Contracts Manager

The Contracts Manager provides contracting expertise, oversight and guidance to Here. Working with senior colleagues across the organisation, and within the wider system, the Contracts Manager oversees all of our contractual arrangements, ensuring that Here has robust agreements in place to enable us to provide Exceptional Care, For Everyone. The role sits within the Corporate Services team reporting to the Finance Director.

Here is a not-for-profit social enterprise, providing innovative healthcare to people within Sussex and beyond. We provide NHS commissioned healthcare including memory assessment and MSK services, alongside bespoke data analytics products and services. We work in partnership with a wide range of organisations to create and deliver outstanding personalised healthcare.

Positive about disability
We are committed to developing the careers of individuals with a disability. We will give full and fair consideration to all applicants. Applicants who confirm a disability that meet the essential criteria and evidence this within their application, will be interviewed.

Positive about diversity
We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves and reach their full potential. We actively welcome applicants who identify as LGBTQ+, disabled, and people of the Global Majority.

Main duties of the job

• Contracting Oversight: Lead and oversee all contracting activity across Here. Negotiate, review and manage contracts, ensuring effective contract management and compliance.
• NHS Contracting: Provide expert advice on NHS contracts and lead commissioner and subcontractor relationships. Manage contractual risks, support service delivery and oversee new NHS agreements.
• Commercial Contracting: Draft, negotiate and review commercial, partnership and collaboration agreements. Ensure contractual arrangements remain fit for purpose and effectively manage risk.
• Governance Internal: Provide legal and contractual advice across the organisation. Lead legal services, shareholder processes, conflicts of interest, and governance reporting. Advise the Board and Executive Team on legal and corporate matters.
• Governance External: Maintain statutory records and Companies House filings. Monitor legislative requirements and support organisational compliance and risk management.

Job responsibilities

• Contracting Oversight: Organisational subject matter expert on all aspects of contracting. Provide contractual leadership, oversight and guidance for all NHS and commercial contracting arrangements. Work with service leads, executive team, partner organisations, commissioners, and sub-contractors to negotiate contract terms, review documentation, draft formal contractual agreements, and summarise key contractual issues and opportunities for colleagues and external partner organisations.
• Maintain a comprehensive register of all contractual agreements, ensuring a consistent and proportionate approach to contract management across the organisation.
• Collaborate with service leads and finance colleagues to manage contractual changes, expiry and extensions, and ensure relevant learning and guidance is applied cross-organisationally.
• NHS Contracting: Organisational subject matter expert on NHS contracting arrangements, providing oversight, advice and guidance on a wide range of legal/contractual agreements to service leads, executive team and Here Board. External point of contact for NHS sub-contracts and commissioners. Manage significant senior contracting relationships and represent Here at external forums. Work with service leads and executive team to manage contractual risks and provide support to services to ensure contractual commitments are fully understood and achieved. Lead contracting process for all new NHS contractual agreements as both provider and commissioner of NHS services. Keep up to date with changes in legislation impacting NHS contracts and periodic updates to NHS contract and finance guidance, ensuring relevant guidance is correctly applied to all NHS contracts across the organisation.
• Commercial Contracting: Provide contractual advice, guidance, and oversight to commercial service delivery teams in relation to contracts where Here is the service provider, including drafting bespoke agreements and supporting the team in dispute/relationship management. Draft bespoke formal partnership/collaboration agreements with partner organisations. Ensure agreements are fit for purpose and align with strategic organisational priorities. Where appropriate, liaise with external legal expertise to reflect organisational requirements proportionately. As services develop, review and, where necessary, vary contractual documentation to ensure remains fit for purpose and manage Here’s risk exposure. Support service leads and executive team with pre-contractual commercial arrangements, drafting and/or reviewing bespoke agreements to manage confidentiality and maintain Here's commercial position.
• Governance - Internal: Provide legal advice and guidance to services and the executive team, including bids, procurement, and contractual challenges from commissioners/providers. Accountable for Here’s legal function and budget. Liaise with external legal advisors as appropriate to update company documentation and support in drafting/interpreting bespoke contractual agreements. Draft premises/room hire arrangements and negotiate/draft leaseholder agreements where appropriate with external legal support.
• Governance - External: Maintain statutory company records and complete the reporting process to Companies House, including confirmation statements and changes to shareholding. Stay up to date with legislation and licensing relevant to Here as a limited company in the healthcare sector and advise the executive team to manage risks and ensure compliance.

Qualifications and experience

• Essential: Educated to degree level and/or equivalent knowledge, training and experience gained within the NHS or other similar healthcare setting. Evidence of sustained commitment to continuing professional development.
• Essential: Excellent understanding of NHS contractual arrangements, including NHS Standard Contract and related contract/finance guidance. Experience in NHS, public sector, or VCSE organisations. Strong knowledge of contract law. Demonstrable experience of drafting bespoke contractual agreements. Experience of working autonomously at a senior level.
• Desirable: Broad legal knowledge related to obligations on limited companies in healthcare.

Skills

• Excellent negotiation and interpersonal skills. Able to build and maintain strong working relationships across organisational boundaries.
• Excellent attention to detail. Ability to interpret, analyse and communicate complex information to diverse audiences.
• Strong understanding of corporate governance. High emotional intelligence. Ability to manage competing demands and work to deadlines.

Disclosure
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and a submission for Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service is required.

Employer details

• Employer name: Care Unbound Ltd t/a Here
• Address: 5th Floor, 177 Preston Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 6AG, United Kingdom
• Employer's website: https://hereweare.org.uk/