Overview
The Head of Business Development & Commissioning (HoBD&C) plays a critical role in the successful coordination and delivery of childrens placements at The Childrens Trust. You will lead the strategic and operational management of individual placements, ensuring robust business and pathway processes are in place and embedded across the placements team and wider multidisciplinary workforce. This includes ensuring that all placements are appropriately managed, funded, and aligned with the childs clinical and care needs. You will be responsible for securing appropriate funding for all placements, ensuring full cost recovery, and contributing significantly to income generation through budgeting, forecasting, and strategic business development.
A key part of the role is driving core business growth by identifying and developing new opportunities to meet and where possible, exceed income targets. The postholder will lead and develop the business development, placements and commissioning team members, offering clear guidance, direction, and support for ongoing professional development. You will manage key accounts and referral pipelines, working to ensure seamless commissioning processes and proactive engagement in frontline business development. This includes building and maintaining trusted relationships with local authorities, commissioners, international embassies, NHS colleagues, and families. The role will also involve attending external events, supporting the implementation of our key accounts plan, and representing The Childrens Trust to external partners and referrers as a credible and strategic ambassador for the organisation.
Responsibilities
* Placement Management: Lead and manage all bed planning activities, including coordination of admissions and discharges. Monitor the impact of delays and capacity changes, escalating issues and factoring in staffing implications to optimise bed occupancy. Chair and coordinate internal admission and discharge panels, ensuring decisions are timely, well-informed, and communicated appropriately to all relevant stakeholders.
* Policy and Process Improvement: Oversee the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of policies, procedures, and systems that support the full placement journey from enquiry and referral through to admission, case management, discharge, and transition. Maintain oversight of processes relating to changes in tier, status, and placement type (day/residential), ensuring these are proactively identified, actioned, and reviewed to support quality of care and business continuity.
* Commissioning and Contract Management: In collaboration with the Medical Director, manage and maintain pricing and costing models that reflect each child’s holistic needs while ensuring full cost recovery for the organisation. Lead the annual inflation uplift process, taking into account market trends and organisational priorities. Implement mechanisms for funder notification, negotiation, tracking, and internal reporting.
* Contract Governance and Finance: Oversee contract position across all placements, ensuring robust processes are in place to govern the responsibilities of each party involved, minimising and mitigating risks to The Childrens Trust whilst maintaining the best interests of the child. Escalate to and work with the legal team on contract variations and disputes where relevant. Support the finance team in billing activities, particularly in the recovery of unpaid fees, aligning with key account management processes and commissioner engagement plans. Collaborate with clinical and operational teams to ensure commissioned activity, KPIs, and service level expectations are met.
* Reporting and Negotiations: Lead reporting activity, both internally and externally, and support the development and implementation of remedial plans. Take the lead on strategic and block contract negotiations, working with the Medical Director, Executive Team, and other senior stakeholders to secure sustainable funding arrangements that meet organisational and commissioning priorities.
* Strategy and Market Analysis: Support development and implementation of the organisation’s overarching strategy and the business development strategy to drive referrals and income generating activity. Stay informed of the commissioning landscape (public and private sectors) to ensure commissioning processes and contracts align accordingly.
* Business Development and Stakeholder Engagement: Monitor potential demand, competitor activity, and markets to identify opportunities to improve service offerings and mitigate risks. Champion The Childrens Trust externally, build and maintain relationships to maximise opportunities aligned to strategic priorities. Lead development of the organisation’s Business Development Strategy and support the key account strategy within it. Where required, provide hands-on management of allocated key accounts, including NHS England and associated regional NHS Boards and local ICBs, with reporting, meetings, and contract negotiations.
* Communication and External Relations: Scope and create sensitive messaging with appropriate sign-off, align with organisation-wide communication plans, and manage external communications as needed. Promote the organisation’s work externally at meetings and conferences.
Budget, Leadership and People
* Business Planning and Budget Management: Take full ownership of relevant income and expenditure budgets, ensuring delivery against financial targets. Align operational delivery with planned activity, occupancy, and income goals. Develop accurate income forecasts and implement mitigation strategies for financial risk in collaboration with relevant colleagues. Contribute to robust business cases with financial modelling and scenario planning.
* Leadership and People Management: Produce and present high-quality reports for SLT, committees, and the Board. Chair the Placement Business Meetings, set agendas, review KPIs, and ensure actions are followed through. Lead on induction, training, coaching, and development of team members. Conduct regular performance and development reviews and uphold organisational policies and values.
Where required, undertake other duties within your skills and capabilities as determined by the organisation.
#J-18808-Ljbffr