Job summary
The Head of Advanced Analytics will play a key role in developing and leading advanced analytical capability within the Data Analytics and Population Health Intelligence function. The role will support the ICB in using data and insight to inform strategic commissioning, population health management and system planning.
Working with colleagues across the organisation and wider system partners, the postholder will help translate complex data into clear and meaningful insights that support decision-making and service improvement. This is an opportunity to contribute to the development of a growing analytics function focused on strengthening the use of data to improve outcomes for local populations.
Main duties of the job
The role will lead the development of advanced analytical approaches, including predictive modelling, evaluation and population health intelligence, to support strategic priorities across the ICB. The postholder will work closely with senior stakeholders to ensure analytical insight informs planning, commissioning and service improvement.
We are looking for an experienced analytical leader with strong technical skills, experience working with complex health data and the ability to communicate insights clearly to a wide range of audiences. The successful candidate will be collaborative, proactive and committed to using data and evidence to support better outcomes for patients and communities.
About us
Mid and South Essex ICB is a statutory organisation responsible for planning and delivering local health and care services across Mid and South Essex. As part of changes to the NHS commissioning landscape, the ICB will transition to the new Essex ICB on 1 April 2026. This role will be appointed within the Essex ICB structure, working across the county to improve the health of local people. The organisations headquarters is Seax House, Chelmsford, and we operate a hybrid working model that includes working across Essex and from home. Essex ICB currently has offices in Brentwood, Harlow and Colchester, in addition to the Chelmsford HQ.
We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that values diversity. We know that different experiences, ideas and perspectives help create a stronger and more innovative organisation that delivers better outcomes for patients. We welcome applications from all backgrounds, including people of all ages, disabilities, sex, gender identity or expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or personal circumstances. Our policies ensure all applicants are treated fairly and consistently throughout the recruitment process, including consideration of reasonable adjustments for disabled applicants.
Please note that the organisation does not hold a sponsorship licence.
Job description
Job responsibilities
ROLE PURPOSE / SUMMARY
The proposed Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) will be a new organisation formed through the consolidation of three ICB areas in response to the NHSs ambition to deliver a more streamlined, strategic and cost-effective model of health commissioning. The ICB will oversee the commissioning of care for the approximately 2 million people who live in Essex. Operating within a reduced running cost envelope and aligned to the new requirements of ICBs in England, the proposed Essex ICB will focus on improving population health outcomes, health equity and smarter resource allocation.
The Head of Advanced Analytics will be responsible for leading the development and delivery of advanced analytics across the ICB, ensuring that strategic commissioning, quality oversight, workforce analysis and contracting is supported by high-quality data, evidence and evaluation. The postholder will help build, lead and manage a multi-disciplinary analytical team required to support the strategic commissioning cycle. They will be responsible for helping prioritise the work of the analytical and population health intelligence unit and for ensuring that products produced by the unit are high quality with useful insights to support the ICB in decision making.
The Head of Advanced Analytics will be required to:
- Provide senior professional leadership to the Advanced Analytics team
- Lead the ICBs advanced analytics function, including (but not limited to) work to deliver health economic analysis, predictive modelling and evaluation of services across Essex
- Work in partnership with other analytical functions across Essex, e.g. in NHS providers and local authorities, to ensure a coordinated picture of health and care demand and capacity to inform decision making, market shaping, procurements and contract management
- Build and manage the advanced analytics and population health intelligence team, including day to day staff management, regular appraisals, staff development and performance management as required
- Ensure compliance with data sharing agreements, information governance, and NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) standards to support secure and effective data integration
- Champion a culture of data-driven decision-making across the ICB, supporting commissioners and partners to use intelligence for strategic planning and continuous improvement
- Support training and development to improve organisational capabilities in analytics, intelligence and evaluation
- Ensure requirements for analytical activities are well scoped in partnership with strategic commissioners, prior to projects starting
- Provide strategic leadership for the development of analytical frameworks and dashboards to support effective strategic commissioning and contract management, ensuring effective data visualisation across the ICB
- Establish and oversee processes to support advance analytic and modelling activities such as predictive modelling, population segmentation, risk stratification and evaluation, working within agreed information governance and data platform standards
- Lead the development and delivery of advanced analytical projects, including analytical frameworks, models, tools and dashboards to support strategic commissioning and contract management, ensuring effective data visualization for decision making
- Work with clinical, commissioning, and public health leaders to translate data into actionable insights that guide commissioning priorities, service redesign, and investment decisions.
