Job title: Chief Commercial Officer

Salary range: Circa £110,000 at full-time / 37.5 hrs per week equivalent salary

Contract Terms: Full-time, 2-year fixed term contract on KSS AHSN Ltd Terms (trading as Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex). Part-time / job share applications welcomed and encouraged

Base: Hybrid working; with principal place of business at The Beehive, Ring Road, Gatwick, RH6 0PA

Location: The role will cover the whole of Kent, Surrey, Sussex geography and the postholder will be required, at times, to travel in and around the geography and periodically outside of the KSS geography.

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Direct reports: Director Digital, Data & AI (to be simultaneously recruited), Head of Comms & Engagement, Specialist Commercial Advisor and Contracts & Procurement

Budgetary responsibilities: Up to £1 m per project: Up to £3m in total

NB: There is potential for a job-share arrangement

Job purpose

The Chief Commercial Officer or CCO will be accountable for the achievement of the organisation’s yearly revenue income target and for coordinating through direct and indirect reports the efforts of the organisation towards achieving year on year sustainable growth.

The postholder will be responsible for leading the Commercial Growth and Customer Relationship functions across the organisation.

The CCO will need to be experienced in pricing and packaging products and services and in building and closing deals with new and existing partners.

The ability to think strategically in terms of the trade-off between competing opportunities will also be key as will the diplomacy and integrity to build up a successful ecosystem with local and national partners both in public and private sectors.

Key responsibilities of the role

Full voting member of the Board of Directors at Kent Surrey Sussex AHSN Limited (trading as Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex).

The Chief Commercial Officer of Kent Surrey Sussex AHSN Ltd (trading as Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex) will be a key member of the executive management group (EMG), reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and will be expected to attend the bi-monthly Board meetings.
The post holder’s key responsibility is to deliver Health Innovation KSS’s commercial strategy, resultant income and objectives as agreed with the CEO wider EMG and Board of Directors as well as any other objectives agreed annually.
The Chief Commercial Officer will lead the organisation personally & through the wider team in building successful and income generating strategic partnerships across a complex network of organisations and by doing so will create value for the system, deliver on a stretching income target designed to create a sustainable future for Health Innovation KSS.
The role of the CCO is to pull together the many and various business development and commercial activities across the organisation functionally and focus these on a coordinated strategic set of plans and objectives.
The post holder will develop and enhance the sustainability, reputation and influence of Health Innovation KSS; adding value to existing infrastructures and partnerships, regionally and nationally and playing a key role within the wider group of Health Innovation Networks.
The CCO will proactively lead and develop relationships with key stakeholders including the Integrated Care Boards (ICBs)/Integrated Care Systems (ICSs), NHSE, DHSC, Local Trusts/PCN’s, Medtech industry (ABHI, HealthTechalliance, TECH UK), Pharma industry (ABPI), Innovate UK, Universities and other parts of the public and private sector.
These relationships will result in an increase in the value of new work won and value of work undertaken by Health Innovation KSS in support of its Vision, Mission and 3 key strategic Objectives.

Through this work the CCO will work with EMG colleagues to drive and deliver healthcare innovation through job creation and inward investment built on region wide collaborations to support health and care sector innovators.

The CCO will work closely with the CEO and EMG to deliver a compassionate, inclusive commercially savvy and delivery-orientated culture within Health Innovation KSS.
This will be achieved within a robust governance and operating model and effective working relationships with the Executive Management Team and the wider organisation.

Key result areas

Delivery of the Health Innovation KSS commercial strategy and key commercial objectives.
Co-delivery of excellent financial performance and a stretching income target, annually.
Co-delivery of a compassionate, inclusive commercially savvy and delivery orientated culture within Health Innovation KSS and for the patients and carers at the heart of all it delivers.
Delivery of income targets as set out as part of the annual business planning process.
Oversight and management of the commercial delivery elements of work programmes across the organisation and delivery of key contracts and growth follow on opportunities.
Manage and lead effective Commercial reporting processes to demonstrate continual progress towards sustainable growth to the EMG and Board of Directors.
To play a key part in leading the positioning of the organisation as the ‘go to’ partner for the region around innovation spread and adoption and translational research.
Work particularly closely with the Chief Operating Officer to seek to optimise, forecast & schedule demand & supply across the organisation focussing on continuous improvement.
Utilise data and market intelligence to understand member stakeholder issues and sponsor / lead the creation of ever smarter and better targeted evolving offers to support them.
Take timely and appropriate action or recommend as necessary to improve organisations commercial performance where this is not on track.
As an Executive Lead, champion and deliver on transformation programmes and projects that have a commercial lead component helping to improve patient care and reduce inequalities.
Developing the capability to maintain an excellent understanding of current and future stakeholders and their strategic context, ensuring all programmes and services are responding to stakeholder requirements but also acting as the organisations lead voice around commercially viability.
Drawing from experience and expertise work to continually iterate a joined-up services offer from translational research through to scaling and live implementation.
Support the governance arrangements for all programme and network activities.
Against the detailed customer growth plans, lead delivery of appropriate milestones and metrics against which the success of the plans will be judged, and report regularly to the EMG and Board of Directors.
Drive and co-ordinate annual business and performance monitoring processes.
Co-lead relationships with all other Health Innovation Networks especially around commercial cross HIN strategy coordination.

