Occupations and Terms of Reference › Strategy and planning officer
Universal terms of reference · POS-022 · version 1.0 · status: draft · next review 2027-10-27
Strategy and planning officer
To prepare and track the organisation's plans, so that strategy turns into measurable actions, and decisions are based on good information.
Each part of this page links to the related trainings, competencies and policies. The links are the same for every facility, so an organisation can see at a glance what a role requires and what it is trained in.
Job description
Job summary. You support strategy and planning. You prepare plans, track progress against targets, analyse data for leaders, and make sure plans link to budgets and operations.
Reports to: Chief strategy and development officer.
Leads or supervises: No direct reports.
What you do on a typical day
- Maintain the planning calendar and tracker.
- Collect and analyse progress data.
- Prepare reports for leaders and the board.
- Support planning workshops and options papers.
- Check plans link to budgets.
Working conditions and demands
- Works across all services.
- Needs strong analysis and clear writing.
- Deadlines follow the planning cycle.
What good looks like
- Plans are delivered on time with clear measures.
- Leaders receive accurate progress reports.
- Budgets and plans agree.
Place in the organogram
Reporting line, from the top: see the organogram on the Occupations page. The lines above and below this role are listed in section 3.
1. Golden rules
These rules apply in every setting.
- Every decision that affects patient safety is made on evidence and recorded.
- Patient safety and quality come before financial targets; no trade-off that puts patients at risk is accepted.
- Every staff member can raise a concern without fear of reprisal, and every concern is answered.
- Legal, licensing and accreditation duties are known, owned and reviewed.
- Finances, people and information are managed openly and within the law.
- Mandatory training and policies apply to the executive as much as to frontline staff.
2. Identification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position code | POS-022 |
| ISCO-08 | 2421 (skill level 4) |
| ESCO | to map |
| Department | Governance |
| Facility types | Hospital, Ambulatory, Transport, Medevac, Fitness, Aesthetic |
3. Reporting line and working relationships
Reports to: POS-011. Supervises: .
| Works with | Nature of the relationship |
|---|---|
| Chief strategy and development officer | Plans and priorities. |
| Chief financial officer | Budget links to plans. |
| Chief operating officer | Operating plans and targets. |
4. Key accountabilities
| Domain | Accountability | Evidence of delivery | Checked | Linked competencies | Linked trainings | Linked policies | Standards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plan tracking | Maintains the plan tracker and reports progress. | Tracker updated monthly | Monthly | C-01 | T-06 | – | 1 |
| Analysis | Analyses performance data and produces decision papers. | Papers issued before decision meetings | Monthly | C-02 | T-06 | – | 1 |
| Budget links | Checks that plans and budgets agree. | Reconciliation completed each cycle | Quarterly | C-01 | T-06 | – | 1 |
| Reporting | Reports progress clearly to leaders and the board. | Reports issued on schedule | Quarterly | C-03 | T-08 | – | 2 |
5. Decision rights
| The post holder decides | Consults or escalates |
|---|---|
| Analysis methods and presentation of planning data | Changes to agreed targets (chief strategy and development officer) |
| Format and timing of routine planning reports | Gaps between plans and budgets that cannot be resolved (CSDO and CFO) |
6. Qualifications and experience
| ID | Qualification | Mandatory | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q-01 | Degree in economics, statistics, public health, business or a related field | Yes | Lifetime |
| Q-02 | Planning, monitoring and evaluation qualification | No | Lifetime |
| ID | Experience | Minimum years | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-01 | Planning, analysis or monitoring and evaluation in a health or public service | 3 | Yes |
7. Training requirements
Recommended common practice. Each facility adapts the list to its national law. Essential items apply in every setting; recommended items apply where resources allow.
