Contracts Lead

Job overview

The Contracts Lead is a pivotal role within the Income, Costing and Contracts team, responsible for the end-to-end management of healthcare service agreements and clinical contracts. This position ensures that the Trust remains contractually compliant while maximising financial recovery and maintaining high standards of service delivery.

By bridging the gap between complex data analysis and strategic relationship management, the postholder plays a critical part in the organization’s financial health and operational efficiency.

Under current Home Office Immigration Rules, this role does not meet the UK Visas and Immigration criteria and the position is not therefore eligible for skilled worker sponsorship. Applications from candidates that require skilled worker sponsorship will NOT be shortlisted. If you have NHS Band 7 intermediate grade step eligibility and have continuously held a Skilled Worker visa since you got your certificate of sponsorship are extending or updating your visa and got your certificate of sponsorship before 22 July 2025 you may be eligible in line with currently published Home Office immigration Rules.

**banding subject to Agenda for Change Evaluation**

Main duties of the job

Contract Management

• End-to-End Management: Lead on the negotiation, documentation, and renewal of NHS clinical contracts, SLAs, and supplier agreements.
• Strategic Alignment: Translate commissioning priorities into signed contracts that meet financial, quality, and national regulatory parameters.

Performance Analysis

• Reporting: Present complex management reports for monthly assurance meetings to ensure contractual compliance

Risk & Compliance

• Expert Advisory: Provide guidance on contractual risk and the NHS Standard Contract, utilising levers, incentives, and penalties to manage compliance.
• Overseas Visitors (OSV): Act as the Trust’s Operational Lead for OSV regulations, ensuring accurate eligibility assessments and maximum income recovery.

Relationship Management & Representation

• Stakeholder Engagement: Build partnerships with ICBs, NHS England, and other commissioning bodies to drive service innovation.

Governance & Leadership

• Systems Management: Maintain the Trust’s contracts register, database, and business case tracker, including post-implementation reviews
• Team Leadership: Provide line management and mentorship to staff, while deputising for the Head of Income, Costing & Contracts.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Support the Head of Income Costing & Contracts with the performance management of a portfolio of contracts, the post holder will need to analyse and interpret both quantitative and qualitative information in order to arrive at judgements on performance and the scale and scope of any necessary improvement action.

• Manage the full contract lifecycle for Service Level Agreements (SLA’s) and supplier contracts including negotiation, performance management, variations and renewals working closely with finance business partners and responsible managers

• Provide detailed management and performance reports for inclusion in the monthly assurance meeting in a format that enables complex information to be easily understood.

• Annual contract negotiation and documentation; supporting the Senior Managers to translate commissioning intentions and priorities into signed contracts that meet national and local requirements, including financial and quality parameters.

• Monitor and analyse performance data to ensure contractual compliance, supporting the development of performance dashboards and reporting for services

• Interpret complex performance information to identify the causes of variation and support improvement actions

• Lead the active management of all contracts to ensure contract compliance e.g. - terms, levers, incentives and penalties are utilised effectively – including claims management and ensure that risks are managed and escalated.

• Build effective relationships with ICBs, providers, NHS England and local authorities to support service development and innovation.

• Represent RJAH in contract meetings, performance reviews and regional or national forums, including leading internal preparation sessions to ensure a coordinated organisational approach.

• Provide expert advice on contractual risk, compliance and dispute resolution, apply in-depth knowledge of the NHS Standard Contract and associated legal requirements.

• Support the development of contracting processes, service improvement initiatives, procurement activity, mobilisation and contract governance.

• Work autonomously to maintain up-to-date knowledge of contracting policy changes and advise RJAH on implications for services and contracts.

• Act as the Trust’s designated Operational Lead for the Overseas Visitors (OSV) agenda, providing expert interpretation of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations to ensure statutory compliance, accurate eligibility assessment, and the maximum recovery of income from non-eligible patients.

• Maintain the trust contracts register and database.

• Maintain the trusts Business case tracker and co-ordinate post implementation reviews.

• Provide line management, mentoring and professional development support to team members.

• Deputise for the Head of Income, Costing & Contracts.