Job summary NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board is looking for an experienced and dynamic senior manager to lead the Strategic Commissioning and Planning team. This complex and pivotal role involves system wide strategic commissioning and planning, working closely with ICS system leaders, including Places, provider collaboratives, public health, primary care, local authorities, voluntary and community sectors, and residents to ensure that commissioning decisions are evidence-based and intelligence-led. Key responsibilities include developing and implementing a strategic commissioning and planning strategy to create effective and sustainable care pathways, addressing inequities, and shifting investments towards prevention, primary, and community services. The role also involves setting the strategic framework for the annual NHS planning round, ensuring alignment across various organisations and functional areas. The successful candidate will lead the strategic commissioning and planning team, gather input and evidence to inform future service provision, set priorities, design services, and evaluate their impact. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in a senior leadership role, strong strategic planning and commissioning skills, excellent leadership and team management abilities, and the capacity to collaborate effectively with a diverse range of stakeholders. Main duties of the job This is a complex and pivotal system leadership role responsible for system-wide Strategic Commissioning and Planning to ensure the best use of our £3.6bn resources in the most appropriate and evidence-based way. The post-holder will lead on developing our strategic commissioning and planning strategy to ensure more effective and sustainable pathways of care, tackle inequity alongside shifting investment into areas such as prevention and primary and community services. The post holder will be responsible for setting the strategic framing for the annual NHS planning round within the system, alongside coordinating the mechanics to ensure alignment across organisations and functional areas. They will lead the annual planning round and any in-year adjustments, liaising with system leaders, NHS England and functional area leads across finance, workforce, operations, quality. The post holder will develop and lead a team of subject matter experts across sector areas and pathways to ensure the ICB is equipped with the right insights to ensure evidence-based commissioning decisions. This will include population health management insights, outcome data and quality metrics alongside public and patient feedback. About us In the heart of the Thames Valley is our Integrated Care Board (ICB). It covers the geography across three counties and goes in line with the local authority boundaries of Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Reading, West Berkshire and Wokingham. Our geography covers a population of nearly 1.8 million. While overall in good health and socio-economic condition, alongside affluence we have pockets of severe deprivation. Our constituent organisations include 175 GP surgeries, 5 local authorities, 3 acute hospital trusts, 2 mental health and community providers, 1 ambulance trust and a single operating model across all of this, spending £2.5bn of public money each year. We value and promote diversity and are committed to equality of opportunity for all. We believe that the best organisations are those that reflect the communities they serve. We want to increase the diversity of our NHS leadership and particularly encourage applications from women, people from black and minority ethnic communities, LGBT communities, younger candidates and from people with lived experience of disability, who we know are all under-represented in these important roles. Date posted 28 January 2025 Pay scheme Very senior manager (VSM) Salary Depending on experience Contract Fixed term Duration 12 months Working pattern Full-time Reference number D9482-ICB-5687HB Job locations Unipart Group Of Companies Garsington Road Cowley Oxford OX4 2PG Job description Job responsibilities The post holder will be responsible for Leading system annual and in-year planning working directly with system leaders to agree the planning strategy and approach. This will require regular engagement with the ICB and Trust Boards, alongside partnership working across the system. Develop the strategy for system-wide resourcing shifts, such as increased investment in primary and community services, in line with our Joint Forward Plan and national policy developments. Lead an expert strategic commissioning function, providing the ICB and wider system with a clear view on the drivers of clinical and financial risk, emerging themes, care solutions and a strategic view on what to implement in the short, medium to long term to deliver our strategic aims. Produce an allocation strategy that is informed by population health, outcomes, health economic value and public and patient feedback. Identify and develop innovative solutions to reduce inequalities, increase productivity and improve patient outcomes across the ICS. Leading the ongoing development of the ICBs long term planning and strategic commissioning activities. Acting as the ICBs Planning and commissioning expert, advising the CEO, Board and partner Boards as required. Manage the team and develop ICB strategic commissioning expertise. Role model working in matrix way across the ICB, for example, with colleagues in contracting, performance, or quality to support the commissioning cycle. Liaise with all partner organisations across the BOB Integrated Care System. Lead training and development and recruitment activity across the Department or Directorate. Oversight and management of all aspects of the Department or Directorate budgets. The post holder will be placed on the two-tier Strategic on-call Rota for BOB ICB. Full details of the on-call rota including frequency will be provided to you as part of your induction arrangements. Job description Job responsibilities The post holder will be responsible for Leading system annual and in-year planning working directly with system leaders to agree the planning strategy and approach. This will require regular engagement with the ICB and Trust Boards, alongside partnership working across the system. Develop the strategy for system-wide resourcing shifts, such as increased investment in primary and community services, in line with our Joint Forward Plan and national policy developments. Lead an expert strategic commissioning function, providing the ICB and wider system with a clear view on the drivers of clinical and financial risk, emerging themes, care solutions and a strategic view on what to implement in the short, medium to long term to deliver our strategic aims. Produce an allocation strategy that is informed by population health, outcomes, health economic value and public and patient feedback. Identify and develop innovative solutions to reduce inequalities, increase productivity and improve patient outcomes across the ICS. Leading the ongoing development of the ICBs long term planning and strategic commissioning activities. Acting as the ICBs Planning and commissioning expert, advising the CEO, Board and partner Boards