JOB DESCRIPTION Job title: Location: Reports to: Job level: Head of Primary Care Contracting Leeds Assistant Director - Primary Care Contracting Grade B Date prepared: May 2017 PURPOSE The Primary Care Contracting team leads, manages and supports the negotiations that take place between NHS Employers and the organisations representing primary care contractors, in accordance with an agreed mandate from NHS England. Accountable to the Assistant Director, you will be directly responsible for the strategic and operational management of the national (and other) negotiating machinery that relates to the GP contract and any other clinical service change programmes. In short, you will play a very significant role in progressing major national negotiations which underpin a large part of the Government s health agenda and represent a very important part of the contract NHS Employers has with NHS England. The essence of the role is to provide both strategic leadership and day-to-day managerial oversight on the full range of the team s work, maintaining our reputation for delivering a high quality service. It requires the establishment and development of excellent relationships with key stakeholders and the ability to resolve complex and difficult problems through the application of your managerial skills, personal expertise and good judgment. In particular you will need to establish and maintain productive relationships with mainly senior colleagues both internally and externally. You will lead and manage the Primary Care Contracting team. As part of the management team, you will work with the other functional heads to foster cross-team working and develop a flexible workforce that will enable us to respond effectively to current and emerging priorities across the Employment Relations and Reward directorate. You will need to be able to travel to London and other parts of the UK, with occasional nights away from home. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES & ACCOUNTABILITIES The key responsibilities and accountabilities for this post are: Provision of strong strategic leadership in formulating and delivering changes to the national primary care contracts in line with the key strategic goals set by Ministers, the NHS England Board and Public Health England. This will require you to proactively monitor, interpret and respond to the changing political environment through developing
and implementing clear strategies for negotiations. Strategic and operational management of the national negotiating team. Specifically, to lead, manage and develop effective negotiating teams made up of senior NHS managers, technical experts and project management specialists. Responsibility for planning, coordinating and leading the provision of appropriate negotiating, project management and secretariat capability and capacity to facilitate the successful delivery of NHS England s mandate on time and within budget. Ensuring appropriate team representation at relevant meetings and events. Responsibility for building, developing and maintaining (within a very technically complex and politically sensitive environment) positive and productive partnerships with internal and external stakeholders. Undertaking the role of lead liaison and contact with the GP Contracts Team in NHS England, in order to directly influence the content of negotiating mandates received from NHS England and progress work throughout the year. Building and maintaining an understanding of primary care contracts in order to provide expert advice and expertise to national stakeholders that include NHS England, the Department of Health, the BMA, etc. Responsibility for providing authoritative guidance, Q&A and other materials, through working proactively with your team to support implementation of agreed contract changes. Maintaining a strategic awareness and understanding of national developments in the short to longer term, in order to identify new priorities and establish work programmes that anticipate such changes. Delivery of the team s key performance indicators (KPIs) contained in the team s contract with NHS England Managerial oversight and accountability for the formulation and development of business plans that enable the team s work programmes to be effectively planned, monitored and controlled. Including, the proactive development, monitoring and budgetary control of the team s annual budget ensuring value for money on any expenditure. Utilisation of in-depth knowledge and understanding (of both the subject area and individual stakeholder positions) to directly influence the development of national primary care policy Proactive development and maintenance of appropriate media and communications strategies, working closely with communications and media team colleagues. Responsibility, as part of the management team, to contribute to the management and development of the Employment Relations and Reward (ERR) Directorate. Management of the team ensuring effective adherence to associated people management processes such as appraisals, personal development planning and performance management in order to attract and retain the best talent at all levels across the team. STRUCTURE * Post holder currently on secondment ** Post vacant
Assistant Director Head of Primary Care This post Programme Manager Senior Policy Officer Senior Policy Officer* Administrator Administrator** KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE Knowledge Masters degree in a relevant subject or equivalent experience Broad understanding of the health agenda with knowledge of primary care policy. Skills Demonstrable strategic leadership and managerial skills allied to a track record in delivering strategic goals Ability to analyse, assimilate and interpret technically complex facts and politically sensitive situations quickly and to formulate and implement solutions and/or recommendations Exceptionally strong interpersonal skills Sophisticated influencing and negotiating skills Ability to think outside of the box when analysing and considering the whole range of potential problems and solutions that flow from implementing complex and diverse areas of the negotiating mandate Ability to be both confident with and credible to senior NHS staff and Department of Health civil servants Ability to manage the high expectations of stakeholders and ambiguity within the team Excellent project management skills (ideally supported by a project management qualification) and the ability to manage wide-ranging and complex programmes of work Self-motivated/starter A willingness to take the initiative and accept personal responsibility
Experience Working at a senior level within the NHS and understanding of broader agenda Leading, managing and developing teams Involvement in negotiations or engagement with Trades Unions in the NHS or other sectors Building, developing and managing politically contentious and/or complex external relationships with a range of commissioners and stakeholders A high level of political awareness and an ability to understand organisational sensitivities and how to tailor an approach accordingly. Developing, monitoring and maintaining control over financial budgets Drafting and agreeing national guidance Good IT skills and an excellent knowledge of MS Office packages VALUES & BEHAVIOURS The NHS Employers organisation has a set of core values to help shape the culture and character of the organisation, as well as guide the decisions that we make and the way in which we behave. These values will ultimately help us achieve and maintain our vision of being the authoritative voice of workforce leaders, experts in HR, and an organisation that negotiates fairly to get the best deal for patients. Our values are: Assured Bold Leading Expert In addition to ABLE, the key individual value 'respect' has been developed, which underpins our relationships with each other and with our stakeholders. SAFETY Health and Safety at Work Act The jobholder is required to take reasonable care for the safety and health of themselves and others who may be affected by their acts; and to co-ordinate with management in the promotion and maintenance of health and safety measures.
PERSON SPECIFICATION Person Specification Essential criteria Desirable criteria Application Form Qualification Masters degree in relevant subject or equivalent experience Project management qualification (e.g. PRINCE 2 Practitioner) Knowledge Broad understanding of health agenda and knowledge of primary care policy Knowledge of the composition and operation of the GMS contract Experience Involvement in negotiations or engagement with Trades Unions in the NHS or other sectors. Managing and delivering complex projects in a policy-driven or healthcare environment Managing a complex range of relationships with senior stakeholders Drafting guidance Leading, managing and developing teams Negotiating, monitoring and controlling financial budget Ability & Skills Strategic thinking and planning skills Track record in delivering strategic goals Proactive approach and able to act on own initiative High level of political awareness Sophisticated influencing and negotiating skills Excellent project management skills Excellent analytical skills Ability to analyse, assimilate and interpret technically complex facts and politically sensitive situations quickly Ability to think outside of the box when considering potential problems/solutions Ability to manage wide ranging and complex work programmes and conflicting priorities in a fast-moving environment Excellent communication skills Credibility (with senior colleagues in NHS England and senior civil servants) Good keyboard skills/excellent knowledge of MS Office packages Other Must be able to travel with reasonable notice and work flexible hours where necessary Interview