Job vacancy: Senior Contracts Manager, South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust, Warwick

Job summary

Main area: Finance & Contracting
Grade: Band 8b
Contract: Fixed term: 12 months (Secondment Considered)
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 203-C500

Employer: South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Warwick Hospital
Town: Warwick
Salary: £62,215 - £72,293 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 14/05/2025 23:59

Senior Contracts Manager

Band 8b

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is one of the top performing organisations within the NHS. Our staff think this is a great place to work and we hope you will agree. We have recently been rated as 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following our most recent inspection.

We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the whole county. This includes our Community Teams in North Warwickshire.

We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity. Over 6000 people work for the Trust and many of them have been here a long time. People find they don’t need to go elsewhere to find a fulfilling career in healthcare.

The first thing you will notice about us is how we take our values seriously. We believe that our values underpin everything we do. If you are interested in a role with us you need to make sure our values match your own.

Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are ‘Trusted to provide inclusive, safe, effective and compassionate care’. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work. It doesn’t matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.

Probationary Period

All new staff to the Trust will be subject to a standard 6 month probationary period, the details of which will duly follow in your contract of employment.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is committed to creating and sustaining a positive and inclusive working environment for all our employees. Our aim is to ensure that employees are equally valued and respected and that our organisation is representative of all members of society. We define diversity as valuing everyone as an individual – we value our employees, job applicants, students, patients and visitors as people. This is reflected within our values of being Inclusive, Safe, Effective, Compassionate and Trusted.

Agile and Flexible Working

All our staff will have a work base. However the Trust operates as an Agile Working Team therefore staff may be working from home on a regular basis as required by the service. However, occasionally travel around Warwickshire and into your base will be required so access to your own transport would be helpful.

The Trust also welcome staff to work flexibly and we would welcome the conversation at interview regarding flexible working.

Staff Benefits

The Trust offer a wide range of additional benefits to staff. Anyone who joins us on a substantive basis can assess things such as the Lease Car Scheme, Electronics Scheme, Discounted Leisure and Travel, Cycle to work scheme amongst many others available.

Car Parking

The Trust have recently completed the construction of a multi-storey car park at our Warwick Hospital site which has allowed us to reduce waiting times for car parking passes.

To keep up to date on our latest recruitment activity follow us on twitter @swftrecruit or look us up on Facebook (Recruitment - South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Relationships

Internal

Associate Director of Operations
Associate Director of Information
General Managers
Lead Clinicians
Matrons
Departmental / ward managers
Other Senior Managers
Internal Audit
Information Department
HR Department
IT Department
Finance Department Staff

External

Local Area Teams
CCGs and other NHS organisations
Private Providers
Voluntary Organisations
External Audit
External Consultants
Suppliers

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

In depth, specialist knowledge of contracting, underpinned by theory and experience; acquired through degree or equivalent experience or training, plus further management and specialist contracting knowledge to masters level equivalent

Strong communication and judgement skills are essential. Detailed numerical analysis is required together with an ability to clearly information from multiple sources. An ability to demonstrate robust reasoning skills in often highly complex decisions.

Required to plan and organise own workload, managing and determining priorities for own workload and that of the Contracting team with minimal direct supervision.

Confident in planning and managing multiple pieces of work over differing timescales to ensure delivery within agreed timescales, and that appropriate actions are taken in the context of changing priorities. Linked with the ability to combine projects that range from short term specific projects to long term financial modelling across multiple organisations.

Measurable Results Areas/Responsibilities

Accountability – The post holder will be expected to work autonomously, interpreting national and local guidance and advising the Head of Income & Contracting accordingly on changes and actions required.

The post holder will be expected to lead on both the contractual and the financial elements associated with the management of the contracts.

The post holder will be responsible for managing the contracting team on a day to day basis, including delegation/co-ordination of workload.

The post holder is required to have excellent communication skills and a strong ability to develop and maintain working relationships. The post holder will spend a large proportion of time dealing with non-finance professionals so requires the ability to clearly articulate complex financial assessments in a simple and transparent way. Relationships will span a wide range of levels from finance staff and ward managers to Board level directors.

Contract Management

Manage a portfolio of healthcare contracts, ensuring all contracts are signed in accordance with agreed timeframes; analysing performance, querying variances from plans or targets; verification of invoices. To agree contract schedules, variations for contracts.

Ensure the coordination across contracting, finance, information and quality functions to analyse and interpret highly complex data such as activity, demand and capacity data, finance or performance data, present findings and produce reports in order to query variances or anomalies and inform decision making. Work with quality and information colleagues to challenge performance and agree actions including action plans to address any risks and advise on contractual levers where appropriate.

The post holder is responsible for producing all contract documentation; ensuring the contract is unambiguous to minimise risk to the Trust.

Manage day-to-day contracting queries and provide expert advice relating to any of the contracts within the portfolio which may arise.

To support (and upon occasions deputise for) the Head of Income & Contracting in ensuring relevant national and local targets are met.

Interpret national guidance and policy, and work with clinical and managerial colleagues across organisations to implement agreed actions.

Work closely with the Head of Income & Contracting to review and negotiate a year end activity and finance position ensuring invoicing is agreed in line with Payment by Results guidance.

The post holder is responsible for ensuring that patient-identifiable data is used in accordance with information governance requirements and organisational policies.

To undertake contract negotiations as necessary with the main commissioners as part of a team, communicating highly complex information in an environment that can be challenging. This includes participation in negotiation meetings, review and agreement of contract documentation, preparation of contract schedules and preparation of contract variations and the development of mediation/arbitration cases as required.