as required. Manage the team and develop ICB strategic commissioning expertise. Role model working in matrix way across the ICB, for example, with colleagues in contracting, performance, or quality to support the commissioning cycle. Liaise with all partner organisations across the BOB Integrated Care System. Lead training and development and recruitment activity across the Department or Directorate. Oversight and management of all aspects of the Department or Directorate budgets. The post holder will be placed on the two-tier Strategic on-call Rota for BOB ICB. Full details of the on-call rota including frequency will be provided to you as part of your induction arrangements. Person Specification Qualifications Essential Educated to masters level in relevant subject or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level in specialist area. Proven and significant leadership experience. Significant evidence of continued professional development. Demonstrated expertise in a Healthcare environment. Significant management experience at senior level in the NHS or other public healthcare related industry. Proven Board level experience of leading and delivering complex change and strategy development programmes in a politically sensitive and complex environment. Proven record in transferring processes and roles between locations. Commissioning expertise in healthcare environment. Significant experience and understanding of proven implementation of project management methodologies. Member of a relevant professional body. Desirable Education sector knowledge Experience and/or understanding of the Health Economy. Commercial expertise. Awareness of relevant public and private sector business management best practice. Experience of successfully operating in and delivering priorities in a partnership environment. Analytical Essential Ability to analyse highly complex issues where material is conflicting and drawn from multiple sources. Demonstrated capability to act upon incomplete information, using experience to make inferences and decision making. Ability to analyse numerical and written data, assess options and draw appropriate initiatives. Communication Skills Essential Dynamic personality and the ability to build trusted stakeholder relationships and wide support networks in a political context like the NHS. Strong external communications skills in a politically sensitive environment and experience in handling media. Ability to prepare and produce concise yet insightful communications for dissemination to senior stakeholders and a broad range of stakeholders as required. Extensive experience of delivering presentations to large groups of stakeholders in often pressured and politically sensitive environments. Autonomy Essential Demonstrated capabilities to manage own workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information, working to tight and often changing timescales. Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues. Planning Skills Essential Leadership, vision, strategic thinking and planning with highly developed political skills. Demonstrated capability to plan over short, medium, and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly. Experience of managing and prioritising a large budget. Ability to provide informative reporting on finances and impact to Board management. Desirable Experience of project and programme management techniques and tools such as Prince 2 or Managing Successful Projects. Management Skills Essential Experience in leading a major change initiative with entrepreneurialism in a challenging organisational environment. Experience of creating a new team and motivating and inspiring staff to work together to achieve a common objective. Ability to delegate effectively. Ability to work effectively between strategic and operational activities where required. Person Specification Qualifications Essential Educated to masters level in relevant subject or equivalent level of experience of working at a similar level in specialist area. Proven and significant leadership experience. Significant evidence of continued professional development. Demonstrated expertise in a Healthcare environment. Significant management experience at senior level in the NHS or other public healthcare related industry. Proven Board level experience of leading and delivering complex change and strategy development programmes in a politically sensitive and complex environment. Proven record in transferring processes and roles between locations. Commissioning expertise in healthcare environment. Significant experience and understanding of proven implementation of project management methodologies. Member of a relevant professional body. Desirable Education sector knowledge Experience and/or understanding of the Health Economy. Commercial expertise. Awareness of relevant public and private sector business management best practice. Experience of successfully operating in and delivering priorities in a partnership environment. Analytical Essential Ability to analyse highly complex issues where material is conflicting and drawn from multiple sources. Demonstrated capability to act upon incomplete information, using experience to make inferences and decision making. Ability to analyse numerical and written data, assess options and draw appropriate initiatives. Communication Skills Essential Dynamic personality and the ability to build trusted stakeholder relationships and wide support networks in a political context like the NHS. Strong external communications skills in a politically sensitive environment and experience in handling media. Ability to prepare and produce concise yet insightful communications for dissemination to senior stakeholders and a broad range of stakeholders as required. Extensive experience of delivering presentations to large groups of stakeholders in often pressured and politically sensitive environments. Autonomy Essential Demonstrated capabilities to manage own workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information, working to tight and often changing timescales. Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues. Planning Skills Essential Leadership, vision, strategic thinking and planning with highly developed political skills. Demonstrated capability to plan over short, medium, and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly. Experience of managing and prioritising a large budget. Ability to provide informative reporting on finances and impact to Board management. Desirable Experience of project and programme management techniques and tools such as Prince 2 or Managing Successful Projects. Management Skills Essential Experience in leading a major change initiative with entrepreneurialism in a challenging organisational environment. Experience of creating a new team and motivating and inspiring staff to work together to achieve a common objective. Ability to delegate effectively. Ability to work effectively between strategic and operational activities where required. Employer details Employer name Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West ICB Address Unipart Group Of Companies Garsington Road Cowley Oxford OX4 2PG Employer's website https://www.bucksoxonberksw.icb.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)