Head of Workforce Planning in Norfolk

Shape the workforce behind the care millions of patients rely on. Every day, IC24 services support patients who need urgent advice, treatment and care. Behind every successful NHS 111 call, clinical assessment and urgent care service is a workforce plan that ensures the right people are in the right place at the right time. As our Head of Workforce Planning, you will lead the strategic direction of workforce planning across our Integrated Urgent Care services, helping us balance patient demand, workforce capacity and financial sustainability. This is a high-impact leadership role where your insight and expertise will directly influence service delivery, operational performance and patient outcomes.

Working alongside divisional leaders, Finance, People and operational teams, you'll provide expert workforce intelligence, challenge assumptions, develop robust forecasting models and ensure our services have the workforce capacity required to deliver safe, high-quality care. This is more than a workforce planning role. It's an opportunity to shape the future of how we deliver urgent healthcare services across the communities we serve.

Main duties of the job:

• Develop and own the divisional workforce planning strategy, ensuring it aligns with business objectives, commissioner requirements, operational demand and financial plans.
• Translate demand forecasts, activity trends, workforce intelligence and financial assumptions into practical workforce plans and recommendations that support safe service delivery.
• Act as a trusted adviser to senior leaders, providing workforce expertise, constructive challenge and evidence-based recommendations that support strategic decision-making.
• Oversee long, medium and short-term workforce forecasting, scenario planning and capacity modelling across NHS 111, Clinical Assessment Services, Face-to-Face services and wider IUC operations.
• Establish and maintain workforce planning standards, rota governance processes and planning controls that support operational delivery while maintaining accountability and oversight.
• Provide visible leadership to Workforce Planning Managers and Analysts, creating an inclusive, high-performing environment that develops talent and supports continuous improvement.
• Lead the development and optimisation of workforce planning systems, reporting tools and analytical capabilities, including workforce management platforms such as Quinyx and associated technologies.
• Provide assurance on workforce performance, capacity, affordability and risk while contributing to divisional productivity and financial improvement plans.

Who this role suits:

This role is ideal for an experienced workforce planning leader who combines strategic thinking with strong analytical capability and a passion for improving services. You'll thrive in this role if you:

• Have significant senior-level experience in workforce planning, resource planning or a comparable analytical operational leadership role.
• Have led end-to-end workforce planning in complex, multi-site or 24/7 operational environments.
• Can confidently translate demand, workforce and financial data into practical workforce strategies and plans.
• Are experienced in leading organisational change, service improvement and high-performing teams.
• Have exceptional stakeholder management skills and are comfortable influencing senior leaders and providing constructive challenge.
• Possess advanced analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to draw clear conclusions from complex information.
• Have strong knowledge of forecasting, demand and capacity planning, workforce productivity and roster governance.
• Are resilient, collaborative and committed to delivering high standards for both patients and colleagues.

We'd be particularly interested if you also have:

• Experience within NHS urgent care, healthcare contact centres or other regulated 24/7 service environments.
• Experience implementing or optimising workforce management systems such as Quinyx.
• Knowledge of NHS 111, Clinical Assessment Services and wider Integrated Urgent Care operations.

Qualifications:

You will be educated to degree level or able to demonstrate equivalent senior-level experience and have evidence of ongoing professional development. A leadership or management qualification at Level 5 or above is desirable, alongside relevant experience in workforce planning, analytics or operational leadership.

We celebrate brave ideas and brave people. We have a duty to safeguard, protect and promote the welfare of those who use our services and our employees. This means we take every step we can to protect from harm, abuse and damage. We are committed to providing equal opportunities for all and encourage applications from ethnic minorities, those with disabilities, LGBTQ+ communities, neurodiverse individuals and other under-represented groups. We're dedicated to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they belong.