Head of Negotiation & Access (Strategic Innovation)

An exciting opportunity has arisen in the Medicines Negotiation & Managed Access Team within NHS England's Medicines Value & Access directorate to fill a vacancy for the Head of Negotiation & Access (Strategic Innovation) for 12 months on a secondment or fixed term contract opportunity.

The Head of Negotiation & Access (Strategic Innovation) provides strategic leadership for NHS England's innovation partnerships, commercial pilots and implementation programmes, supporting the adoption of transformative medicines, diagnostics, technologies and service models.

The role leads engagement with life sciences organisations, government departments and system partners to develop innovative approaches that improve patient outcomes, support NHS priorities and maximise value for taxpayers.

The postholder will oversee complex programmes of national significance, ensuring innovations are deliverable, affordable and aligned to wider NHS strategic objectives. They will provide expert advice to senior NHS England, DHSC and ministerial stakeholders on innovation adoption, implementation risk, affordability and partnership opportunities.

The postholder can be based and one of our main offices in London, Leeds or Manchester. Travel will be required for this role on an adhoc basis., The postholder will be responsible for developing and delivering innovative approaches that accelerate patient access to transformative healthcare interventions whilst supporting NHS operational priorities, financial sustainability and population health improvement.

This assignment will focus on leading a portfolio of strategic innovation programmes, partnerships and access initiatives that require complex stakeholder management, commercial expertise and delivery leadership across NHS England, government and industry partners.

The postholder will work across organisational boundaries to identify, develop and implement innovative solutions that improve patient outcomes, support NHS priorities and maximise value from healthcare innovation.

Key Areas of Focus:
1. Strategic Innovation Partnerships
2. Innovation Programme and Pilot Delivery
3. Access, Affordability and Adoption Strategy
4. Policy and Strategic Advice
5. Stakeholder Leadership

NHS England has a wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers. These are focused on supporting the wider NHS to deliver high quality care, as well as doing those things that are best done once for the whole NHS.

Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms -- enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.

In March 2025, the Government announced that NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will increasingly merge functions, ultimately leading to NHS England being fully integrated into the department.

If you currently work within the NHS and if successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR).This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.

Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in our offices.

Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.