Senior Independent Director (SID)

Coventry & Rugby GP Alliance Ltd (CRGPA)

Remuneration: £13,000 per annum Time Commitment: 4 days per month

This is an opportunity to play a key leadership role with a forward-thinking GP Federation at a pivotal time for primary care.

As a Non-Executive Director (NED) and Senior Independent Director (SID), you will provide independent oversight, constructive challenge, and strategic support to the Board. You will help ensure the organisation delivers high quality services, operates with strong governance, and makes the best use of public resources.

We are looking for an individual who brings senior-level experience, sound judgement, and the confidence to challenge effectively while supporting a collaborative Board environment. This role goes beyond attendance at meetings; you will actively contribute to the development of the organisation and its people.

Main duties of the job Key Responsibilities

As a Non-Executive Director (NED) you will:

• Contribute to Board discussions and decision making, ensuring effective governance and accountability
• Provide constructive challenge and scrutiny to support high quality, value-driven decisions
• Ensure the interests of patients, communities, and member practices remain central
• Support organisational development through sharing expertise, networks, and insight

As Senior Independent Director (SID) you will:

• Lead the annual appraisal of the Chair and support Board effectiveness
• Act as a key point of contact for Non-Executive Directors to raise concerns or feedback
• Provide an alternative channel for shareholders where appropriate
• Support succession planning for the Chair role
• Engage with shareholders to understand perspectives and strengthen relationships

About us

Coventry & Rugby GP Alliance Ltd is a GP Federation established in 2014, representing almost all GP practices across Coventry and parts of Rugby. We deliver primary care services at scale across Coventry and Warwickshire, with a strong focus on:

• Clinical service delivery and innovation
• Primary care development and support
• Training and education
• Integrated care and partnership working
• Strong governance and organisational sustainability

We are committed to supporting general practice, improving patient outcomes, and working collaboratively across the health system. As the NHS continues to evolve, we are focused on being a bold, innovative, and trusted partner within our local system.

This is an exciting time to join the Alliance as we balance our commitment to supporting local practices with opportunities to grow and innovate within the wider health system.

You will:

• Play a meaningful role in shaping the future of primary care locally
• Work alongside an experienced and committed Board
• Contribute to an organisation that values collaboration, innovation, and high-quality care
• Use your expertise to influence real change for patients and communities

Job responsibilities Specification

All Board Directors

As a statutory Board member, you will share responsibility as part of a wider team to ensure that CRGPA exercises its functions effectively, efficiently, economically, with good governance and in accordance with the terms of the company's Articles of Association as agreed by its shareholders.

Everyone is there to bring their unique perspective, informed by their expertise and experience.

This will support decisions made by the Board as a whole and will help ensure that:

• The voice of member practices is heard, and the interests of patients and the community remain at the heart of discussions and decisions
• CRGPA provides the highest quality services with a view to securing the best possible outcomes for patients
• Decisions are taken with regard to securing the best use of public money
• Good governance remains central at all times

Person Specification Experience

• Core attributes and competencies
• Each individual needs to:
• Demonstrate commitment to continuously improving outcomes and delivering the best value for money for the taxpayer.
• Embrace effective governance, accountability and stewardship of public money and demonstrate an understanding of the principles of good scrutiny.
• Be committed to ensuring that the Board remains in tune with its shareholders.
• Bring a sound understanding of, and a commitment to upholding, the NHS principles and values as set out in the NHS Constitution.
• Demonstrate a commitment to upholding The Nolan Principles of Public Life along with an ability to reflect them in his/her leadership role and the culture of CRGPA.
• Be committed to ensuring that the organisation values diversity and promotes equality and inclusivity in all aspects of its business.
• Bring to the Board, the following leadership qualities:
• Creating the vision - effective leadership involves contributing to the creation of a compelling vision for the future of general practice and CRGPA, and communicating this within and across organisations and partners.
• Working with others - effective leadership requires individuals to work with others in teams and networks in the local health system.
• Intellectual capacity and application - able to think conceptually in order to plan flexibly for the longer term and being continually alert to innovation.
• Demonstrating personal qualities - effective leadership requires individuals to draw upon their values, strengths and abilities.
• Leadership essence - can best be described as someone who demonstrates presence and engages people by the way they communicate, behave and interact with others.
• Core understanding and skills
• Each individual will have:
• A general understanding of good governance and the difference between governance and management.
• A general understanding of the healthcare landscape and an appreciation of the broad social, political and economic trends influencing it.
• Capability to understand and analyse complex issues, drawing on the breadth of data that needs to inform board deliberations and decision-making, and the wisdom to ensure that it is used ethically to balance competing priorities and make difficult decisions.
• The confidence to question information and explanations supplied by others, who may be experts in their field.
• The ability to influence and persuade others articulating a balanced, not personal, view and to engage in constructive debate without being adversarial or losing respect and goodwill.
• The ability to take an objective view, seeing issues from all perspectives, especially external and user perspectives.
• The ability to recognise key influencers and the skills in engaging and involving them.
• The ability to communicate effectively, listening to others and actively sharing information.
• The ability to demonstrate how your skills and abilities can actively contribute to the work of the Board and how this will enable you to participate effectively as a team member.
• Core personal experience
• Previous experience of working in a collective decision-making group such as a Board or Committee, or high-level awareness of board-level working is desirable.
• Personal Development
• All Board members are expected to:
• Demonstrate commitment to their own continued professional development.
• Undertake statutory and mandatory training as required by CRGPA.
• Look beyond local boundaries for innovative ideas and good practice.
• To lead the Non-Executive directors in the annual performance evaluation of the Chair, including the working relationship between the Chair and the Chief Executive.
• The SID shall lead the Non-Executive directors, in meetings without the Chairman present, to enable the Non-Executive directors to relay to the SID any issues, concerns or observations they may have.
• Carrying out succession planning for the Chair's role.
• To keep in touch with the Non-Executive directors between meetings as appropriate.
• To be available to shareholders if they have concerns which contact through the normal channels of chairman, chief executive or other executive directors has failed to resolve or for which such contact is inappropriate.
• To attend sufficient meetings with a range of major shareholders to listen to their views to help develop a balanced understanding of the issues and concerns.

Qualifications

• Good standard of education.
• Good standard of education.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.