Workforce Strategy and Planning Manager

Eye Screening; Kettering; Hybrid; GBP 58,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board is seeking a Workforce Strategy and Planning Manager (Band 8a) to lead workforce planning, data analytics, and transformation across the LNR cluster. The role combines strategic oversight with hands-on modelling to inform commissioning decisions and service redesign.

The post holder will coordinate data, model future workforce needs, and influence senior stakeholders across organisational boundaries to deliver workforce growth, efficiency and improved

Qualifications

• Educated to master’s level in a relevant subject or equivalent experience.
• Experience in NHS workforce planning and transformation programs is desirable.
• Evidence of continuing professional development in workforce planning.

Responsibilities

• Lead coordination of workforce data across organisational boundaries within the cluster.
• Develop and lead workforce plans aligned to national guidance.
• Analyse complex data to identify risks and opportunities for service transformation.
• Present insights to senior boards and committees and support policy development.
• Manage complex projects with autonomy and drive improvement across LNR.

Skills

Workforce planning

Data analysis

Modelling

Strategic thinking

Education

Master’s degree in a relevant subject

Job description

Employer NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board Employer type NHS Site Haylock house Town Kettering Salary £57,528 - £64,750 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 17/11/2026 23:59

Workforce Strategy and Planning Manager

NHS AfC: Band 8a

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

The Workforce Strategy and Planning Manager will play a key leadership role in supporting workforce strategy, planning, transformation and analytics across the Leicestershire Northamptonshire and Rutland (LNR) Integrated Care Board Cluster. The post holder will lead the development of workforce plans, coordinate complex workforce data and modelling activities, and provide strategic intelligence to inform commissioning decisions and service transformation.

Working closely with NHS providers, local authorities, NHS England and other system partners, the role will support the delivery of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, operational planning requirements and workforce transformation programmes. The post holder will be responsible for translating complex workforce data into meaningful insights, identifying workforce risks and opportunities, and supporting future demand and capacity planning across health and care services.

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong strategic thinking, workforce planning expertise, data analysis and modelling capability, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders across organisational boundaries. They will also lead workforce-related projects, present findings to senior boards and committees, and contribute to policy development and service improvement initiatives across the cluster.

Main duties of the job

The Workforce Strategy and Planning Manager will:

• Lead, coordinate and draw together multiple workforce data, insights and transformation work streams, manage complex programmes and projects to a high degree of autonomy.
• Support transformation workstreams across the LNR cluster with workforce planning, data, or analytical support is needed.
• Use data to drive and support ICB Teams with Strategic Commissioning, for example neighborhood teams across the cluster on the three shifts for the future NHS on workforce requirements. Sickness to prevention, hospital to community and analog to digital.
• Work with a range of colleagues across the LNR Cluster to coordinate the data that underpins the delivery of the workstreams’ activity.
• Undertake complex forward planning analysis/modelling of workforce data to identify risk and gaps aligned to future service plans and problem solve considering these, specifically during the commissioning cycle process.
• Convert data into insights, intelligence and information for a range of audiences and stakeholders presenting workforce information at relevant LNR Cluster (and other) committees and boards.
• Support the planning, delivery, implementation and evaluation of a range of identified projects that will impact across the LNR system in line with LNR People Plans.
• Lead workforce annual operational planning process and lead the development of cluster workforce plans in line to national guidance.

Working for our organisation

Working for our Integrated Care Boards will require you contributing to a shared purpose of improving outcomes for the communities we serve as part of a wider health and social care system. The organisation’s ethos is rooted in integrity, collaboration and accountability, with a strong focus on putting its patient population at the centre of everything it does and delivering services to improve patient outcomes, patient experience and added years of optimised health. As part of the newly formed cluster bringing together NHS Northamptonshire ICB and NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB, staff are expected to work flexibly and collaboratively across organisational boundaries to support a joined-up approach to strategic commissioning and service improvement. There is an expectation of 40% on patch working, with office bases at County Hall, Glenfield, Leicester and Haylock House, Kettering. Staff can choose which office is their primary base for contractual purposes and travel claims.

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

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Support delivery of the NHS Strategic Commissioning Framework and LNR Operating Model.
• To be responsible and accountable for co-ordinating strategic workforce planning across organisational boundaries within the Cluster.
• To undertake highly complex forward planning analysis/modelling of workforce data to identify risk and gaps aligned to future service plans and problem solve considering these particularly around neighbourhood models and the hospital community programs.
• Explore, recommend and be influential in finding solutions to workforce demand and capacity issues.
• To co-ordinate and contribute to a LNR cluster wide completion of the yearly training commissioning numbers Education Training Activity Plan( ETAP , analysing and projecting future placement capacity to influence decision making.
• To proactively seek out and use national policy, guidelines and workforce planning agendas to inform solutions recommended through the planning process actively seeking national best practice and developing local models for new role development.
• To lead on collating and managing one central workforce data repository across the ICN and maintain timeliness and accuracy.

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 experience of workforce planning and organisational development within an NHS system leadership environment, including experience at ICB level in delivering workforce transformation and change programmes
• Experience of NHS strategic workforce planning
• 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
• Should have an appreciation of the relationship between the Department of Health, NHS England and individual provider and commissioning organisations
• Strong understanding of workforce development in healthcare to include workforce transformation approaches, education development and commissioning
• Member of a relevant professional body.

Communication Skills

• Must be able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive, or contentious information, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups.
• Negotiate on difficult and controversial issues including performance and change
• Experience of engaging stakeholders in projects / workstreams across organizational boundaries

Analytical

• Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands
• Experience of interpreting and analysing large datasets of workforce information
• Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options
• Takes decisions on difficult and contentious issues where there may be a number of courses of action
• Strategic thinking – ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise

Planning Skills

• Demonstrated capability to plan over short, medium, and long - term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly
• Comprehensive experience of project principles techniques and tools such as Prince 2 and Managing Successful Projects

Autonomy

• Must be able to use initiative to decide relevant actions and make recommendations to Sponsor/ Manager, with the aim of improving deliverables and compliance to policies
• Ability to make decisions autonomously on difficult issues, , when required, working to tight and often changing timescales
• Experience of identifying and interpreting National policy
• Experience of researching best practice (globally, private, and public sector), interpreting its relevance and processes/ practices which could be implemented successfully to achieve system reform (advising on policy implementation)

Management Skills

• Must be able to prioritise own work effectively and be able to direct activities of others
• Experience of managing and motivating a team and reviewing performance of the individuals
• Skills for managing relationships with a range of different stakeholders

Physical Skills

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office with intermediate keyboard skills

Equality and Diversity

• Needs to have a thorough understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships both in terms of dayto‑day working practices, but also in relation to management systems in the area.

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.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust administer this account on behalf of the ICB, you may receive communications from both the University Hospitals of Leicester 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.

Right to Work in the UK and Visa Sponsorship

The ICB does not hold a Skilled Worker sponsor licence and is therefore unable to provide visa sponsorship or issue a Certificate of Sponsorship.

Applicants must have an existing right to work in the UK that permits them to undertake the role. Where an applicant's right to work is time-limited, they will be required to maintain a valid right to work for the duration of their employment.

If you are on a Graduate visa, please confirm on your application form that you have at least 12 months remaining on your visa.

Evidence of right to work in the UK will be required as part of the recruitment and pre-employment checking process.