Commissioning Development Officer in London

About Us:

Located in the heart of South London, Lambeth Borough is a vibrant community of over 317,600 residents. Stretching from the dynamic neighbourhood of Streatham in the South to the iconic landmarks of Waterloo in the North, we are proud to be the 9th largest borough in London. Our diversity is our strength, with more than 130 languages spoken, making Lambeth the home of the Windrush generation, London's largest LGBTQ+ community, and a thriving Portuguese-speaking community. It is an exciting time to join Lambeth Council, we have bold ambitions for the future of Lambeth’s communities and residents through our Lambeth 2030 Plan ‘Our Future, Our Lambeth.

About the Team:

You will join the Public Health Team, which has over 50 staff from a variety of disciplines. There are two CDO roles available, one who will work primarily on Sexual Health Commissioning and one who will work primarily on Substance Misuse Commissioning.

• Sexual Health and HIV: These commissioners lead the commissioning of sexual and reproductive health and HIV services across Lambeth and partner boroughs, working closely with the South East London Integrated Care System and programmes such as the London Sexual Health Programme.
• Substance Misuse: These commissioners are responsible for commissioning and monitoring drug and alcohol treatment, recovery, and prevention services in Lambeth and some surrounding boroughs, supporting residents across the full pathway from harm reduction to recovery.

You will be appointed to work on one of the above programmes, depending on service need and personal preference. You may also support other commissioning exercises throughout the year, depending on the needs of the business.

About the Roles:

These roles are primarily focused on providing high quality commissioning, coordination and project coordination to commissioning teams within Public Health. Substance Misuse commissioning is informed by the National 10 Year Drugs Strategy, providing a framework for reducing drug related harm, strengthening treatment and recovery systems, and improving population health outcomes. In parallel, Sexual Health commissioning is underpinned by LSL’s 5 year Sexual Health Strategy, which sets out a coordinated approach to improving sexual and reproductive health, reducing inequalities, and delivering accessible, high quality services across partner boroughs.

You will play a key role in supporting the effective day to day running of commissioning activity, ensuring processes are well organised, documentation is up to date, and key pieces of work are progressed in a timely way. You will work closely with key internal and external stakeholders and partners, including council colleagues, service providers, and system partners, supporting communication, coordination, and information sharing.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Maintaining and updating data, reports, and commissioning documentation
• Assisting with contract management processes, including monitoring returns and performance information
• Coordinating communication with internal teams, providers, and external partners
• Supporting the collation of information for service reviews, needs assessments, and strategy development. Where appropriate, presenting on the outcomes of services reviews and other projects to stakeholders.

You do not need prior experience or knowledge of sexual health, HIV, substance misuse, or commissioning. While this would be desirable, you will develop subject knowledge on the job. We are looking for someone with strong transferable skills, including organisational, project management, data management, and relationship management skills, alongside attention to detail and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment. Confidence working with data, strong communication skills and a proactive approach are essential, and conscientiousness, initiative, and a willingness to learn will support success in this role. Candidates should be comfortable using Microsoft applications such as PowerPoint, OneNote and Excel or be willing to develop this in the role.

This is an excellent opportunity to gain experience in public health and develop skills within a supportive team environment. These roles are fixed term for 12 months. Candidates who have previously applied for this role do not need to reapply.

How to Apply:

To be considered for interview, your CV and supporting statement will clearly evidence how you meet the shortlisting criteria on the personal specification marked “A” for application. Please also indicate your preference for working either for Substance Misuse (SM) or Sexual Health (SH), noting that this will be taken into consideration but cannot be guaranteed.

We operate an anonymised application process, so be sure to remove personal details when uploading your CV or personal statement.

Recruitment Timelines:

• Application deadline 11:59pm on 17 May 2026
• Shortlisting between 18 May - 25 May 2026
• Interviews to be scheduled between 1st - 5th June 2026

Contact Information:

We encourage interested applicants to contact us for an informal discussion about these roles. Please contact:

• Vanessa Cottrell for Substance Misuse enquiries at vcottrell@lambeth.gov.uk or 020 7926 9606
• Phoebe Carpenter for Sexual Health enquiries at pcarpenter@lambeth.gov.uk or 020 7926 6891

At Lambeth, we are dedicated to providing quality services and equal opportunities for all. We are committed to safer recruitment and are proud to be a Stonewall diversity champion, a Living Wage Employer, and to guarantee interviews for all disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria of the role.