Contract & Compliance Manager in Oxford

About Us

At Oxfordshire County Council (OCC), our Supported Travel Service plays a vital role in keeping communities across the county connected, independent and involved. Every day, a dedicated team of around 200 staff members supports the journeys and travel of approximately 10,000 residents, using a blend of more than 70 in‑house fleet vehicles and over 800 contracted vehicles. The service arranges and delivers a wide range of safe, efficient and reliable travel solutions, including home‑to‑school and SEND transport, independent travel training, personal travel budgets, community and public transport schemes, and essential journeys for children’s and adults’ social care. Our core commitment is to provide alternative, safe and efficient travel solutions that empower people of all ages to access education, care, and social opportunities. Placing residents and their communities at the heart of everything we do, we focus on enhancing access, enabling participation and improving quality of life. Safeguarding is central to our mission, with all journeys underpinned by robust assurance, professional training and a culture of dignity and respect.

This is an exciting time to be joining the team as we shape and embed new ways of working to support high‑quality supported travel services!

What You’ll Do

Are you someone who thrives on collaborative leadership, forging strong relationships, and giving clear guidance across different teams? As the Contracts and Compliance Manager, you will be responsible for the strategic oversight of an essential portfolio of transport contracts, ensuring that services are safe, compliant, financially stable, and delivered to the highest standards. In this role, you will offer decisive leadership and guidance, managing and developing a specialist team focused on effective assurance practices and continual improvement. By working closely with Finance and Travel Commissioning colleagues, you will embed rigorous safeguarding, quality, and financial controls throughout all commissioned services. You will also serve as a key contact for stakeholders by addressing concerns, conducting investigations, and leveraging insights to enhance service delivery.

Your remit includes overseeing one of the council’s core service areas: transport contracts for Home to School Travel Assistance and Adult Social Care Transport. These critical services ensure vulnerable residents have reliable access to education, community resources, and essential support in a safe manner. As the Contracts and Compliance Manager, you will provide strategic oversight of contract performance, ensure rigorous legal and regulatory compliance, safeguard service users, and efficiently manage complex relationships with providers. You will advocate for continuous improvement across all aspects of the service.

The position entails leading a team that oversees comprehensive management of over 800 contracts and thousands of tenders annually, necessitating robust administration of a diverse portfolio. The team is also responsible for conducting regular audits, onsite provider inspections, and quality assessments of service providers to confirm adherence to Passenger Transport Legislation and uphold safeguarding standards. Your leadership, through close collaboration with commissioning, finance, operations, and external partners, will drive transformational change and promote high‑quality outcomes. Through successful collaboration and adherence to strong regulatory practices, you will address contractual and compliance challenges, supporting the ongoing evolution of transport services to meet the needs of children, young people, and adults—particularly those with special educational needs, disabilities, or care requirements.

Joining our team offers you the opportunity to contribute to a culture of continual progress and supportive working practices, with real scope to make a tangible impact.

Responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight for all transport contracts related to Home to School Travel Assistance and Adult Social Care Transport.
• Ensure all services adhere to safety, legal, financial, and quality standards while aligning with the council’s statutory and strategic objectives.
• A fundamental aspect of the team’s responsibilities is to collectively conduct regular audits, site visits, and quality checks of service providers, ensuring adherence to Passenger Transport Legislation and safeguarding standards.
• Lead performance monitoring and compliance across a £44 million service portfolio, ensuring providers consistently meet contractual outcomes, key performance indicators, and audit requirements.
• Partner with the Contract & Supplier Management team (part of the Commercial & Procurement Service) as a source of advice, support, and to implement the Council’s contract management approach.
• Oversee procurement compliance, maintaining transparency and equity, working with the Commercial & Procurement team to manage procurement pipelines and ensuring optimised value for all contract awards and renewals.
• Manage supplier relationships to resolve performance issues and promote excellence in service delivery.
• Collaborate with the Finance Team to confirm provider adherence to financial obligations, including accurate invoicing, contract valuation, and budgetary management.
• Work in partnership with the Travel Commissioning Team to uphold safeguarding requirements and service quality, particularly concerning vulnerable children and adults.

What You’ll Bring

• Strong contract and commissioning expertise, with substantial experience in contract management and public sector transport procurement.
• Proven relationship‑building capability, with a track record of working effectively with suppliers, internal teams and a wide range of stakeholders to achieve positive outcomes.
• Excellent analytical and problem‑solving skills, including the ability to investigate issues, manage complaints effectively and drive continuous service improvement.
• A thorough understanding of safeguarding legislation, regulatory frameworks and best‑practice standards, particularly in the delivery of transport services for vulnerable children and adults.
• A clear focus on compliance and assurance, ensuring all activity meets procurement, financial and statutory requirements.
• Outstanding communication and negotiation skills, with the confidence to make sound decisions and a collaborative, solution‑focused approach.
• Relevant professional or management qualifications, such as CIPS, ILM, CMI or equivalent experience.
• Experience within a local authority or council setting, ideally with exposure to Home to School Travel Assistance and/or Adult Social Care Transport.

What You Can Look Forward To

At OCC, you’ll be part of a team that’s not only passionate about what we do, but also about how we do it. We foster a culture of inclusion, respect, and continuous improvement, and we’re proud to offer flexible working arrangements, professional development opportunities, and a strong sense of purpose in everything we do.

• Hybrid working – We recognise the importance of flexibility in delivering the service and supporting different lifestyles.
• Culture of flexible working
• Great learning and development opportunities to support your growth
• Technology to support agile working – with unlimited access to Copilot for smarter productivity
• Employee Assistance Programme with health and wellbeing support
• Generous annual leave – up to 30 days plus bank holidays, and an option to ‘buy’ additional time off
• Enhanced family friendly policies
• Local Government Pension Scheme – employer contributions up to 19.9%
• Discounts – local and national offers for shopping and travel

Ready to Apply?

If you are interested in this role, please submit your application by 15 March 2026. When applying, please upload a current CV along with a personal statement. Your statement should explain how your skills and experience match the role, referring to the key requirements in the job description. We encourage early applications and reserve the right to close this vacancy early if a sufficient number of suitable candidates are identified. Applications will be reviewed as they are received. Candidates who are shortlisted will be invited to interview shortly thereafter, and we will communicate next steps as soon as possible.

For informal enquiries or further information about the role, please contact Alexandra O’Hanlon, Head of Fleet and Transport Services on Alexandra.O’Hanlon@Oxfordshire.gov.uk

Our commitment to: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peer support, education and safe spaces for all.

Our commitment to: Guaranteed Interview Schemes

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job. We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships. We are also committed to helping and supporting those transitioning from HM Armed Forces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.

Our commitment to: Safeguarding

Oxfordshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.

Follow us on Social Media

Stay up-to-date with the latest news and featured jobs from Oxfordshire County Council by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.