- Ensure the delivery of high quality communications, briefings and presentations for senior leaders that effectively translate analytical insights to support internal decision making and external engagement with partners
- Ensure access to high quality data to support analytical and reporting activities, this may include commissioning services to deliver these functions and overseeing the transfer of functions to the NHS Federated Data Platform
As the ICB transitions to become a leaner, more focused strategic commissioning organisation the post holder will be expected to support the ICB in delivering on the three fundamental shifts set out in the NHS 10-year plan:
- From Treatment to Prevention: Embedding preventative, personalised and population based approaches to commissioning.
- From Hospital to Community: Championing care model redesign that supports community and neighbourhood health.
- From Analogue to Digital: Enabling clinically driven transformation through digital innovation, data analytics and evidence based improvement.
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
To deliver on the job description set out above, the job holder will be expected to deliver on the requirements set out below:
Policy and service development
- Develop and implement policy and / or service developments related to healthcare data, analytics and business intelligence
- Taking high-level policy commitments from NHS strategies, including the ICB strategy and the 10 Year Health Plan, and turning them into projects that will deliver improved outcomes and sustainable services for the local population
- Development and oversight of relevant ICB policies
- Use research and innovation to inform service improvements or performance management
Strategy and analysis
- Use of complex health data sets, including those relating to performance across activity, finance and quality to inform decision making
- Analysis of large volumes of complex qualitative and quantitative data
- Turning analysis into useful insights that can inform decision making
- Present highly complex data, information and insights, including qualitative and quantitative data, through clear and simple written and verbal briefings
- Use of Population Health Management methodologies and tools to inform projects and programmes that will improve outcomes for patients and sustainability of health services
Planning and organisation
- Develop project and / or programme plans to drive delivery of complex analytical and business intelligence requirements
- Manage delivery against agreed project / programme plan, ensuring appropriate governance, risk management, escalations and reporting
- Support development of the annual business plan for the analytical and population health intelligence unit
Communications and Partnerships
- Work collaboratively, modelling inclusive, respectful and compassionate leadership
- Listen effectively to a broad range of perspectives, including staff, patients and the public, to inform decision making
- Manage complex and contentious situations with stakeholders
- Build strong, trust-based relationships across the ICB, with NHS providers, local government, VCFSE partners and communities as needed
- Effective engagement with patients and the public as required
- Work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams to enable the collective ownership and delivery of complex projects or programmes that are seeking to improve outcomes, reduce inequalities and deliver a sustainable health and care system
- Sharing complex and challenging information which may relate to service performance or staffing
- Manage conflict, find compromise and build consensus where needed to drive progress in delivery
Financial and resource management
- Responsible for supporting the management of the budget for the analytical and population health intelligence team, including budget setting and accountability for delivering against agreed budget
- Ensures effective commissioning of relevant services
Team management and capability building
- Develop and lead the business intelligence team, including overseeing recruitment, onboarding, development and performance management of team members
- Support staff through ICB transition, including the development of teams to deliver on new ICB portfolios as agreed through transition
- Support the effective transition of relevant functions to new portfolios within or beyond the ICB to support the new NHS operating model, in line with the requirements of the Model ICB Blueprint
- Work collaboratively with system partners to facilitate transitional arrangements
- Maintain a focus on quality, safety and affordability during transition
- Act as Information Asset Owner (IAO) where nominated to do so by the Executive or senior leadership team, taking responsibility for the management of information assets created and utilised by the team
Other
- Use initiative and work autonomously to deliver on requirements of the role
- Primarily desk-based work that requires use of visual display units, focused concentration and frequent participation in on-line or in person meetings
- Able to use software required to develop report, including ability to deliver high quality documents through Microsoft suite (word, power point, excel), project management software (e.g. Aspyre), analytical and statistical software (e.g. SQL, Azure, PowerBI).
