Commissioning Manager - Legal Aid Agency

Responsibilities

• Support commissioning activity that strengthens the sustainability and resilience of the legal aid market, contributing to approaches that maintain access to services over the short and longer term.
• Play an active role in market engagement, working with providers and representative bodies to build understanding of capacity, risks and opportunities, and feeding insight into commissioning and procurement activity.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, collaborating to align policy, operational and commercial objectives.
• Contribute to the planning and delivery of commissioning and procurement activity, supporting elements of tender exercises and ensuring activity aligns with agreed priorities, timetables and governance.
• Develop and apply knowledge of procurement and commissioning policy, practice and legislation, using this to support robust, proportionate and well-managed activity.
• Support effective planning, scheduling and tracking of commissioning work, ensuring systems and information enable good decision-making.
• Contribute insight and information to support workforce and resource planning within the team.
• Undertake line management or supervisory responsibilities where required, supporting delivery, learning and development.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to analyse complex market and operational issues, drawing on evidence and stakeholder insight to develop practical, workable solutions that support access and sustainability.
• Strong analytical and numerical skills, with excellent attention to detail, enabling you to interpret market, performance or delivery information accurately and use it to inform commissioning activity.
• Clear and confident written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain issues, share insight and present options effectively to internal colleagues and external stakeholders.
• Effective influencing and engagement skills, with experience of working collaboratively across teams and with external partners to build shared understanding and support collective outcomes.
• Strong planning and organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality outputs at pace in a stakeholder-rich and changing environment.
• An up-to-date understanding of the Legal Aid Agency's duties under procurement regulations, and how these are applied proportionately in commissioning and tender activity to support effective market outcomes.
• Experience of supporting or running tender processes and using eTendering systems, with an appreciation of how procurement tools and processes impact providers and wider stakeholder engagement.
• Project management experience, with the ability to coordinate activity across stakeholders, manage interdependencies and support delivery through the commissioning cycle.
• Wider business or commercial contract management experience, bringing insight into supplier relationships, value for money and market sustainability.
• Experience of implementing or supporting change, including working with stakeholders to communicate change, understand impacts and embed new ways of working.
• Holds, is working towards, or is willing to work towards a relevant professional accreditation with the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS).

Person Specification

• Demonstrates strong attention to detail, ensuring accuracy, quality and confidence when working with complex information, stakeholders and commissioning activity.
• Is resilient and adaptable, able to respond constructively to multiple and sometimes competing challenges while maintaining momentum and focus.
• Keeps sight of the end goal, understanding how individual tasks and decisions contribute to wider commissioning outcomes, market sustainability and access to justice.
• Thrives in a changing environment, responding positively to evolving priorities, stakeholder needs and policy or market developments.
• Is proactive in seeking better ways of working, showing curiosity, initiative and a willingness to contribute ideas that improve collaboration, market engagement and commissioning practice.

Assessment Approach

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

• Annual leave: 25 days on appointment, increasing to 30 days after five years' service.
• Scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year.
• Additional paid time off for public holidays and one privilege day.
• Leave for part-time and job share posts calculated on a pro-rata basis.
• Pension: Civil Service offers choice of schemes.
• Training: Extensive range of staff development opportunities.
• Employee networks: support for minority ethnic origin, disability, caring responsibilities, women, LGBTI.
• Family-friendly policies: opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
• Flexible benefits: voluntary benefits, retail vouchers and discounts.
• Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
• Free annual sight tests for employees using computer screens.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain, and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy. The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.