Senior contracting business partner

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.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for a complex, varied and high‑value contract portfolio, influencing provider performance, transformation plans and commissioning strategy.
• Act as the senior contracting lead, providing authoritative advice to MDTs, senior managers, executives and the Board on contractual risk, compliance and procurement.
• Lead strategic negotiations, contract variations, performance recovery plans and dispute resolution on highly complex and sensitive matters.
• Oversee 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.
• Interpret national policy, legislation and technical contracting rules; assess impacts on commissioning intentions and provider agreements and advise on mitigations.
• Design and implement new contracting models and provide support and advice to procurement processes within the ICB.
• Line‑manage Contract Managers and support staff, including recruitment, performance management, coaching and development.

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.