Associate Director Health Economics – Population Health Improvement: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

Influencing health & care at system scale, ensuring resources achieve the greatest possible impact for local communities.
Transform outcomes through economic insight, provide expert leadership in economic evaluation, resource
allocation & value-based commissioning. Managing a commissioning budget of approx. £8 billion, the new
organisation will play a pivotal role in improving population health, reducing
inequalities & delivering sustainable, high-quality care for our communities. You would lead the function, providing
expert economic advice & strategic insight to support planning,
commissioning, investment decisions & service transformation. Working with executive leaders, clinicians, commissioners, finance teams,
analysts & system partners to ensure economic evidence informs key
decisions.
Leading the development of robust economic models & evaluations to support
decision-making.
Applying cost-effectiveness, budget impact & allocative efficiency
methodologies to improve outcomes & maximise value.
Supporting investment, disinvestment & service redesign decisions through
rigorous analysis & evidence.
Embedding health economics across population health, commissioning, finance & strategy functions.
Building & leading a high-performing team. Developing partnerships with universities, research organisations, NHS
bodies, local authorities & voluntary sector partners.
Representing the Cluster at regional & national forums, strengthening our
reputation.

Main duties of the job

You
will be a strategic and influential leader with significant experience applying
health economics in a complex healthcare or public sector environment.
You should be able to demonstrate:
Master’s level education or equivalent senior-level experience in a relevant
specialist field.
Formal training and expertise in health economics, economic evaluation and
modelling.
Advanced knowledge of cost-effectiveness analysis, value-based commissioning
and allocative efficiency approaches.
Experience analysing large and complex datasets and developing economic
models to inform strategic decisions.
Strong analytical skills using tools such as R, STATA, Python or advanced
Excel modelling.
Experience influencing senior stakeholders and presenting complex evidence to
executive and board-level audiences.
A passion for improving health outcomes and reducing inequalities through
evidence-based decision-making.
Why Join Us?
You’ll join an ambitious organisation committed to:
Improving population health and tackling inequalities.
Delivering better value from every NHS pound spent.
Supporting innovation and evidence-led transformation.
Investing in professional development and leadership.
Creating an inclusive, collaborative and supportive working environment.
Working as part of a “team of teams”, you’ll help shape the future of
health and care across Bath & North East Somerset, Swindon, Wiltshire,
Dorset and Somerset.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Please also refer to the attached Person Specification
• Educated to masters level or able to demonstrate equivalent experience of working at a senior level in a specialist area.
• Extensive knowledge of relevant specialist areas, acquired through postgraduate study or equivalent experience, with further specialist learning to masters level standard.
• Formal training or equivalent experience in health economics, including economic evaluation and modelling.
• Advanced knowledge of economic evaluation methods, cost effectiveness analysis, allocative efficiency and value based approaches.
• Demonstrable experience using analytical or modelling software relevant to health economics (e.g., R, STATA, Python, Excel based models).
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy and the implications for decision making and engagement.
• Appreciation of the relationship between health and care bodies, including provider, commissioning and system level functions.
• Membership of a relevant professional body.

Experience

Essential

• Please also refer to the attached Person Specification
• Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive and contentious information, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues, and present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups.
• Persuade board and senior managers of the respective merits of different options, innovation and new market opportunities.
• Negotiate on difficult and very complex and detailed issues.
• Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands.
• Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options.
• Takes decisions on difficult and contentious issues where there may be a number of courses of action.
• Strategic thinking ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise.
• Ability to carry out procurements for highly detailed, high value contracts that require analysis, comparison and assessment.
• Plans and organises a broad range of complex activities, formulating and adjusting plans to reflect changing circumstances.
• Inputs to strategic plans across NHS and within the specific teams.
• Works with Stakeholders to develop performance improvement plans and to develop plans for innovation and opening up the market. Good use of available information sources to enable efficient and effective planning.
• Ability to work under pressure and to tight and often changing deadlines.
• Delivers results through managing through others and using a range of levers in the absence of direct line management responsibility.
• Manages relationships with a range of different stakeholders.
• Manages team within the constraints of strategic plans.
• Ability to work on own initiative and organise workload, allocating work as necessary.
• Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues.
• Budget management, setting and working knowledge of financial processes.
• An ability to maintain confidentiality and trust.
• Adaptability, flexibility and ability to cope with uncertainty and change.
• Commitment to continuing professional development.
• Experience analysing large and varied datasets using advanced economic evaluation methods and modelling techniques.
• Ability to compare assumptions, test alternative scenarios and assess long term value, cost and population impact.
• Capability to provide strategic advice on investment priorities, value based commissioning and allocative efficiency.
• Experience planning and overseeing a portfolio of economic work, adjusting sequencing and approaches as circumstances change.
• Proficiency in analytical and modelling tools relevant to health economics, such as R, STATA, Python or advanced Excel models.

Closing Date: 6 September 2026