Contracts Manager
Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Job overview
ELFT has a significant requirement for robust income contracting and compliance management processes. The Contracts Manager will take operational responsibility for these functions across the Trust.
The post holder will ensure that ELFT deliver to agreed quality and core performance standards across all ELFT income contracts and that there is a process for regular review and audit of all contracts to ensure ongoing financial viability for the Trust.
The post holder will be expected to display technical capability combined with strong relationship skills and attention to detail in order to successfully engage commissioners and where appropriate joint providers.
The post holder will be managerially accountable to the Contracts Lead, with overall accountability to the Associate Director of Commercial Development.
Main duties of the job- The management of relationships with commissioners, including the management of appropriate information flows to commissioners such that commissioners are assured that contracts can be satisfactorily developed.
- Support Commissioners in the development of formal contract documents and schedules ensuring the documents relied upon account for the discussions in the negotiation meetings.
- Develop and maintain an effective contract repository and ensure an effective audit trail for contracting activities.
- Develop robust and relevant contract templates.
- Drafting contracts and variations.
- Ensuring all schedules in each contract are effectively developed and communicated to relevant departments within ELFT so that the Trust always delivers to the agreed contract requirements. In developing these schedules ensuring very good communication and relation are developed with relevant departments and clinical units within the organization.
- Ensure final copies of formal signed contracts are maintained safely for reference in a Contracts Register and Contracts Library
- Provide technical support to the Contracts Lead and other ELFT directorates in relation to contracting matters, and to coordinate their response within a corporate-led contracting function.
- Examine proposed contracts to assess the potential to improve efficiency, quality and value for money
Working for our organisation
Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities- Develop and manage other Agreements that may be required in support of business development and tender processes such as MoUs, Exclusivity and Confidentiality Agreements, NDA’s etc.
- Manage Non Contract Activity (NCA) process alongside finance and performance teams.
- Develop and manage contracts related to marketing of inpatient beds across the Trust held with various Providers.
- Ensure contracts and all related documents are updated regularly onto the contract management systems.
- Ensure systems are adhered to for all service elements for the safe storage of sensitive and commercial-in-confidence information.
- Ensure that data storage and retrieval is accessible only to authorised individuals and in accordance with legislation, e.g., Data Protection Act, NHS guidelines, and IM&T security policies.
- To plan and prioritise own work to ensure effective support to all areas and delivery of key objectives.
- To ensure that allocated project plan(s) are kept updated and regular reports provided to the Associate Director of Commercial Development and Contracts Lead.
- Ensure that the office environment runs smoothly and that systems are in place for ensuring adequate provision of supplies and technology.
- Maintain technical knowledge and awareness of key national contractual policies and templates, including the NHS Standard and Local Authority contracts.
- Maintain understanding of the technical principles and pricing mechanisms as outlined within the National Payment System (NPS).
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- Graduate or equivalent professional qualification in a relevant subject, such as business, finance, law
- Good understanding of the key NHS Standard and Local Authority contracts
Experience
Essential criteria- Experience of production of quality reports related to financial and service activity
- `Skills and experience in presenting succinct inferences from data analysis as relevant to service planning and contracting
- Experience of reporting on performance data as applied to clinical and service activity
- Experience of developing and maintaining contracts registers and contract libraries
- Experience of NHS contracting, financial administration and systems, negotiating and agreeing contract documentation
- Experience in developing performance and service reports following contracting and presenting information to formal and informal meetings
- Experience in working collaboratively with senior clinicians and service managers in a service delivery environment
Knowledge
Essential criteria- Information management and financial data analysis skills as applied to clinical and service data and contract monitoring
- Good knowledge of commercial contracting processes and mechanisms and experience of negotiating commercial agreements and contracts, including instances where joint venture and partnership models are used and are required to be accommodated by contracts
- Comprehensive understanding of the new commissioning environment, the new key organisational stakeholders, and the anticipated commissioning intent
- Understanding of the mental health and community and primary healthcare market, and the drivers of change during the ELFT strategic framework period
- Understanding of mental health and community health issues and terminology
- Good understanding of the fundamentals of contracts and contracting law
- Knowledge and experience of the role and nature of NHS Foundation Trusts, knowledge and experience of the wider NHS contracting and business environment
- Ability to understand, disseminate and present complex information
- Ability to present and negotiate on complex matters, under pressure, to secure the best outcome whilst maintaining good working relationships
