-based decisions.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Policy engagement

Stakeholder communication

CPD

Education

Master's degree

Professional body member

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Employer NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board Employer type NHS Site Haylock House / County Hall Town Northampton/Leicester Salary £66,582 - £77,368 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 06/11/2026 23:59

Senior Strategy and Planning Manager

NHS AfC: Band 8b

Our vision for the future of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland’s health and care services is for a positive lifetime of health, wellbeing and care in our community.

Our mission in working together, the reason we do what we do, is to empower positive futures. Wherever we work and whatever our role we all want people in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland to be able to choose well, stay well, live well.

Each day our values will help to guide our decisions and what is most important to us:

• Our patients and our local population come first
• We work together in an open and accountable way
• We trust, challenge and support each other
• We do what we say we will do.

Job overview

Akey role within the ICB Strategy Directorate, supporting the Head of Strategy and Planning and Director of Strategy to develop, coordinate and deliverhigh qualitystrategic and operational plans.

“This role will require a minimum of 2 days ‘on patch’ working in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland in our 2 main offices or partner sites”

Main duties of the job

The postholder will lead defined strategic workstreams, contribute to systemwide planning, and work collaboratively with partners to improve population health, reduceinequalitiesand strengthen system integration. The role will support the development of strategic, operational and pathway specific plans, ensuring alignment with national policy, regulatoryrequirementsand local priorities.

Working for our organisation

Our vision for the future of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland’s health and care services is for a positive lifetime of health, wellbeing and care in our community.

Our mission in working together, the reason we do what we do, is to empower positive futures. Wherever we work and whatever our role we all want people in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland to be able to choose well, stay well, live well.

Each day our values will help to guide our decisions and what is most important to us:

• Our patients and our local population come first
• We work together in an open and accountable way
• We trust, challenge and support each other
• We do what we say we will do.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Support delivery of the NHS Strategic Commissioning Framework and LNR Operating Model.

Support the development ofhigh qualitystrategic and operational plans including the ICB 5 Year Commissioning Plan.

Keep up to date with policy developments across health and care and assess their impact on the organisation, partners,patientsand the public.

Lead defined workstreams in developing systemwide strategic and operational plans, ensuring alignment with national policy, regulatoryrequirementsand local priorities.

Identifyand maximise opportunities created by integrated and collaborative working across the health and care system, including service integration and improved outcomes for patients and the public.

Draft and coordinate sections of the annual Operational Plan, ensuring clear actions,milestonesand compliance with NHS England and ICB Board requirements.

Ensure plans support improve population health outcomes, reduce inequalities, deliver value formoneyand embed innovative commissioning practice.

Collaborate across ICB Directorates and system partners to translate strategic plans into delivery through commissioning,contractingand provider collaboration.

Use Population Health Management insights andevidence basedapproaches to inform strategic development andplace basedplanning.

Ensure meaningful clinical, patient, public and community involvement in strategic planning activities.

Monitor policy developments,identifyopportunities for improvement, and leadtime limitedprojects that support directorate and system priorities.

Plan and coordinate complex programmes of work, managing interdependencies,risksand deadlines to ensuretimelysubmission ofhigh qualityplans and information.

Person specification

Knowledge, Training and Experience

• Educated to master’s level in relevant subject or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level in specialist area
• Extensive knowledge of and expertise in specialisms relevant to function and role for example operational and five year strategic planning
• Proven and significant leadership experience
• Evidence of post qualifying continuing professional development
• Must have an understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and appreciate the implications of this on engagement for examples operational planning and 5 year planning
• Should have an appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health, NHS England and individual provider and commissioning organisations
• Member of a relevant professional body

Communication Skills

• Developed communication skills for delivering key messages to a range of stakeholders both internal and external (including outside the NHS) to the organisation, some at very senior level
• Good presentational skills for conveying complex concepts
• Ability to use informed persuasion to influence others

Analytical

• Ability to identify risks, anticipate issues, create solutions and resolve problems in relation to project or service delivery
• Ability to understand a broad range of complex information quickly and make decisions where opinions differ/no obvious solution

Planning Skills

• Evidence of planning and delivering programmes and projects and services on time

Autonomy

• Ability to work without supervision, providing specialist advice to the organisation, working to tight and often changing timescales
• Interpreting national policy for implementation

Management Skills

• Skills for direct line management and job management
• Skills for delivering results through managing others and using a range of levers in the absence of direct line management responsibility
• Skills for managing relationships with a range of different stakeholders.

Physical Skills

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office with intermediate keyboard skills

Equality and Diversity

• Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of equality of opportunity and diversity taking into account and being aware of how individual actions contribute to and make a difference to the equality agenda.

Please note, there is an requirement for all positions at Bands 8b and above to be part of a On Call rota.

All new entrants to the ICB for a permanent position will be subject to a 6 month probationary period. For new entrants appointed on a fixed-term basis, the probationary period is between 1 and 6 months.

We are an equal opportunities employer and all applications will be welcomed and considered regardless of a person’s age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

We welcome applications from disabled candidates and those applicants need only meet the essential criteria to be invited to interview. We will also make any reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process, including the Job Description and Person Specification, to enable you to pursue your application, providing that you inform us of any special requirements.

L N R ICBs recognise that applicants may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to support the preparation of their application, for example to help with structure, grammar, or presentation. Applicants must ensure that all information submitted is accurate, authentic, and reflects their own skills, experience, and suitability for the role. Any use of AI in preparing an application must be clearly declared and may be explored or challenged as part of the interview and selection process.

Arden & GEM CSU administer this account on behalf of the ICB, you may receive communications from both the CSU and the ICB during your recruitment.

If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) system and other secure, internal NHS workforce systems in order to support and manage your recruitment and employment within the organisation.

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