Job overview
North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board is seeking an experienced and motivated Head of Commissioning to join our Secondary Care Northern Alliance Team.
Reporting to the Senior Head of Commissioning (Secondary Care Northern Alliance), this senior leadership role will lead the development and delivery of effective commissioning and contracting across a portfolio of secondary care services.
Please note this post is only accepting applications from current staff members of North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board and staff members of North of England Commissioning Support (NECS).
We reserve the right to close this vacancy prior to the closing date once the required number of suitable applications have been received.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will be responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership across a broad range of commissioning activities, ensuring that commissioned services are high quality, financially sustainable and deliver improved outcomes for local populations. Working closely with providers, clinical leaders, and system partners, you will lead programmes of service improvement and redesign as appropriate in line with the critical functions of an Integrated Care Board.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
A key aspect of the role will be overseeing complex contractual arrangements, driving service transformation, improving access and quality, and ensuring robust governance and assurance processes are in place. You will support the delivery of strategic priorities across planned care, urgent care and wider secondary care services, whilst contributing to the development of innovative and integrated models of care.
Person specification
Experience
Essential
- Leading large scale transformation’ accreditation or equivalent experience.
- Significant experience of commissioning and delivering and leading change to deliver required outcomes at a senior level.
- Demonstrate experience of leading change in in a complex and sensitive environment, including delivery of the implementation of change.
- Significant NHS experience in commissioning, procurement or contract management.
- Experience of developing and implementing national policy.
- Experience of managing a team of people.
Desirable
- Experience of working across organisations and with other agencies / sectors
- Previous experience in project management and planning
Qualifications
Essential
- Professional qualification at Masters’ degree level or equivalent experience.
Desirable
- Formal project management qualification.
- formal management qualification.
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Head of Commissioning with North East & North Cumbria Integrated Care Board in Sunderland, North East and Yorkshire, England. It is listed as a Band 8 role. The advertised salary is £66,582 - £77,368 per annum. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 18 Aug 2026.
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