- Ability to understand and develop policy and protocol frameworks
- Knowledge of the operation of contracts for healthcare services with the NHS, and the associated wider operating framework and business context
- Ability to work collaboratively with key staff inside and outside the organisation, with emphasis on direction, empowerment and partnership working
- High levels of numeracy, analytical and negotiation skills, high level of understanding of healthcare information, understanding of financial management
- Ability to work with a variety of clinical and management staff throughout the Trust and within Integrated Care Boards and the wider business environment
- Ability to communicate contentious information issues/briefings to senior managers
- Planning and collaborating on information use across organisational boundaries
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, producing reports and documentation to a professional standard with an ability to communicate complex issues/data in a simplified way
- Excellent proficiency in using Microsoft office software and tools
Other
Essential criteria- Proactive approach to problem solving and developing operational administration systems to support service and clinical delivery
- Ability to appropriately decide priorities when multiple urgent problems arise at the same time
- Ability to work effectively as part of a team
- A self-starter - highly motivated and results orientated
- Ability to maintain good working relationships within and outside the Trust
- Ability to cope with and manage high levels of change
Making Things Better
Quality Improvement is a key part of our work to improve our services and refine how we do things. We have a global reputation for our quality improvement work and we don’t stand still! So we offer a fantastic opportunity for our staff to learn, lead and contribute towards improving our services.
We launched our Five Year Strategy in April 2018, which identified four main strategic outcomes to improve: population health outcomes, experience of care, staff experience and improve value. This complements the NHS Long Term Strategy and sets out our direction of travel.
Our Community
We provide a wide range of community health and mental health inpatient services to children, young people, adults of working age, and older adults in The City of London, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Bedfordshire and Luton. We also provide psychological therapy services to the London Borough of Richmond, and provide Forensic services to the whole of North East London.We provide services in urban and rural settings, sometimes in our inpatient units, but mostly in the community close to where people live. Integrated care is key in making the best use of resources and providing effective care.
Aiming High
We were rated ‘Outstanding’ by the CQC in 2016, were proud to be rated ‘Outstanding’ again in 2018 and continue to be rate 'Outstanding' in 2021.. We were named in the HSJ’s Top 10 best places to work in healthcare and were voted Provider Trust of the Year in 2018.
Staff and Service Users United
We strive to ensure that staff feel valued by the Trust and as they are truly pivotal in delivering better outcomes for our patients and service users. Our aspiration is to help to make ELFT the best place to work. This Trust is clinician-led and provides the highest possible level of clinical expertise throughout its services.We pride ourselves on our service user involvement. A service user will be on your assessment centre and interview panel if you are invited to meet us.
We especially welcome people with lived experience of health difficulties, with insight and understanding of different backgrounds, cultures and lifestyles in our population as we believe that this will equip staff to deliver a high standard of care to our service users and patients.
Diversity
ELFT Is committed to being a diverse organisation and our workforce is reflective of the population and communities we serve. We believe that having colleagues with a range of backgrounds and life experiences enriches and adds value to the outcomes we have set out to achieve.Having partnered and endorsed by organisations who are representative and experts in various areas of equality and diversity, we can ensure we are meeting the pre-set standards all the way from recruitment stage throughout the career journey of our employees by being accessible, having fair inclusive practices and a host of staff networks to support, nurture and celebrate our valued staff in the workplace.
Other reasons to apply
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s job share, part time or another flexible pattern.
As part of the relocation scheme we presently have, the Trust could support you with offering up to £10,000 for removal and associated expenses. This is subject to change and terms and conditions apply.
What Next?
If you like the sound of ELFT, don’t waste a moment. We sometimes close adverts early if there is a high response, so apply now!
As part of our recruitment process we may be required to share information you provide on the application form with NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) and/or other organisations for the purpose of the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of fraud or any other unlawful activity affecting the NHS.We also use third party providers to check and verify your qualifications who may be contacting you on our behalf to verify the same..
If you do not hear from us within four weeks of the closing date, please consider that you have not been shortlisted on this occasion. You must provide professional email addresses for all referees as we will contact them as soon as an offer has been made.Please note we do not request references prior to interviews. All applications made through NHS Jobs account will be processed by TRAC System. Please note that some emails may go to your spam/junk mailbox so make sure you check this regularly.
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