About this role
Job summary
Please note: at this stage, the role is open only to colleagues currently employed by the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Southeast Integrated Care Boards; and current at-risk employees within Kent and Medway NHS Trusts.
We are seeking an experienced and strategic Senior Contracting Business Partner to lead a complex, high-value portfolio of healthcare contracts. This is a senior leadership role responsible for shaping contracting strategy, driving value for money, and ensuring high-quality outcomes across commissioned services.
You will act as the organisation's expert advisor on contracting, procurement, financial governance, and performance risk. Working closely with senior stakeholders, including executives and provider organisations, you will lead negotiations, manage disputes, and influence commissioning decisions to support system-wide priorities.
Main duties of the job
oProvide strategic leadership for a complex, varied and high value contract portfolio, influencing provider performance, transformation plans and commissioning strategy.
oAct as the senior contracting lead, providing authoritative advice to MDTs, senior managers, executives and the Board on contractual risk, compliance and procurement.
oLead strategic negotiations, contract variations, performance recovery plans and dispute resolution on highly complex and sensitive matters.
oOversee robust contract governance, ensuring high quality reporting, risk management and assurance within the annual contracting cycle. This includes working closely with other teams (both within and outside of the ICB) to ensure contract monitoring information is in place including performance, quality finance and activity information and provide interpretation and guidance to commissioning colleagues.
oInterpret national policy, legislation and technical contracting rules; assess impacts on commissioning intentions and provider agreements and advise on mitigations.
oDesign and implement new contracting models and provide support and advice to procurement processes within the ICB.
oLine manage Contract Managers and support staff including recruitment, performance management, coaching and development.
About us
We are committed to a culture that supports all staff at NHS Kent and Medway to be the best version of themselves.
Our ability to improve outcomes for our population depends on how effectively clinical, operational, financial and strategic professionals work together to make informed commissioning decisions. That's why our workforce works a minimum of two days-a-week on-site, with the expectation that all one-to-ones are held face-to-face and that colleagues will regularly visit the services we are commissioning to understand more about them.
We believe regular on-site working supports stronger collaboration, faster problem-solving, peer learning, visible leadership and the integration of colleagues into our organisation. We also know that culture is built through shared experiences and day-to-day interactions.
We are a flexible working friendly organisation; we aim to support you to work flexibly in a way that will suit you and us.
We work with staff to agree objectives through regular supervision, annual appraisal and access to training opportunities.
We are committed to equal opportunities and diversity. In order to reflect the diversity of our population, we positively encourage applications from all areas of the community regardless of gender, race, faith, disability, age or sexual orientation.
Job description Job responsibilities
The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this.
Still have questions? The recruiting manager would love to hear from you, their contact details can be found in the job advert.
We can get a lot of applications for some roles so to be in with the best chance of being shortlisted please make sure you apply as soon as possible. A vacancy may close early if there is a lot of interest in the job.
If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know so they can help you with this.
All information you supply on your application should, to the best of your knowledge, be true and accurate.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Experience Essential
Educated to degree level or equivalent qualification or experience in relevant sector. Evidence of continuous professional development Expert knowledge and experience in the NHS contract and contract mechanisms and levers. Experience of analysing finance and activity performance and supporting financial reporting Experience of partnership working at a senior level
Competencies Essential
In depth knowledge of NHS contracting and relevant financial policies and procedures including a strong understanding on the NHS payment system and contract levers In depth knowledge of contract forecasting Appreciation of operational issues to enable contribution to discussions with non-financial managers Able to interpret/analyse highly complex contract, risk and financial information and report and communicate to a wide and diverse audience
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details Employer name NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board
Address Gail House
Maidstone
ME15 6NB
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.kentandmedway.icb.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)