Flexibility and evolving responsibilities
As the ICB continues to evolve, all senior leader portfolios may be subject to change to reflect the needs of the organization, the health and care system and national policy direction. This may include adjustments to areas of responsibility or realignment of reporting structures.
KEY RELATIONSHIPS
The post holder will need to build constructive relationships with partners from across the health and care system. Key relationships will be with:
- ICB senior leadership
- SIRO, DPO and Information Governance teams
- Health & Wellbeing Board officers and senior staff
- Local Authority partners
- NHS Providers
- NHSEI regional partners
- VCFSE sector, local health entrepreneurs, campaigns groups and social media influencers and local employers
- Regional and national FDP teams
Data, BI and analytical teams in system partners, including NHS providers and local authorities
Job description
Job responsibilities
ROLE PURPOSE / SUMMARY
The proposed Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) will be a new organisation formed through the consolidation of three ICB areas in response to the NHSs ambition to deliver a more streamlined, strategic and cost-effective model of health commissioning. The ICB will oversee the commissioning of care for the approximately 2 million people who live in Essex. Operating within a reduced running cost envelope and aligned to the new requirements of ICBs in England, the proposed Essex ICB will focus on improving population health outcomes, health equity and smarter resource allocation.
The Head of Advanced Analytics will be responsible for leading the development and delivery of advanced analytics across the ICB, ensuring that strategic commissioning, quality oversight, workforce analysis and contracting is supported by high-quality data, evidence and evaluation. The postholder will help build, lead and manage a multi-disciplinary analytical team required to support the strategic commissioning cycle. They will be responsible for helping prioritise the work of the analytical and population health intelligence unit and for ensuring that products produced by the unit are high quality with useful insights to support the ICB in decision making.
The Head of Advanced Analytics will be required to:
- Provide senior professional leadership to the Advanced Analytics team
- Lead the ICBs advanced analytics function, including (but not limited to) work to deliver health economic analysis, predictive modelling and evaluation of services across Essex
- Work in partnership with other analytical functions across Essex, e.g. in NHS providers and local authorities, to ensure a coordinated picture of health and care demand and capacity to inform decision making, market shaping, procurements and contract management
- Build and manage the advanced analytics and population health intelligence team, including day to day staff management, regular appraisals, staff development and performance management as required
- Ensure compliance with data sharing agreements, information governance, and NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP) standards to support secure and effective data integration
- Champion a culture of data-driven decision-making across the ICB, supporting commissioners and partners to use intelligence for strategic planning and continuous improvement
- Support training and development to improve organisational capabilities in analytics, intelligence and evaluation
- Ensure requirements for analytical activities are well scoped in partnership with strategic commissioners, prior to projects starting
- Provide strategic leadership for the development of analytical frameworks and dashboards to support effective strategic commissioning and contract management, ensuring effective data visualisation across the ICB
- Establish and oversee processes to support advance analytic and modelling activities such as predictive modelling, population segmentation, risk stratification and evaluation, working within agreed information governance and data platform standards
- Lead the development and delivery of advanced analytical projects, including analytical frameworks, models, tools and dashboards to support strategic commissioning and contract management, ensuring effective data visualization for decision making
- Work with clinical, commissioning, and public health leaders to translate data into actionable insights that guide commissioning priorities, service redesign, and investment decisions.
- Ensure the delivery of high quality communications, briefings and presentations for senior leaders that effectively translate analytical insights to support internal decision making and external engagement with partners
- Ensure access to high quality data to support analytical and reporting activities, this may include commissioning services to deliver these functions and overseeing the transfer of functions to the NHS Federated Data Platform
As the ICB transitions to become a leaner, more focused strategic commissioning organisation the post holder will be expected to support the ICB in delivering on the three fundamental shifts set out in the NHS 10-year plan:
- From Treatment to Prevention: Embedding preventative, personalised and population based approaches to commissioning.
