Job summary
In the Department of Health and Social Care, we are proud of our purpose - to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you would like to work in, we would love to hear from you.
In the Medicines Directorate, we work to make sure patients can access the best available treatments, whilst ensuring value for money for the NHS, and supporting a flourishing life sciences sector. Working closely with the NHS, the Office for Life Sciences, and patient and industry stakeholders, we aim to harness the benefits of new innovations and established treatments alike to improve health outcomes across the UK.
The medicines budget represents the second highest area of NHS spend after staff, and spend on medicines is increasing each year, so the work that we do to control spending is critical to the sustainability of the NHS. The medicines pricing team is responsible for Government policy on how and what the NHS pays for branded medicines from engagement with the Intellectual Property Office to make sure the patent system works for patients, to working with system partners on patient access to new innovations, to delivering strategies on for generating greater savings on older medicines.
In particular, we lead the negotiation, implementation and operation of the 2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access, and growth (VPAG), which is one of the largest commercial deals the Government has ever made and is expected to save the NHS around �14bn over the next 5-years. This scheme, along with its counterpart statutory regulations, forms the cornerstone of UK medicines pricing policy.
We are looking for a motivated and high performing individual to lead Government policy on medicines pricing and to ensure that that we deliver can realise the benefits of VPAG for patients, the NHS and the Life Sciences sector.
If you want to lead an expert policy team that:
1. Is part of the solution to the biggest health issues impacting patients such as how to harness and fund advanced therapies for Alzheimer's;
2. Engages with cutting edge analytical and academic research;
3. Is at then coalface of high value commercial negotiations with the life sciences sector;
Then you should apply to join the medicines pricing team.
Job description
The successful candidate will lead Government policy on branded medicines pricing, working closely with stakeholders in the NHS, Office for Life Sciences, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellent, as well as with representatives of the pharmaceutical industry.
Following the agreement of the 2024 VPAG, they will ensure the effective implementation of the scheme by all delivery partners and put in place mechanisms for the evaluation of the scheme. When the scheme is fully established, they will develop policy and strategy for the future of the voluntary scheme, including, leading preparations at the appropriate time for the re-negotiation of the scheme.
The successful candidate will lead the policy team (2 x G7s, 1 x SEO and 1 x HEO), building capability within the Department to cement our place as centre of expertise on medicines, the pharmaceutical market, and healthcare economics. Drawing together insights from academic research, industry feedback, and cross-government stakeholders, they will deepen the evidence base for the impact of different approaches on patients, the NHS and the economy, and use this to deliver new strategic approaches to medicines pricing and value for money. They will lead Department thinking a range of thematic issues related to medicine pricing (for example intellectual property, biosimilars, international engagement) to support Ministers and senior officials, and to ensure that the interest of patients is at the core of everything we do.
Through the Department pricing and decision committees, they will contribute to deliberations and negotiations on individual medicines pricing applications, and will develop Department policy on novel and contentious issues. In doing so they will work closely with medicines supply colleagues - to prevent and respond to potential shortages. Through this work they will be critical to decisions that directly how and when patients are able to access the medicines they need.
Person specification
Role Responsibilities
4. Develop and maintain trusted relationships with the pharmaceutical industry, the NHS, NICE, OLS, and the Devolved Governments.
5. Build an effective, expert, and high performing team that can operate as a centre of expertise within Government on pricing, pharmaceuticals, and health economics.
6. Ensure the effective implementation and evaluation of the 2024 VPAG and manage and update where necessary the statutory regulations. Develop strategy for the future of the voluntary scheme, including preparing for renegotiation.
7. Provide policy leadership and authoritative advice to senior grades and Ministers on a wide range of Medicines Pricing policy areas, such as how pricing interacts with trade deals. This may involve strategic, high risk and sensitive issues with a wide range of solutions, likely affecting several work areas within the organisation and beyond.
8. Supporting or leading negotiations with companies or the pharmaceutical industry on individual products or on the voluntary agreement.
9. Lead policy thinking on novel and contentious issues.
Key skills and experience required for the role
Essential criteria:
10. Able to think strategically across a complex and evolving system, and to draw out the opportunities, risks and priorities to meet high level objectives.
11. Able to establish, build and maintain trusting relationships or partnerships with key stakeholders who are of strategic importance to the organisation.
12. Able to use creative thinking to make well-informed and authoritative policy recommendations. This will involve sound judgement in analysing complex, technical or conflicting evidence and ability to choose the most appropriate of alternative solutions, and to deliver high-quality advice to senior officials and stakeholders.
13. To be politically and economically aware and consider the long-term implications of policy and other changes; interpret trends and developments and produce future policies and organisational strategies in the light of these.
14. Able to rapidly understand and get up to speed with new concepts, ideas and priorities, bringing together the right people to understand the issues, the level of ambition and set the direction.
15. Push decision making to the right level within their teams, not allow unnecessary bureaucracy and structure to suppress innovation and delivery. Make difficult decisions by pragmatically weighing the complexities involved against the need to act.
16. Act as a role model in supporting and energising teams to build confidence in their ability to deliver outcomes. Maintain effective performance in difficult and challenging circumstances, encouraging others to do the same. Committed to their own development and that of their team, and able to support the team to become a centre of expertise.
We particularly welcome applications from candidates who can demonstrate the following:
17. Experience or knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry, medicines prescribing/procurement, or healthcare economics.
18. Commercial experience, including negotiations.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
19. Seeing the Big Picture
20. Making Effective Decisions
21. Communicating and Influencing
22. Working Together
23. Leadership
Benefits
Alongside your salary of �66,832, Department of Health and Social Care contributes �19,361 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
24. Learning and development tailored to your role
25. An environment with flexible working options
26. A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
27. A with an employer contribution of