Director of Commissioning (Community & N'hood Development) - Band 9

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Director of Commissioning (Community & N'hood Development) - Band 9 The closing date is 06 April 2026

This is an exciting opportunity to join the newly formed Essex ICB, which will oversee the commissioning of care for the 2 million people that live in Essex. This is the first time Essex has a single commissioner of NHS services, providing an exciting opportunity to develop & commission high quality sustainable services for the local population.

The ICB is looking for a Director of Commissioning (Community & Neighbourhood Development) who will lead the strategic and operational commissioning of community services and the development of neighbourhood health services. During 2026, the role will oversee a review of community commissioning across Essex and the development of a robust delivery plan to shape long term service delivery.

Working in close partnership with the Directors of Commissioning for Acute and Primary Care, this role will lead the development and delivery of new models of neighbourhood health, collaborating with partners and the public to ensure we develop and deliver a sustainable approach, which drives the delivery of the National 10-year plan and left shift.

You will need to develop strong working relationships within the ICB and across the Essex health and care system, including with local government, hospices and the wider voluntary sector, to develop and deliver plans for effective commissioning. This will include using a data-driven and evidence-based approach hat is informed by engagement with clinicians, patients, the public and staff.

Main duties of the job You will be required to work in partnership to lead effective community commissioning and will be responsible for:

• Leading and managing the community and neighbourhood development teams
• Planning for commissioning of community services, including undertaking needs assessments & engagement activities to inform activity, financial & delivery plans
• Leading on the commissioning & oversight of joint commissioning with Local Authorities including the Better Care Fund, intermediate care & prevention services
• Driving the development of neighbourhood health including development of new models of care & contracting
• Leading the work of the ICBs health inequalities team
• Leading the ICBs work with non-NHS providers including hospices, social enterprise & voluntary sector organisations
• Management of ICB community budgets
• Ensuring all ICB commissioning decisions relating to community/neighbourhood health follow agreed governance
• Ensuring community services are appropriately evaluated to track impact & outcomes to support future commissioning decisions
• Reporting to the ICBs senior leadership, Board & NHS England as required

About us Mid and South Essex ICB is a statutory organisation responsible for the planning and delivery of local health and care services, across Mid and South Essex and is part of the wider integrated care system. Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) are partnerships of health and care organisations that come together to plan and deliver joined up services and to improve the health of people who live and work in their area. The headquarters for the organisation is Seax House, Chelmsford. There is a hybrid model of working, which includes attendance at the office in Chelmsford or community visits across Essex and home working.

We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better patient outcomes. We welcome applications regardless of peoples age, disability, sex, gender, identity and gender expression, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, religion or belief. We have policies and procedures in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustment for people who have a disability. We also encourage applicants to raise any personal circumstances they would like us to be aware of so we can consider possible adjustments.

Unfortunately, the organisation does not have a Sponsorship licence.

Job responsibilities ROLE PURPOSE / SUMMARY

The proposed Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) will be a new organisation formed through the consolidation of three ICB areas in response to the NHSs ambition to deliver a more streamlined, strategic and cost-effective model of health commissioning. The ICB will oversee the commissioning of care for the approximately 2 million people who live in Essex. Operating within a reduced running cost envelope and aligned to the new requirements of ICBs in England, the proposed Essex ICB will focus on improving population health outcomes, health equity and smarter resource allocation.

The Director of Commissioning (Community & Neighbourhood Development holds corporate responsibility for the strategic and operational commissioning of neighbourhood and primary care services across Essex, this includes the commissioning of General Practice, Optometry, Dental alongside NHS community services. This includes oversight of these service areas and associated budgets, ensuring commissioned providers deliver high-quality, sustainable and digitally enabled care for the residents of Essex.

As a corporate leader within the ICB, the post holder contributes to collective decision-making and holds delegated accountability for performance, quality, workforce and financial management within their portfolio. The role provides a lead contribution to the development, interpretation, implementation and monitoring of ICB policy and strategy, ensuring alignment with the ICBs strategic objectives and the national 10-Year Plan.

The post holder will ensure that commissioning decisions support prevention, personalisation and the 'left shift' from hospital to community settings, building resilient, integrated neighbourhood health systems. They will provide visible, inclusive and values-based leadership for staff and partners, ensuring effective delivery through collaboration with NHS providers, local authorities, primary care and the voluntary and community sector.

As the ICB transitions to become a leaner, more focused strategic commissioning organisation the post holder will be expected to support the Executive Director, Neighbourhood Health and the Chief Executive in delivering on the three fundamental shifts set out in the NHS 10-year plan:

• From Treatment to Prevention: Embedding preventative, personalised and population based approaches to commissioning.
• From Hospital to Community: Championing care model redesign that supports community and neighbourhood health.
• From Analogue to Digital: Enabling clinically driven transformation through digital innovation, data analytics and evidence based improvement.

The post holder will be required to work autonomously and will ultimately be corporately responsible for determining the negotiation, agreement and delivery of ICB strategy. The post holder will be responsible for bringing partners together to agree multiple programmes of work and also for agreeing contribution of resources to these programmes.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

To deliver on the job description set out above, the job holder will be expected to deliver on the requirements set out below:

Policy and service development

• Develop and implement policy and / or service developments related to neighbourhood and primary care services, ensuring alignment with the ICB strategy and the NHS 10-year plan.
• Translating high-level policy commitments into commissioning plan that drive integration, prevention and personalisation.
• Promote innovation and best practice in commissioning, drawing on national and international evidence to improve quality and outcomes.
• Ensure commissioning intentions and activities reflect patient and public voice, and are increasingly outcomes focused.

Strategy and analysis

• Use complex health data sets, and population health management tools to inform commissioning priorities and decisions.
• Analyse large volumes of complex qualitative and quantitative data relating to the performance, quality, activity and finance of primary and community care services to identify opportunities for improvement and efficiency.
• Provide expert advice and insight to the Executive Director of Neighbourhood Health and ICB leaders on commissioning strategy and service redesign.
• Evaluate the impact of commissioning programmes, ensuring continuous improvement and value for money.
• Present highly complex data, information and insights, including qualitative and quantitative data, through clear and simple written and verbal briefings
• Use of Population Health Management methodologies and tools to inform projects and programmes that will improve outcomes for patients and sustainability of health services
• Provide regular assurance reports to the ICB Executive Team and Board

Planning and organisation

• Lead the development and delivery of the annual commissioning plan for neighbourhood and primary care services.
• Manage complex programmes to deliver new or re-designed service models across Essex, ensuring that robust governance, risk management and reporting arrangements are in place.
• Ensure commissioned services are designed around population need, aligned to the left shift . click apply for full job details