Chief Strategy Officer

Role overview

The NHS Business Services Authority is seeking a Chief Strategy Officer to play a central executive role in shaping the organisation’s future. Reporting to the Chief Executive, this position is responsible for steering strategy development and delivery across a high-impact national organisation that supports frontline care and serves millions of people.

This leader will advise the CEO and Board, bring commercial thinking and innovation to the table, and help drive growth, transformation and long-term organisational success. The post covers strategy, business development, performance, assurance, risk oversight and system-wide change.

The role also requires building strong partnerships across government, the NHS and external stakeholders, while fostering a culture that is innovative, customer-centred and focused on high performance.

Location

Leeds, Newcastle or Eastbourne, with regular travel to Newcastle.

Key responsibilities

You will share executive responsibility for setting organisational direction and contributing to the strategic and annual business plans. You will help shape the NHSBSA’s reputation with stakeholders, lead a broad directorate, and drive priorities that respond to the changing needs of the NHS and wider healthcare landscape.

The role includes leading transformation activity, identifying opportunities for innovation and major change, and supporting decisions on new services, business opportunities and strategic initiatives through structured review and risk analysis.

You will also be expected to oversee customer strategy, ensure services are designed around customer needs, and communicate the customer proposition clearly. In addition, you will work with the Executive and Non-Executive Board to produce the strategy, business plan, annual report and long-term plan.

Performance, assurance and risk management are also core to the role. You will provide executive oversight of performance reporting, benefits reporting, balanced scorecards, risk frameworks, first- and second-line assurance, and internal audit relationships, ensuring recommendations are implemented effectively.

Organisation overview

NHSBSA manages important national services such as the NHS Pension Scheme and prescription payments. Its services support NHS organisations, contractors and the public, and the organisation describes itself as purpose-led, values-driven and focused on improving lives across the country.

The organisation highlights a collaborative, adventurous, reliable and energetic culture, together with a commitment to wellbeing, diversity, inclusion and flexible working.

Benefits

• 27 days of annual leave
• Excellent pension arrangement with a 23.7% employer contribution
• Flexible working options
• NHS Car Lease Scheme
• Access to a broad range of employee benefits and high-street discounts

Additional information

The post holder must be ready to adapt as organisational and wider system needs evolve. The role is an outline description and further detail is available in the attached job description.

The job involves collaboration with ministers, senior Department of Health and Social Care officials, other arm’s length bodies, suppliers, external partners and key players in the health economy. It also requires ensuring appropriate medical and clinical expertise is available where needed, and compliance with Caldicott principles, including provision of a suitably qualified Caldicott Guardian.

The role supports organisational responses to Cabinet Office-led initiatives, including ALB reviews and taxpayer value programmes, with a focus on improving value for money and validating efficiencies.