All about the Role 

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Commissioning Manager to lead the development, commissioning and oversight of high-quality services for children in care and care-experienced young people.

This is a key leadership role with responsibility for ensuring that commissioning activity responds effectively to the needs of children and young people, supports sufficiency and delivers high-quality, sustainable and value-for-money provision.

You will provide strategic leadership across a diverse portfolio, including children's residential care, supported accommodation, fostering and placement-related services. Working closely with operational colleagues, providers and partners, you will use data, quality intelligence and market insight to identify gaps in provision, understand demand and shape commissioning priorities.

A significant part of the role will involve market development and provider management, building constructive relationships with providers while maintaining clear expectations around quality, safeguarding, performance, contractual compliance and value for money.

You will lead and support commissioning activity from initial needs analysis and service design through to procurement, mobilisation, contract management, quality assurance and review. You will also contribute to strategic work to improve placement sufficiency, develop local provision and reduce reliance on high-cost or less sustainable placements.

This is a fixed term contract until December 2027 

Interviews will take place at Sand Martin house 8th and 9th December 

All about our Team

The Children's Commissioning Team is part of the Adults and Commissioning Directorate. We help to transform the way public services are designed, delivered, and integrated. We work with a range of local, regional, and national organisations and public sector bodies. Together we want to improve the quality of life for vulnerable children, young people, and families.

Commissioning is important for improving public services. Our goal is to help vulnerable children, young people, and families by working with partners to prioritise their needs. We understand that achieving our goals requires collaboration within complex systems. We use the commissioning cycle as a framework for our work and often work on multiple phases at once. If necessary, we may return to an earlier phase for specific tasks.

All about You

We are looking for someone who can:

• lead and develop commissioning strategies for children in care and care-experienced young people;
• understand placement demand, sufficiency, market pressures and emerging needs;
• develop strong and effective relationships with providers and internal partners;
• lead contract management, quality assurance and provider challenge;
• use financial, performance and placement data to inform commissioning decisions;
• identify opportunities to improve quality, outcomes and value for money;
• support the development of new and innovative models of provision;
• manage complex commissioning projects and procurements;
• provide clear advice, briefings and recommendations to senior managers; and
• lead and support commissioning staff, creating a confident and effective commissioning function.

You will need strong commissioning and commercial skills, excellent communication and relationship-management abilities, and the confidence to work across operational, financial, procurement and senior leadership environments.

Most importantly, you will understand that good commissioning is not simply about purchasing services. It is about shaping a market that can provide the right homes, support and opportunities for children and young people, in the right place and at the right time

For an informal discussion or further information please contact Sam Nash (Sam.Nash@Peterborough.gov.uk)

Our Commitments 
We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer, dedicated to fostering diversity, advancing equity, and building an inclusive workplace for everyone. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and particularly encourage those from underrepresented groups, including disabled people, care leavers, and individuals from minority ethnic communities. Your unique perspectives and experiences are encouraged and valued and will play a vital role in our success. 

We are committed to making our recruitment process as accessible as possible. If you are a person who has or considers yourself to have a disability and you require reasonable adjustments to the application or interview process, please contact pccrecruitment@peterborough.gov.uk.

Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service. The Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.