Strategic Planning Lead

Working as a partnership, both Isle of Wight NHS Trust and Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust have a shared vision for excellence in care for our patients and communities; with a set of strategic aims underpinning how we will achieve this. 

The single corporate service is delivered across both organisation.  You may be based at either IWT or PHU and individuals may be required to undertake business travel between sites. For leaders managing staff across multi-site locations, you will need to be visible and provide in person leadership. The arrangements and frequency will be agreed locally.

This vacancy is open to employees of Isle of Wight NHS Trust and Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust only.

NHS Band 8B Salary: £66,582 - £77,368 pro rata per annum                       

Hours Per Week: Full time 37.5

Contract Type: Permanent 

The post holder will support the Head of Strategic Planning and the Head of Strategy and Transformation in delivering the objectives of the Strategy Portfolio Team, working closely with, and providing cross-cover to, the Strategy & Transformation Lead

The post holder will primarily support the Head of Strategic Planning in ensuring that the appropriate frameworks and processes are in place to manage the annual and medium term operational / business planning processes and deploy the Trust strategies accordingly. Their primary function will be to provide leadership and support to the clinical divisions and corporate services in developing their operational and business plans (via the agreed appropriate processes and framework).

This will be underpinned by supporting the implementation of the Trust’s strategy deployment. With the framework aligning the Trust planning to the Trust Strategy, strategic aims and true norths.

To support the Head of Strategic Planning to establish, direct and manage a complex multi-project portfolio for the deployment of complex projects to benefit clinical services and corporate functions.

Under the direction of the Head of Strategic Planning to identify and provide effective and appropriate strategic and planning support, ranging from complex problem-solving analysis, using excellent analytical skills, facilitating workshops to support teams to think creatively to design improvements, plan delivery, lessons learnt, etc. Providing intensive support for a period of time to help achieve an output/outcome.

Key Responsibilities 

• To lead the development and delivery of planning frameworks ensuring principles of good governance are embedded.
• To lead the development of operating plan monitoring and reporting and delivery templates
• To develop agreed areas of the annual operating plan and Medium-Term Plans

• To lead and manage a designated portfolio of improvement projects as related to the planning process.
• To lead the core planning team agenda and process throughout the annual planning cycle

• The post holder will be required work closely with a range of internal and external partners, including the Integrated Care Board, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and social care, to track progress, slippage, risk and delivery of spend and projected spend against projects and programmes aligned to strategic and planning priorities.
• Support the Implementation of a single Trust planning framework and processes, working closely with the Head of Strategy and Planning and the Deputy Director of Strategy and Analytics and Chief Strategy Officer.
• Provide a leadership role as required to the strategy portfolio team, in supporting clinical divisions and corporate services in the development of their business plans
• Provide a leadership role in the programme of work carried out by a multi-disciplinary team of subject matter experts to support operational colleagues with their planning process (known as Core Planning Team)
• Support, in collaboration with Finance, Workforce, Analytics and Operations, in the monitoring of the annual and medium-term operational / business plan delivery.
• The postholder will support the Executive SRO and the Head of Strategic Planning to develop and implement a comprehensive partnership strategy aligned with the group strategy
• The individual will demonstrate a high level of relationship management, demonstrating the ability to cultivate, nurture, and manage high-level, long-term relationships with strategic partners.

For full job details, please refer to enclosed Job Description

Essential

• Educated to Masters degree level or equivalent relevant senior management experience

Desirable

• Advanced project management qualification such as PRINCE or the equivalent

Experience

Essential

• Experience of leadership at a senior managerial level in operational and strategic management.
• Experience of working on, developing, or implementing strategic, annual, business, financial and capital plans with a healthcare environment.
• Experience of supporting strategic long -term planning within a large acute trust or equivalent
• Experience of developing / writing business cases
• Experience of coordinating projects in complex and challenging environments
• Ability to build engagement and adopt new strategies.
• Performance management: able to effectively manage performance by holding self and others to account for delivering required standards and outcomes
• Presentation: being articulate and skilled in presenting ideas to others.  Able to prepare and produce concise and insightful reports for a broad range of audiences
• Prioritisation: able to manage work of self and others to accommodate competing priorities and meet demands
• High level of computer-literacy: including creation and use of spread sheets, databases, charts, reports and data analysis in formats that will enable informed decision-making, working with a high degree of accuracy
• Motivating: ability to inspire confidence in staff across the organisation and to influence and negotiate at appropriate level.  Ability to motivate self and others and work autonomously as well as working effectively as part of the team

Desirable

• Experience of using NHS information, benchmarking data and hospital information systems
• Experience of understanding and interpreting relevant national policy in a complex organization.
• Experience of working across both health and care settings, or other public sector bodies.
• Problem solving: having the capacity to analyse problems in a logical and structured way using qualitative and quantitative information, supporting the generation of innovative solutions and adapting approaches to problem-solving to achieve sustainable outcomes
• Analytical: able to use and interpret complex information to make robust recommendations for evidence-based practice and decision-making

Skills & Knowledge

Essential

• Good knowledge of the NHS with up to date knowledge of patients services and evidence of CPD
• Knowledge and experience of supporting the development, implementation and maintenance of Business planning policy and change management knowledge and skills within the NHS.
• Understanding of ICBs and the broader health and care environment, with particular reference to integration and its impact on hospital services and strategic direction.

Desirable

• Detailed understanding of NHS Trust regulatory requirements and performance expectations

The health and wellbeing of our staff is at the forefront of everything we do. We are proud to be able to offer our staff some fantastic benefits including our on-site Nursery, access to our free Beach Hut for those long summer days, our on-site Wellness Centre including a gym and a swimming pool, access to our fantastic staff networks including LGBTQ, Race Equality and DisAbility, and awards ceremonies to recognise your achievements. We believe we can offer support to all of our staff when they need it the most.

We welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veteran’s status, colour, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and beliefs. 

For more information, please see our People and OD Strategy 2026