Monthly reporting to EMG of the Business Development Pipeline and bi-monthly reporting to the Board;

Development of Business Development Pipeline ensuring that data accords with the Commercial, Resourcing and Financial Reporting requirements.

Corporate contribution

Plays a lead role in the management and development of the organisation.
Acts alongside other Directors as a role model for our behaviours, culture and values work.

Manage change, problem solve and troubleshoot challenging issues and situations with staff and stakeholders, whilst adapting approaches where necessary.

Contributes to the national Health Innovation Network.
Drives strategic initiatives that contribute to the future of Health Innovation KSS,
Demonstrates passion in promoting Health Innovation KSS’s strategy, services and values.
Promotes increasing diversity of staff, adapts to varied cultural and personal styles and works effectively with others’ differences, concerns and motivations.
Delivers impact in reports to Board and governance committees within Health Innovation KSS and externally to stakeholders within KSS and upwards to NHS England.
Contributes to Health Innovation KSS’s income generation ambitions by supporting and working with other executive team members to lead and grow the business development pipeline and then transfer the delivery to ‘business as usual’.

Additional functions

Undertake such duties, in addition to the key accountabilities listed in this job description and person specification, as may be delegated by the Chief Executive Officer.
Work closely with the Chief Executive Officer to ensure that Health Innovation KSS’s values are continuously reflected in its processes and staff.

General responsibilities

To be an active member of the Health Innovation KSS Board of Directors, Executive Management Group and wider senior leadership team.
To promote the vision and values of Health Innovation KSS.
To share knowledge and work collegiately to mutual benefit with national and local voluntary sector organisations particularly relevant to the work theme.
To ensure effective communications within and between teams, and to be involved in and participate in team meetings/days, team briefings, development days and corporate events etc.
To engage in regular performance reviews against agreed objectives. To be responsible for actively identifying own development needs and committing to a personal development plan based on continuous learning.

Person specification: Chief Commercial Officer

Education, qualifications & training

Essential criteria:

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Healthcare management, or a related field. MBS or advanced degree preferred.

Significant evidence of continuous professional development; record of CPD shows strong self-development ethos and learning from a broad range of interests

Desirable criteria

Experience of MedTech/Health Tech industry, Life Sciences and or the NHS

Knowledge & experience

Essential criteria:

Strong understanding of the healthcare landscape, including market dynamics, regulatory environment, and reimbursement models.

Proven track record of driving revenue growth, managing business development, and building strategic partnerships
Minimum of 10 years of experience in commercial leadership roles, preferably within the healthcare or not-for-profit sector
Experience and expertise in the delivery and performance management of work portfolios.
In-depth knowledge of business issues and innovations to create sustainable solutions.
Extensive knowledge of programme and project management principles and wide-ranging experience of successfully applying these in practice.
A detailed knowledge of planning and performance management within health and/or social care.
A substantial proven and successful track record of leadership and operational management, ideally within health or social care.
Experience of leading the development and production of strategic plans through processes of engagement and involvement with a range of stakeholders.
Experience of working effectively in a politically sensitive and complex environment.
Experience of successfully managing teams and business functions effectively and efficiently to improve outcomes.
Experience of leading in a visionary, dynamic, highly ambitious and fast paced organisational environment.
Previous responsibility for a budget, involved in budget setting and a working knowledge of financial processes.
Experience of motivating and inspiring staff to work together to achieve a common objective.
Ability to build highly functioning teams.
Able to delegate effectively.

