Head of Primary Care Commissioning and Shared Services (POD)NHS

Job summary

The three West Midlands ICB clusters seek a strategic Primary Care Commissioner. Employed by the Birmingham, Black Country and Solihull cluster, the post will work across the region to reduce health inequalities, improve outcomes and sustain services.

Supporting each clusters Director of Primary Care, the postholder will discharge delegated responsibilities for general medical, community pharmacy, optometry and dental services and deliver commissioning and transformation plans.

They will lead regional commissioning and shared services covering secondary care dentistry, GP estates, GMAST, pharmacy, the Pharmacy Services Regulations Committee, optometry, clinical advisers and central PMO support.

The postholder will agree priorities with each cluster, provide assurance through local and joint governance, attend relevant committees and remain accountable for hosted services.

They will lead compliant, high-quality procurement and contract management aligned with organisational activity and the Chief Strategy Officers commissioning agenda.

They will deputise for senior primary care leaders and report regularly to each clusters Primary Care Director.

The role requires hybrid working and regular attendance at Alpha Tower, Wolverhampton Civic Centre and partner sites, with at least four office-based days per week.

Interviews will be held on 23 October 2026.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be accountable for:

• Senior leadership and oversight for the provision of an efficient, effective, high quality, professional and well-coordinated contract management, commissioning and performance function for primary care, that meets all statutory and regulatory requirements and ensures that national priorities are delivered, and corporate objectives of all West Midlands ICBs met
• Senior leadership and line/operational management support for the Primary Care Commissioning POD/GMAST Team, in line with organisational policies and procedures and ensuring that work programmes are planned and carried out effectively for all functions, providing resilience where necessary
• Work closely with colleagues to ensure a whole system approach to effective surveillance of POD delivery, including identifying concerns with performance and quality of patient services, identifying improvement opportunities, providing support as required in conjunction with ICB colleagues and overseeing and managing where there are concerns with the performance and quality of services delivered
• Subject matter expertise in POD commissioning and contracting, including on emerging contract vehicles and requirements, acting as a point of contact expert for providers, colleagues, patients and other stakeholders
• Responsible for supporting the ICBs in their delivery of commissioning and contracting functions for primary care, interfacing with colleagues and governance arrangements in all ICB clusters

Job description

The post holder will lead the West Midlands primary care commissioning and shared services function to ensure that work streams and programmes are planned and carried out effectively on behalf of all West Midlands ICBs and to support the ICBs in delivering their delegated primary care commissioning responsibilities from NHSE. The function includes: secondary care dental commissioning, GP estates, GMAST, pharmacy including Pharmacy Services Regulations Committee, optometry, clinical advisors, and centralised PMO support across the West Midlands.

The shared services function is hosted by the Birmingham, Black Country and Solihull ICB cluster on behalf of all West Midlands ICBs. As such, the postholder will be required to support and contribute to broader primary care transformation; meet regularly with each ICB cluster to agree and review plans and priorities; and provide assurance and reporting through ICB specific and collective governance routes as agreed. The postholder will be expected to be a part of each clusters formal governance arrangements attending appropriate commissioning committees at all three clusters and adhere to each clusters working measures, as above. In addition they will be expected to report to a joint governance group which will cover all three clusters across the West Midlands region and account for the delivery of all hosted services.

The post holder will lead the provision of an efficient, effective, and high quality, professional and well co-ordinated procurement and contract management service capable of meeting all statutory, regulatory and NHS requirements for primary care ensuring alignment with the activity of the organisation. This role will need to contribute to the strategic commissioning agenda across the Chief Strategy Officers directorate and will need to work across all four sub functions.

The post holder will deputise for the Deputy Chir Officer Primary Care and Associate Director of Primary Care as required and also report directly to each clusters Primary Care Directors on a regular basis.

The post holder will support the Directors of Primary Care in each ICB cluster in discharging delegated responsibilities for general medical, community pharmacy, optometry and dental services.

In carrying out your role, at least one of the agreed strategic anchors should be at the core of everything you do:

• Commissioning for Value and Outcomes
• Accelerating Neighbourhood Health at Pace
• Making the Best Use of Digital Solutions in our Pathways
• Financial Discipline / 2% Productivity
• Advancing Health Equity
• Integrated Partnership

The post holder will be accountable for:

• Senior leadership and oversight for the provision of an efficient, effective, high quality, professional and well-coordinated contract management, commissioning and performance function for primary care, that meets all statutory and regulatory requirements and ensures that national priorities are delivered, and corporate objectives of all West Midlands ICBs met.
• Senior leadership and line/operational management support for the Primary Care Commissioning POD/GMAST Team, in line with organisational policies and procedures and ensuring that work programmes are planned and carried out effectively for all functions, providing resilience where necessary.
• Work closely with colleagues to ensure a whole system approach to effective surveillance of POD delivery, including identifying concerns with performance and quality of patient services, identifying improvement opportunities, providing support as required in conjunction with ICB colleagues and overseeing and managing where there are concerns with the performance and quality of services delivered.
• Subject matter expertise in POD commissioning and contracting, including on emerging contract vehicles and requirements, acting as a point of contact expert for providers, colleagues, patients and other stakeholders.
• Responsible for supporting the ICBs in their delivery of commissioning and contracting functions for primary care, interfacing with colleagues and governance arrangements in all ICB clusters.

A copy of the full job description is attached

About us

Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull Integrated Care Board (ICB) brings together the NHS, local councils and voluntary sector partners to support 2.7 million people. Our vision is to make the area the healthiest place to live and work by improving life chances and reducing inequalities.

As an employee, you will demonstrate our system values, champion inclusion and help address health inequalities so everyone can thrive. In return, the ICB offers a supportive, ambitious and inclusive workplace, with opportunities to develop and work with partners to deliver meaningful change.

The ICB is committed to a workforce that reflects the population of Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull. We promote equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from everyone who meets the role criteria, regardless of age, gender, disability, race, religion or sexual orientation.

The ICB is a registered Disability Confident Employer. We welcome applications from disabled people and will shortlist suitable applicants who meet the essential criteria.

Employees formally notified that they are at risk of redundancy within the organisation will receive priority consideration for this vacancy if they meet the roles essential requirements. This supports redeployment and helps minimise compulsory redundancies.