Commissioning Manager

This permanent position has a starting salary of £50,047 per annum based on a 36-hour working week.

The team is based in Quadrant Court, Woking however, this role is open to hybrid working meaning that although you aren't required in the office 5 days a week, some office time will be necessary to work with the team and meet with providers. In support of our people and our greener futures strategies, we'd welcome a conversation with the successful candidate on what remote working may look like for you.

Please note, this role will involve regular travel around Surrey.

We are excited to be recruiting a Commissioning Manager to join our fantastic Children's SEND, Education and Early Years Commissioning team.

Rewards and benefits

• 26 days' holiday rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 30 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more
• 2 paid volunteering days plus 1 team volunteering day per year
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources

About the team

The SEND, Education and Early Years Commissioning Team sits within the wider 'Commissioning for Transformation' Directorate and works extremely closely with many other teams across Surrey County Council, such as Education, Inclusion and SEND.

At the heart of our ambition is to develop a deeper understanding of our communities and the challenges they face - but also recognise their strengths, assets and aspirations; looking to work with them to improve outcomes for children, young people and families.

We strive to ensure that every child has the best start in life. We do this by working with health, education and social care to commission providers that understand the importance of working holistically with children and their families. We have been successful over the past couple of years in developing 'The Best Start for Surrey Strategy' and using 'Inclusion Pathway Planning' to understand educational pathways for children and where we can help them thrive.

The Commissioning Team Manager will be part of a team that is at the centre of children's services in Surrey, driving change and innovation with a relentless focus on improving outcomes for children and their families.

About the role

As the Commissioning Team Manager, you'll be leading the charge in monitoring, managing and evaluating contract performance for Early Years, SEND and Education services. Your role will involve ensuring contract terms and conditions are met and enforced when necessary for contracts including Family Voice Surrey, Surrey Alliance for Excellence and Sight for Surrey. Market shaping activities, co-production with partners and building key relationships with providers will also be key aspects of your role.

You'll engage with stakeholders across the council and external partners, implementing best practices to achieve value for money from commissioned services. Line managing a team of commissioning officers will be part of your responsibilities, ensuring flexible deployment to support commissioning priorities effectively.

Shortlisting criteria

To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following:

• Commissioning experience, managing complex procurement projects and delivering required outcomes within agreed budgets, together with a track record at management level of improving outcomes through commissioning
• Working knowledge and understanding of the education and early years market, including the partnership commissioning landscape, as well as third and independent sector services
• Understanding of the needs of children/young people with the ability to work with colleagues and partners to develop plans and actions that ensure improvement
• Proven written and oral communication and interpersonal skills with established negotiation and influencing skills and the ability to work collaboratively
• Specialist commissioning, market management, business relationship management and legislative knowledge
• Experience of managing a small team
• If you're passionate about driving positive change for children and families and possess the skills and experience outlined above, we'd love to hear from you! Join us in making a meaningful difference in Surrey's communities.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on Wednesday 17th April and interviews will take place on Monday 29th April 2024.

Our commitment

Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where:

• The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application
• The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form

Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role.

We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.