Desirable criteria:

Business development experience

Skills & abilities:

Essential criteria:

Ability to think strategically and analytically, with a data-driven approach to decision-making
Exceptional leadership, communication, and negotiation skills
Exceptional interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate on highly complex matters within a range of subject areas and in difficult situations and with a flair for adapting tone and message for different audiences.
Strong personal credibility with an ability to influence and persuade stakeholders both at the highest and all other levels, within and beyond the organisation.
Able to prepare and produce concise and insightful communications for dissemination to senior stakeholders.
Ability to provide, convey and present highly complex, sensitive and/or contentious information.
Expert presentation skills.
Strong people management skills, including performance management and professional development.
Advanced problem solving and decision-making skills with the use of analysis and interpretation of highly complex information to decide on the best way forward for KSS AHSN.
A keen intellect to analyse complex problems and then support and facilitate the development of solutions that can develop and deliver shared visions.
Political astuteness with a clear understanding of what can/cannot be delivered at a senior level.
An effective negotiator with highly developed influencing skills to support and facilitate amongst a disparate range of stakeholders to complex, multi-dimensional challenges often with no single ‘right’ solution.
Demonstrable resilience, independence of thought, emotional intelligence, the ability to work through conflict and ambiguity and demonstrate a range of leadership styles to secure results through high-level influencing skills.
Ability to analyse numerical and written data, assess options and draw appropriate conclusions.
Ability to analyse highly complex facts and situations and develop a range of options.
Ability to carry out procurement that requires high level analysis, comparison and assessment.
High level critical thinking skills.
Demonstrates sound judgement in the absence of clear guidelines or precedent.
Ability to work on own initiative and organise workload, allocating work as necessary, working to tight and often changing and competing deadlines.
Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues.
Ability to provide informative reporting to the Board.
The ability to handle a rapidly changing and ambiguous environment.
Numerate and comfortable in dealing with financial information.
Advanced IT Skills including collaborative working tools and good understanding of Microsoft Office

Desirable criteria:

Developed analytical, managerial, business and leadership skills required to operate at Board level.
Brings an extensive personal network of useful contacts from across Kent, Surrey and Sussex and beyond.

Personal style & behaviours:

Essential criteria:

Commitment to the mission and values of a not-for-profit healthcare organisation
Personal and professional demeanour and credibility that generates trust and confidence in others.
Flexibility of style to reflect the needs of a small organisation.
Understanding of own strengths and limitations and impact on others.
The confidence, determination, perseverance and energy to overcome obstacles to achieve the best outcomes.
Collegiate knowledge sharer.
Highly results orientated, with a strong drive to deliver and have an impact.
A strong sense of personal and team accountability; delivers on commitments
High levels of personal integrity.
Is positive, proactive and has a “can do” attitude.
Takes responsibility for own actions.
Demonstrates ability to handle change effectively.
Has a flexible and adaptable approach to work.
Ability to work using own initiative.
Has a very high level of self-awareness.
Values diversity and looks for opportunities to improve equality.
Respectful of the company’s core values.
Influential leader with flair and energy

Other requirements

Essential criteria:

To take on the duties and responsibilities of a director of a UK private company limited by guarantee.
Reliable work record.
The energy, stamina and drive commensurate with working at director level.
Demonstrates flexibility within working patterns and prepared to work flexible hours when required.
Able to work flexibly across a wide geographical area as necessary.

Values and Behaviours

Health Innovation KSS has developed a clear vision for the direction of the company. A set of values and behaviours have also been developed and agreed to underpin this vision. Our values and behaviours framework can be found below. Applicants and employees will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to these values and behaviours, which will be assessed through the recruitment, selection and appraisal processes.

Diversity and Equal Opportunities

It is the desire of Health Innovation KSS to broaden diversity within its workforce.

Health Innovation KSS is an equal opportunities employer and ensures that all new, existing and prospective employees are treated fairly through the principles of equal treatment and promotion of diversity.

This includes:

ensuring that all individuals who come into contact with Health Innovation KSS, whether as employees, stakeholders or in any other capacity are treated with dignity and respect;

ensuring that the opportunities Health Innovation KSS provides for learning, personal development and employment are made available on a non-discriminatory basis and;

providing a safe, supportive and welcoming environment for employees, stakeholders, visitors and others.

Along with all other Health Innovation networks (HINs), we are committed to a series of pledges to further support the diversity and innovation agenda.

Next Steps

To apply for this role, you must do so by following the application process, below.

You will answer some eligibility questions as well as some which are related to your job. After the job closes, our selection panel will review your application answers and CV. It is our aim to manage our recruitment processes in a fair, consistent and unbiased way. Please be assured that your application and CV will be entirely anonymised, at this stage of the selection process.

Currently, the closing date for final applications is 5th January 2025 and interview dates are to be advised. However, we are operating a fluid recruitment timetable and encourage all interested candidates to make their applications as soon as possible.

Health Innovation Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS AHSN)

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Chief Commercial Officer