Ready to lead commercial strategy at scale, influence executive decision-making and drive sustainable growth across a complex healthcare organisation? Join Elysium Healthcare as Commercial Director and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our services through strong leadership, insight and market expertise.
In this senior leadership role, you will be accountable for the strategic and operational direction of all commercial functions, including business development, referrals and conversion, contracts, tenders and customer management. You will lead the full commercial lifecycle, ensuring sustainable occupancy, income growth and strong, trusted relationships with commissioners, while enabling the organisation to respond effectively to market demand.
Working closely with the CEO, COO and Executive Team, you will act as a senior commercial adviser, providing insight on market conditions, income risks and growth opportunities. You will set the direction for commercial strategy, ensuring decision-making is evidence-based, aligned to organisational priorities and underpinned by strong governance.
You will lead and develop high-performing teams across business development and commercial operations, overseeing growth across key service lines including Mental Health, Neuro, Children and Young People, and Learning Disability & Autism services. This includes owning strategic relationships with commissioners such as Integrated Care Systems, Local Authorities and Provider Collaboratives, while identifying and driving new opportunities aligned to the organisation’s long-term strategy.
With accountability for referrals, conversion and occupancy, you will ensure robust processes are in place to maximise performance, improve responsiveness and remove barriers to growth. You will also oversee contracts and tenders, ensuring high-quality submissions, effective contract management and strong income assurance across all funding streams, while supporting complex negotiations where needed.
Key Accountabilities:
- Sustainable occupancy and income performance
Delivery of agreed occupancy, income and growth targets through effective commercial strategy, referral management, conversion and commissioner engagement.
- End‑to‑end commercial lifecycle leadership
Accountability for the effectiveness and coherence of the Group’s commercial lifecycle, from market positioning and pipeline development through to contracting and income assurance.
- Commissioner relationships and market credibility
Maintaining strong, trusted relationships with key commissioners and partners, ensuring Elysium is positioned as a credible, responsive and high‑quality provider in priority markets.
- Commercial alignment with clinical and operational models
Ensuring that commercial commitments, pricing and growth decisions are aligned with clinical models, workforce capacity and operational sustainability, without compromising quality or safety.
- Income assurance and contractual risk management
Executive accountability for income integrity, contract performance, pricing accuracy, variations, uplifts and management of commercial risk across NHS and Local Authority contracts.
- Commercial governance and decision quality
Ensuring that commercial decisions are evidence‑based, transparent, within delegated authority and aligned to corporate strategy, financial plans and risk appetite.
- Commercial insight and executive assurance
Providing accurate, timely and meaningful commercial insight to the Executive Team to support performance oversight, risk management and strategic decision‑making.
- Leadership and capability of the commercial directorate
Building, leading and sustaining a high‑performing commercial leadership team with clear accountability, capability and succession.
To be successful in this role, you will need:
- Proven senior commercial leadership experience within healthcare, specialist education, social care or other regulated, multi-site environments.
- Track record of delivering occupancy and income growth through effective business development, commissioner engagement and strong commercial governance.
- Experience leading end-to-end commercial lifecycle activity: market strategy, pipeline building, referral management, conversion improvement and customer/commissioner management.
- Experience overseeing contracts and tenders, including leading high-quality bid responses and supporting complex negotiations and contractual discussions.
- Experience working in close partnership with operations and clinical leaders to ensure services are commissioner-aligned, market-responsive and commercially viable (without owning operational delivery).
- Strong people leadership experience, including building, developing and performance-managing teams and senior managers across dispersed geographies.
- Strong understanding of the NHS and social care commissioning landscape, including ICBs, Local Authorities, Provider Collaboratives and key decision-making routes.
- Commercial acumen—able to translate strategy into measurable plans, manage income risk and drive sustainable occupancy and revenue growth.
- Strong knowledge of referral management and conversion best practice, including responsiveness, pipeline management, barriers-to-admission removal and stakeholder coordination.
- Proficient in performance reporting and analysis—comfortable interpreting data, identifying trends and producing clear insights for operational and executive audiences.
- Strong working knowledge of contracts and tendering, including bid governance, pricing/income assurance, contract variations/uplifts and contractual risk management.
- Excellent negotiation, influencing and stakeholder management skills; able to build credibility quickly with senior commissioners and internal clinical/operational leaders.
- High level of digital/CRM literacy with a disciplined approach to pipeline hygiene, activity capture and forecasting accuracy.
- Strong understanding of governance requirements in regulated care environments (quality, safeguarding, information governance, health & safety) and how they intersect with commercial decisions.
Other requirements:
- Able to work remotely with regular national travel and occasional overnight stays, in line with the needs of the role.
- Flexibility to attend meetings and events outside of normal working hours where required.
What You’ll Get
At Elysium Healthcare, we believe in taking care of the people who care for others, you’ll enjoy a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your wellbeing, growth, and future:
- Competitive Salary
- The equivalent of 33 days annual leave (including bank holidays) – plus your birthday off and the option to buy additional annual leave, in our annual selection window.
- Career development and training to help you achieve your professional goals
- Access to our Rewards & Benefits platform Ely-Vate; Your one-stop destination for everyday savings, exclusive benefits, and wellbeing hub!
- Wellbeing support and activities to help you maintain a healthy work-life balance
- Access to Blue Light Card, which provides a range of exclusive offers and discounts
- Life Assurance, for added peace of mind
- Stream – instant access to earned wages when you need it, plus access to save, directly from your wages, alongside financial wellbeing support.
- 24/7 GP service and second medical opinion, to ensure you are the best you can be
- Enhanced Maternity Package, so you can truly enjoy this special time
- Pension contribution, to help secure your future
About us:
Elysium Health care has over 8,000 employees and a unique approach to the delivery of care. With a network of over 80 services across England and Wales covering Mental Health, Neurological, Learning Disabilities & Autism, Children & Education, there is opportunity for you to grow and move.
Elysium Healthcare is part of Ramsay Health Care with a global network that extends across 10 countries and employs over 86,000 people globally.
Elysium Healthcare follows safer recruitment of staff for all appointments and is a Disability Confident employer, committed to inclusive and accessible recruitment. It is a requirement that all staff understand it is each person’s individual responsibility to promote and safeguard the welfare of service users. All candidates will be subject to a DBS disclosure.