- From Hospital to Community: Championing care model redesign that supports community and neighbourhood health.
- From Analogue to Digital: Enabling clinically driven transformation through digital innovation, data analytics and evidence based improvement.
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
To deliver on the job description set out above, the job holder will be expected to deliver on the requirements set out below:
Policy and service development
- Develop and implement policy and / or service developments related to healthcare data, analytics and business intelligence
- Taking high-level policy commitments from NHS strategies, including the ICB strategy and the 10 Year Health Plan, and turning them into projects that will deliver improved outcomes and sustainable services for the local population
- Development and oversight of relevant ICB policies
- Use research and innovation to inform service improvements or performance management
Strategy and analysis
- Use of complex health data sets, including those relating to performance across activity, finance and quality to inform decision making
- Analysis of large volumes of complex qualitative and quantitative data
- Turning analysis into useful insights that can inform decision making
- Present highly complex data, information and insights, including qualitative and quantitative data, through clear and simple written and verbal briefings
- Use of Population Health Management methodologies and tools to inform projects and programmes that will improve outcomes for patients and sustainability of health services
Planning and organisation
- Develop project and / or programme plans to drive delivery of complex analytical and business intelligence requirements
- Manage delivery against agreed project / programme plan, ensuring appropriate governance, risk management, escalations and reporting
- Support development of the annual business plan for the analytical and population health intelligence unit
Communications and Partnerships
- Work collaboratively, modelling inclusive, respectful and compassionate leadership
- Listen effectively to a broad range of perspectives, including staff, patients and the public, to inform decision making
- Manage complex and contentious situations with stakeholders
- Build strong, trust-based relationships across the ICB, with NHS providers, local government, VCFSE partners and communities as needed
- Effective engagement with patients and the public as required
- Work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams to enable the collective ownership and delivery of complex projects or programmes that are seeking to improve outcomes, reduce inequalities and deliver a sustainable health and care system
- Sharing complex and challenging information which may relate to service performance or staffing
- Manage conflict, find compromise and build consensus where needed to drive progress in delivery
Financial and resource management
- Responsible for supporting the management of the budget for the analytical and population health intelligence team, including budget setting and accountability for delivering against agreed budget
- Ensures effective commissioning of relevant services
Team management and capability building
- Develop and lead the business intelligence team, including overseeing recruitment, onboarding, development and performance management of team members
- Support staff through ICB transition, including the development of teams to deliver on new ICB portfolios as agreed through transition
- Support the effective transition of relevant functions to new portfolios within or beyond the ICB to support the new NHS operating model, in line with the requirements of the Model ICB Blueprint
- Work collaboratively with system partners to facilitate transitional arrangements
- Maintain a focus on quality, safety and affordability during transition
- Act as Information Asset Owner (IAO) where nominated to do so by the Executive or senior leadership team, taking responsibility for the management of information assets created and utilised by the team
Other
- Use initiative and work autonomously to deliver on requirements of the role
- Primarily desk-based work that requires use of visual display units, focused concentration and frequent participation in on-line or in person meetings
- Able to use software required to develop report, including ability to deliver high quality documents through Microsoft suite (word, power point, excel), project management software (e.g. Aspyre), analytical and statistical software (e.g. SQL, Azure, PowerBI).
Flexibility and evolving responsibilities
As the ICB continues to evolve, all senior leader portfolios may be subject to change to reflect the needs of the organization, the health and care system and national policy direction. This may include adjustments to areas of responsibility or realignment of reporting structures.