| ID | Training | Tier | When | Validity | Linked policies | Linked competencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-01 | Facility induction | essential | at_entry | Once | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL · POL-DATA | – |
| T-02 | Safeguarding adults | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-03 | Safeguarding children | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-04 | Data protection and confidentiality | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-DATA | – |
| T-05 | Incident reporting and open disclosure | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-INC | – |
| T-06 | Governance, accountability and assurance | recommended | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | – | C-01 · C-02 |
| T-07 | Emergency and major incident command | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-INC | – |
| T-08 | Speaking up, inclusion and equality leadership | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL | C-03 |
8. Health, fitness and language
| ID | Requirement | Frequency | Tier | Minimum in low-resource settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-03 | Fitness-to-work assessment at entry and after serious illness or injury | Every 12 months | recommended | Fitness check at entry |
| Language | Level | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| Official language of the country of practice | professional | Yes |
| English | working | Yes |
9. Competencies by level
| ID | Competency | Foundation | Practitioner | Expert | Assessed by | Revalidate | Linked trainings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Planning and tracking | Tracks plan actions | Prepares service plans | Designs the planning system | Plan review | Every 12 months | T-06 |
| C-02 | Data analysis for decisions | Analyses routine data | Produces decision analysis | Designs performance analysis | Analysis review | Every 12 months | T-06 |
| C-03 | Clear reporting to leaders | Writes clear updates | Presents to leaders | Advises the board on performance | Report review | Every 12 months | T-08 |
10. Performance evaluation
- Probation: 6 months, with a sign-off review (recommended value).
- Appraisal: every 12 months against the competencies and indicators below.
| ID | Indicator | Target | Data source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI-01 | Plan milestones tracked on time | 100% | plan tracker | Monthly |
| PI-02 | Decision papers issued on time | 100% | papers register | Monthly |
| PI-03 | Budget and plan reconciliation complete | 100% | reconciliation record | Quarterly |
| PI-04 | Board reports issued on schedule | 100% | board calendar | Quarterly |
11. Career ladder and promotion
| Level | Role | Minimum experience to move on | Qualifications | Competency minimums | Trainings required | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive | Strategy and planning officer | 3 years (recommended) | Q-01 | C-01 practitioner, C-02 practitioner | T-06 | Executive appointment and performance review |
12. Policies the post holder follows
Each policy is a standard template that the facility adopts and adapts. Templates are maintained centrally, so every facility works from the same version.
POL-SAFEG · Safeguarding adults and children
Purpose: Protect patients from abuse, neglect and harm, and make sure every concern is recognised and acted on.
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
- Recognise signs of abuse and neglect and record them factually.
- Report every concern to the designated safeguarding lead the same shift.
- Do not investigate alone.
- Share information only as the safeguarding procedure allows.
POL-DATA · Data protection and confidentiality
Purpose: Keep patient and staff information private, secure and used only for care and legal purposes.
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
- Access only the records needed for your work.
- Keep records secure; do not leave screens or paper unattended.
- Do not share information without a lawful basis.
- Report any breach to the data protection officer within 24 hours.
Linked trainings: T-10 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-WHISTLE · Speaking up (whistleblowing)
Purpose: Let staff raise patient safety or conduct concerns without fear of reprisal.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Raise a concern with your line manager or the named speaking-up officer.
- If that route fails, escalate to the board or the national regulator.
- Retaliation against anyone who speaks up is a disciplinary offence.
- Concerns are recorded, investigated and the outcome given to the person raising them.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-EQUAL · Equality, diversity and inclusion
Purpose: Give every patient and colleague fair access, respectful treatment and reasonable adjustments.
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
- Treat every person with dignity regardless of background.
- Make reasonable adjustments, including interpreters, for language and disability.
- Report discrimination through the speaking-up route.
- Monitor access and outcomes by group.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 24 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-INC · Incident reporting and open disclosure
Purpose: Report and learn from incidents and near misses, and tell patients honestly when things go wrong.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Report every incident and near miss the same shift.
- Give the patient and family an honest account and an apology where appropriate (open disclosure).
- Take immediate action to protect others.
- Learn: contribute to the review and follow the agreed actions.
13. Standards that name this role
14. Record history
| Date | Change | Approved by |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | Draft record, batch 1 of the position build | Awaiting approval |