To deputise for the Head of Income & Contracting during contract negotiations with Commissioners as required.

To be responsible for ensuring all contract income budgets accurately reflect agreed values, and that in year variations are recorded and invoiced accordingly.

Work closely with the quality team to ensure appropriate CQUIN, specifications, standards and key performance indicators are embedded within contracts.

To be responsible for contract negotiations with Provider to Provider SLAs. This includes participation in negotiation meetings, review and agreement of contract documentation, preparation of contract schedules and preparation of contract variations.

To liaise with financial services to ensure all contract income is being invoiced promptly and paid accordingly ensuring that contract under or over-performance is dealt with appropriately.

To review any calculations, particularly those used for business cases, for accuracy and completeness to ensure that income is fully recovered

Service Specifications and Service Improvement

To lead the development and regular review of service specifications which reflect national guidance and local agreements, developing a plan for development/review and ensuring they are agreed and signed off with the service and the commissioner.

To review any proposed pathway changes are fully worked up as business cases and service specifications to enable effective negotiation and translation into contracts, with the ability to effectively monitor performance outcomes.

Review contracted services at regular intervals and identify any fundamental changes required.

Other

To undertake training to budget holders and internal finance staff on contracting issues.

Manages own specialist workload and works independently on a daily basis to meet financial timetables/priorities/deadlines set by the Head of Income & Contracting.

Line manager for the Contracting team.

Any other duties as commensurate with the grade of the post

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Master’s degree or equivalent demonstrable post graduate level learning or equivalent experience
Commitment and evidence of continuing professional development
Post graduate management qualification or equivalent experience
Evidence of previous experience in commercial skills and negotiation

Experience

Essential criteria

Management experience within the NHS or a comparable complex environment
Experience of successful planning and negotiation of large health care contracts (above £50m) as a core team member or team leader
Experience of contract management across multiple contracts with single agreements in excess of £30m
Proven experience of partnership working across organisations
Experience of taking account of the needs of stakeholders from multiple organisations
Experience of Acute Trust contract management
Negotiating experience across a range of healthcare sectors and/or complex services outside the NHS
Track record of delivery of significant change
Experience of producing service specifications, including KPIs
Expert knowledge of current NHS policy and the contracting and commissioning agenda
Ability to understand and interpret complex financial information to inform contract negotiations and discussions
Significant experience of applying appropriate contract mechanisms to support service redesign
Significant experience of data management and analysis
Line management of staff

Skills

Essential criteria

Interpret, compare and analyse highly complex information
Detailed knowledge of contracting systems and processes
A comprehensive knowledge of NHS commissioning and related policies and frameworks such as the NHS operating framework, patient choice, practice based commissioning, Payment by Results and performance frameworks
Expert technical knowledge of the applicable NHS Standard Contract and Payment by Results
Detailed knowledge of contracting activity and finance as well as key performance targets and quality standards
An understanding of the operation of NHS, voluntary sector and/or independent sector acute, nonacute, mental health, drug and alcohol service and other health care providers and knowledge of other relevant agencies/sectors including ambulance trusts, primary care and social care (as applicable to the post)
Knowledge of clinical quality indicators and CQUIN and their effective use in contracts
Expert user of Financial Systems, Excel and databases
Advanced report writing skills

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria

Committed and evidence of Continuing Professional Development
Able to work at senior level, and to interpret and implement national guidance and directives
Able to negotiate, communicate effectively, and build rapport and effective relationships at senior and junior levels
Able to prioritise, time manage and delegate appropriately
Highly organised and systematic with attention to detail and accuracy
Can work across organisational boundaries to build and operate within or lead effective cross-functional teams to achieve goals
Able to manage and diffuse conflict and overcome barriers to achieving aims through effective influencing
Good facilitation skills; able to lead meetings with senior managers effectively
Highly numerate and well developed analytical skills
Strong verbal and written communication skills (including report writing) and presentation skills
Strong critical thinking skills to rapidly analyse and see the implications of emerging and complex issues, and synthesise and summarise for others
Political awareness and sensitivity when communicating on behalf of the Trusts
Able to concentrate and work under pressure
Professional and reputation for integrity

Other

Essential criteria

Knowledge and understanding of equal opportunities
Able to travel between sites
Occupational Health clearance

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Sometimes we get a lot of applications for our roles. On those occasions we might close the job early. If you don’t want to miss out we recommend submitting your application as early as possible.

The Trust use an Applicant Management System called TRAC which helps us manage the recruitment process. All communications regarding your application will come via TRAC (even if you applied via NHS Jobs).

Please check your TRAC account regularly and ensure your email is set up to accept messages so they don't go into your junk/spam folder.

We aim to shortlist all vacancies within 2 days of the vacancy closing, we will get back to all candidates ASAP.

Please ensure all sections of the application form are completed fully. Please particularly ensure that you provide full details of all referees including business email address, telephone contact details and postal address.

South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is an equal opportunities employer who is committed to Equality and Diversity and does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the grounds of any protected characteristic as defined by the Equality Act 2010.

All South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust sites are smoke free. We feel it’s a great way to help our patients, visitors and staff stay healthy.

The Trust is part of a ‘Foundation Group’ through a strategic alliance with Wye Valley NHS Trust, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. This partnership is great for the sustainability of all four organisations and allows us to share learning and maximise opportunities to ensure the delivery of high quality health and care services for our local populations.