KEY RELATIONSHIPS
The post holder will need to build constructive relationships with partners from across the health and care system. Key relationships will be with:
- ICB senior leadership
- SIRO, DPO and Information Governance teams
- Health & Wellbeing Board officers and senior staff
- Local Authority partners
- NHS Providers
- NHSEI regional partners
- VCFSE sector, local health entrepreneurs, campaigns groups and social media influencers and local employers
- Regional and national FDP teams
Data, BI and analytical teams in system partners, including NHS providers and local authorities
Person Specification
Knowledge and Understanding
Essential
- Experience or knowledge of applying health economics or economic evaluation methods, to support commissioning, decision making, or service redesign.
- Strong data analysis and interpretation skills involving highly complex data, including an understanding of analytical methods and how to use data to support Population Health Management
- Experience translating complex information into clear communications for a wide range of audiences
- Demonstrable experience in scoping and delivering effective evaluations of projects and interventions, including understanding relevant data and evaluation tools and methods for formal and informal evaluations
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Masters level (relevant focus) or equivalent managerial experience
- Evidence of sustained commitment to continuing professional development
- Experience of applying health economics or economic evaluation methods, to support commissioning, decision making, or service redesign.
Partnership Working / Leadership Management
Essential
- Experience of working across organisational boundaries in the development and delivery of projects
- Experience in working on projects that require cross-organisational collaboration, and an understanding of the concept and aims of whole system working
- Excellent influencing and negotiation skills, experience in successfully managing conflict, finding compromise and building consensus.
Governance and Assurance
Essential
- Previous experience of leading projects that require collective decision making and how to negotiate success in those situations
- A good understanding of the role and importance of effective corporate governance, balancing the need to seek relevant board and executive support for decisions with the ability to work autonomously to drive delivery of decisions
Personal Attributes and Values
Essential
- Personal commitment to the values of the NHS 10-year Plan, the NHS People Plan, the Nolan Principles, to championing equality, diversity and inclusion within the ICB and the wider health system
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience of NHS data flows and in using that data to deliver analytical, business intelligence and reporting in the NHS in England
- Skilled in the use of statistical techniques and associated use of Microsoft data and analytics stack, including working knowledge of SQL and Power BI
- Experience working at a strategic level, including evidence of use of analytical and problem-solving skills to address complex problems, ability to recognise policy implications and how to manage potential competing priorities / interests in developing strategies
Person Specification
Knowledge and Understanding
Essential
- Experience or knowledge of applying health economics or economic evaluation methods, to support commissioning, decision making, or service redesign.
- Strong data analysis and interpretation skills involving highly complex data, including an understanding of analytical methods and how to use data to support Population Health Management
- Experience translating complex information into clear communications for a wide range of audiences
- Demonstrable experience in scoping and delivering effective evaluations of projects and interventions, including understanding relevant data and evaluation tools and methods for formal and informal evaluations
Qualifications
Essential
- Educated to Masters level (relevant focus) or equivalent managerial experience
- Evidence of sustained commitment to continuing professional development
- Experience of applying health economics or economic evaluation methods, to support commissioning, decision making, or service redesign.
Partnership Working / Leadership Management
Essential
- Experience of working across organisational boundaries in the development and delivery of projects
- Experience in working on projects that require cross-organisational collaboration, and an understanding of the concept and aims of whole system working
- Excellent influencing and negotiation skills, experience in successfully managing conflict, finding compromise and building consensus.
Governance and Assurance
Essential
- Previous experience of leading projects that require collective decision making and how to negotiate success in those situations
- A good understanding of the role and importance of effective corporate governance, balancing the need to seek relevant board and executive support for decisions with the ability to work autonomously to drive delivery of decisions
Personal Attributes and Values
Essential
- Personal commitment to the values of the NHS 10-year Plan, the NHS People Plan, the Nolan Principles, to championing equality, diversity and inclusion within the ICB and the wider health system
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience of NHS data flows and in using that data to deliver analytical, business intelligence and reporting in the NHS in England
- Skilled in the use of statistical techniques and associated use of Microsoft data and analytics stack, including working knowledge of SQL and Power BI
- Experience working at a strategic level, including evidence of use of analytical and problem-solving skills to address complex problems, ability to recognise policy implications and how to manage potential competing priorities / interests in developing strategies
