Job vacancy: Senior Commissioning and Contracts Manager, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Lewisham

Job summary

Main area: Commissioning & Contracts
Grade: NHS AfC: Band 8b
Contract: Secondment: 12 months (Fixed term)
Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref: 334-NCL-8304722-MU

Employer: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Lewisham Old Town Hall
Town: Lewisham
Salary: £75,328 - £86,114 per annum inclusive of HCAS
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 19/10/2026 23:59

Senior Commissioning and Contracts Manager

NHS AfC: Band 8b

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust has a rich history, well-established community links and an international reputation. We deliver specialist services in the London boroughs of Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark, Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Wandsworth and Richmond.

We are committed to provide a high quality and specialist care to our service users and we are recognised for our care and treatment we provide. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as ‘good’.

We launched our five-year strategy, Aiming High; Changing Lives in 2021 together with Our Care Improvement System as our quality management system methodology to make a positive impact on patient care, outcomes and staff experience. By joining SLaM, all staff will get the opportunity to be part of this exciting improvement journey supported with learning and development to harness everyone’s potential as change makers.

The trust recognises the unique and valuable contribution that people with lived experience of mental illness can bring to a role. We therefore welcome applications from people with lived experience and consider them as an asset to the Trust.

Our Values

We take pride in providing specialist care to our service users where our Trust values and our promise to be caring, kind, polite, prompt, honest, listen and do what I say I’m going to do is at the heart of everything we do. When you join us, you’ll be part of something special.

As a Trust we are happy to talk flexible working.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Senior Commissioning & Contracts Manager will:

· Provide senior commissioning and contract management leadership across SLP Provider Collaboratives and Complex Care.

· Lead the development, negotiation, implementation, variation and management of complex contractual arrangements.

· Ensure contracts, service specifications, quality requirements and KPIs reflect commissioning priorities and agreed outcomes.

· Lead provider performance management, using quality, safety, activity, finance and outcomes data to provide assurance.

· Identify contractual and performance risks, ensuring effective escalation, improvement and remedial action.

· Lead and support commissioning, procurement, service redesign and mobilisation of new services and pathways.

· Develop commissioning strategies and support implementation of new models of care.

· Work collaboratively with NHS Trusts, ICBs, local authorities, providers and system partners.

· Provide reports, advice and assurance to senior programme and governance forums.

· Promote value for money, quality, equality, patient safety and improved service-user outcomes.

· Provide leadership and development to the Commissioning & Contracts team.

· Deputise for the Head of Commissioning & Contracts as required.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Educated to degree level or equivalent relevant experience in commissioning, contracting, healthcare management or a related field.
Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to senior commissioning and contract management.

Experience

Essential criteria

• Substantial experience of commissioning and/or contract management within the NHS, public sector or a comparably complex health and care environment.
• Experience of developing, negotiating, implementing, varying and managing complex contracts.
• Experience of provider performance management using quality, safety, activity, finance and outcomes information.
• Experience of identifying and managing contractual or performance risks, including escalation and improvement action.
• Experience of service redesign, procurement and/or mobilisation of services or pathways.
• Experience of working collaboratively across organisational boundaries with senior stakeholders.

Knowledge/skills

Essential criteria

Strong knowledge of the commissioning and contract management lifecycle and NHS contractual arrangements.
Strong knowledge of the NHS Contracts.
Highly developed analytical skills with the ability to interpret quality, safety, activity, finance and outcomes information and translate it into action.

The Trust is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and that promote equality of opportunity. We are a Disability Confident Employer, we welcome applicants from all sections of the community and people of all protected characteristics. We provide reasonable adjustments for candidates with a disability and are committed to treating people fairly with compassion, respect and dignity and in promoting equality and human rights. We aim to put this commitment into practice by:

Embedding our commitment to tackling inequality, eliminating discrimination and harassment; promoting equality of opportunity and fostering good relations in our everyday practice
Ensuring that all our services and all staff understand and support our commitment
We believe that people who use our services, their carers and our staff, should be treated with compassion, respect and dignity.

Welcome to your candidate journey.
Our Candidate Recruitment Information Pack is designed to help you learn more about our Trust, understand the recruitment process, and prepare a strong application. We encourage you to explore the pack and use the guidance, tips and resources available to help you feel informed, confident, and ready to showcase your best self:Recruitment Toolkit - Customer Success Test

Please note:

That all applications for this post will need to be made online
That you read and understand the Job Description and Person Specification attached to the role. Your Statement in Support should reflect the requirements specified as your application will be judged against these criteria
That the closing date listed is a guide only and that the vacancy may close earlier should sufficient number of applicants have been received. We advise that you submit your application as early as possible
That once you have submitted your application you agree to your application being transferred to a 3rd party e-recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs
That should you not have heard from us within three weeks from the closing date your application has not been successful
That priority consideration for applications may be given to at-risk NHS employees
That should you be successful and appointed, you authorise South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust to confirm your previous NHS service via an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process
That we are a smoke-free Trust

SLaM is a Stonewall Diversity Champion , Stonewall is the largest Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans (LGBT) rights charity in Europe’.