Contract Performance Manager (CPM) in City of Westminster

Overview

The HMPPS Creating Future Opportunities team (CFO) is responsible for securing external funding, developing, commissioning, and implementing resettlement services. CFO programmes promote rehabilitative activity through support in custody and community, helping offenders enter employment, education and training. The team focuses on individuals with the most complex needs or barriers to effective resettlement.

Key support activities for participants include:

• Addressing wider barriers to accessing mainstream opportunities (addictions, low literacy/numeracy, motivation and confidence, preparation for parole).
• Overcoming practical obstacles (obtaining ID, GP registration, securing tenancy).
• Additional skills (healthy living, money management, safeguarding, wellbeing).
• Practical courses (vocational, basic skills, financial literacy).
• Improving likelihood of securing employment (disclosure, CV creation, interview techniques, job applications, communication skills); for PCOSOs support into self‑employment.
• Preparation for re‑entering the community (use of social media, peer groups, building networks).
• Securing employment, training and education opportunities for release.
• Gate support to ensure newly released individuals can continue accessing CFO services in CFO Activity Hubs or the wider community.

Role Description

The Contract Performance Manager (CPM) provides strategic oversight and robust management of HMPPS CFO contracts, ensuring Prime Providers meet contractual obligations, deliver value for money, and comply with all rules, regulations and audit requirements. The CPM leads contract performance and compliance processes, including financial and operational monitoring, reporting and holding providers to account. The role drives continuous improvement, initiates remedial actions or breach procedures, manages contract variations, negotiates budgets and targets and supports successful delivery of expected outcomes. This is a non‑operational role; one CPM covers the East of England and another covers the South East, with a flexible regional base.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the key interface between HMPPS CFO, Prime Providers and their supply chains for delivery issues and relationship management.
• Co‑ordinate and chair formal contract performance reviews, ensuring attendance by senior provider managers, senior managers and specialist advisors.
• Build and maintain an effective relationship with each Prime Provider, implementing a mature contract relationship for monitoring.
• Continuously produce, analyse and challenge contract performance using complex data; negotiate and agree action plans to address variances and improvements, escalating when necessary.
• Work with the Prime Provider contract representative(s) to determine required information for demonstrating contract compliance and analyse it to ensure HMPPS CFO aims and values are met.
• Detail and report performance, exceptions and risk to the HMPPS CFO Performance Board.
• Resolve ongoing implementation issues in regions with senior managers, Establishments and Probation, focusing on referral processes, data sharing, monitoring and other impact areas.
• Develop and deliver a programme of Prime Provider and Sub Provider audits to verify delivery and compliance, identify data integrity issues and monitor remedial activities.
• Ensure funds are deployed effectively, directing investment where it will have the greatest impact while ensuring compliance with regulations and minimal business risk.
• Ensure contracts remain fit for purpose by identifying and responding to issues requiring contract variations, evaluating business cases and initiating the variation process.
• Provide local strategic insight, build relationships and represent HMPPS CFO at national and local meetings to ensure alignment of CFO delivery.

Eligibility & Requirements

All candidates are subjected to security and identity checks prior to appointment. External candidates are subject to a 6‑month probationary period; internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served one within HMPPS. Candidates must declare any membership of a group or organisation that HMPPS considers to be racist.

Equal Opportunity

HMPPS is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all candidates regardless of age, gender, race, disability, religion, sexual orientation or other protected characteristics.