Contracts Manager

Job description

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.

The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

Barts Health supports the Pregnancy Loss Pledge and commits to supporting their staff through the distress of miscarriage.

We are dedicated to being an outstanding place to work and will work with you to get the best experience. We know flexible working is not a one size fits all and will mean something different to everyone. We are inclusive, so if you are interested in flexible working, please speak to the recruiting manager.

Job overview

The Contracts Manager will play a key role in supporting the North East London Procurement Partnership (NELPP) to deliver effective contract management across an agreed portfolio on behalf of partner NHS organisations. The post holder will ensure contracts are mobilised and managed in line with agreed terms and conditions, performance expectations and governance requirements, supporting delivery of quality, value for money and measurable benefits. Working closely with clinical and corporate stakeholders, suppliers and procurement colleagues, the role will coordinate contract review activity, monitor performance against KPIs and SLAs, manage risks and issues, and support contract variations, renewals and extensions in line with due process. The post holder will contribute to continuous improvement, standardised contract management approaches and strengthened controls and reporting across the partnership.

Main duties of the job

The Contracts Manager is responsible for managing the end-to-end contract lifecycle for a defined portfolio of goods and services across NELPP partner organisations. The postholder will draft, negotiate and execute contractual agreements; ensure robust post-award governance, compliance and risk mitigation; and act as a central coordination point between stakeholders to protect the organisation's financial and legal interests while supporting safe, effective and value-for-money service delivery.

The role reports to the Head of Procurement and Contracts and works closely with Procurement Managers leading sourcing activity to support timely mobilisation, effective supplier performance management and contract assurance.

Working for our organisation

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.

The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. Having lifted ourselves out of special measures, we now have the impetus and breathing space to chart a fresh course in which we are continually striving to improve all our services for patients.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.

We are dedicated to being an outstanding place to work and will work with you to get the best experience. We know flexible working is not a one size fits all and will mean something different to everyone. We are inclusive, so if you are interested in flexible working, please speak to the recruiting manager.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Educated to degree level or equivalent relevant experience in contracting, commercial, procurement or a related discipline.

Desirable criteria

• Professional qualification in contract management (e.g., WorldCC/NCMA) or MCIPS (or working towards).
• Project management qualification (e.g., PRINCE2/APM) or equivalent experience.

Experience & Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Significant experience drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts within a complex organisation (preferably NHS/public sector).
• Experience managing contracts post-award including governance, KPIs/service levels, change control, variations and renewals.
• Understanding of commercial and legal risk in contracting and practical approaches to mitigation and escalation.
• Experience coordinating multiple stakeholders and maintaining clear audit trails and documentation standards.
• Experience using contract management and/or document management systems.

Desirable criteria

• Experience working across multiple organisations/partnership settings.
• Experience supporting dispute management, remedies and exit/termination activity.

Skills

Essential criteria

• Strong drafting and written communication skills; able to produce clear, accurate contractual documentation and governance papers.
• Excellent negotiation and influencing skills; able to work constructively with suppliers and senior stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail; able to interpret complex terms and identify risks and mitigations.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines; organised and able to maintain pace in a dynamic environment.
• Competent IT skills (Microsoft Office) and ability to handle information securely.

Other

Essential criteria

• High standards of integrity, confidentiality and professionalism.
• Proactive, resilient and solution-focused approach to complex commercial issues.
• Commitment to NHS values and to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of continuous professional development in commercial/contracting practice.

Visa Sponsorship Information

This role is subject to UK immigration requirements. Where sponsorship is required, applicants must meet the eligibility criteria for a Skilled Worker visa in accordance with current UK Visas and Immigration rules, including any salary, qualification, and role-specific requirements applicable at the time of appointment. Candidates who require sponsorship will only be considered where the post is eligible and where all sponsorship criteria can be met. Evidence of the right to work in the UK will be required before appointment. Please note that for roles employed under Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions, the High-Cost Area Supplement (HCAS) is not included when calculating the basic salary for the purposes of sponsorship.

We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment where staff treat one another with dignity and respect. We aim to create an equitable working environment where every individual can fulfil their potential.

As an Equal Opportunities Employer we actively support applications from individuals' who apply under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme and will process your application as appropriate.

We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once a sufficient number of applications has been received and we regret that we are unable to provide notification if your application is unsuccessful.

After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred Third party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs.

By applying for this post you are agreeing to Barts Health NHS Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Barts Health is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and to child protection. The Trust aims to ensure as far as is possible that anyone, paid or unpaid, who seeks to work in our organisation and who gains access to children, is safe to do so. As such, you may be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Check as part of the recruitment process if appointed to a post with direct access to children or vulnerable adults.

Barts Health promotes active travel as part of its goal to reach Net Zero. Each site is accessible by public transport and the Trust has a cycle to work scheme and some sites have Brompton Hire Pods.

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