Commissioning Projects Manager in Leeds

This post is responsible for managing key work to design and deliver commissioning projects that secure services and places for children and young people who are remanded or sentenced to custody in the Children and Young People's Secure Estate (CYPSE) in England and Wales. The CYPSE is made up of Young Offender Institutions (YOIs), Secure Training Centres (STCs) and Secure Children's Homes (SCHs) and a Secure School.

The post holder will directly contribute to the commissioning of complex services in youth custody and will have responsibility for activity that delivers against intended outcomes for children, staff and stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage commissioning projects and workstreams to design and deliver evidence-based services that improve outcomes for children and young people in custody across England and Wales.
• Accountable for applying project management approaches/methodologies to work across the commissioning cycle, ensuring work products are effectively delivered within agreed time, resource and quality tolerances. This includes project planning and developing methods to mitigate and manage risks and to address issues; to deliver benefits; and to analyse equalities impacts.
• Responsible for managing and coordinating the production of key service specifications, performance mechanisms and project documentation (reports, business cases, submissions, etc.) for commissioning workstreams in your portfolio.
• Develop knowledge and skills and apply these in commissioning and youth justice to make sound and balanced judgements, to provide robust advice to colleagues and seniors, including Senior Responsible Owners (SROs) and other senior project stakeholders. This includes leading on the preparation and presentation of papers and project documentation for YCS, HMPPS and Departmental governance.
• Work in close partnership with specialists and generalists across the wide array of functions covered by the commissioning cycle, establishing and maintaining strong relationships with key internal and external stakeholders at various levels, keeping a transparent dialogue and working in partnership with these to progress commissioning activity and to resolve issues impacting on commissioning decisions.
• In partnership with MoJ CCMD and others, to provide the required CYPSE services and places and inform the development of options for commercial/procurement strategies and plans; develop and build market potential for the CYPSE.
• Support dialogue/negotiations with markets and potential providers as required to secure solutions that match service user needs and that progress desired policy and improve service outcomes.
• Plan and undertake work to understand and inform the cost effectiveness of services within their portfolio and help determine value for money.
• Undertake dialogue/negotiations with markets and potential providers as required at national, regional and local level to inform negotiations and to secure solutions that match service user needs and that progress desired policy and improve service outcomes.
• In partnership with CCMD and others, support the development and implementation of evaluation processes to select supplier proposals and identify preferred bidder(s) that ensure quality, cost and achievability against YCS priorities.
• Work in partnership to mobilise, transition and transform services that are retendered, and be responsible for achieving timely handover of commissioned services and places to those managing ongoing delivery.
• Ensure lessons learned from commissioning projects are captured and widely used to help improve the commissioning and other functions as findings direct.

Existing Civil Servants are eligible to apply and will only be considered on a loan basis (Civil Servants). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant.

This role is advertised nationally, and some national travel is necessary to support effective ways of working – typically to YCS HQ in Croydon and/or MoJ HQ sites in London and Leeds. The post will also require attendance on site at Oakhill Secure Training Centre (STC) in Milton Keynes. Candidates must either be able to commute easily or be able to undertake overnight stays, as agreed with managers, in line with HMPPS Travel and expenses policy.

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non‑contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone's circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office.

Some of MoJ's terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid. HMPPS welcomes part‑time, flexible and job‑sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part‑time, flexible and job‑sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the HMPPS' Flexible Working policy.

If you are a current NPS employee, this vacancy may be available on a Loan basis for up to 2 years. Applications are invited from suitable qualified staff. The Loan/Secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate's Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

Behaviours

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

Desirable

• Experience of PFI expiry, handback, or asset transition projects.
• Knowledge of public sector procurement, contract management and governance frameworks.
• Project management certification (e.g. PRINCE2).

Benefits and Working Conditions

• National salary range: £55,457 – £61,003. London salary range: £58,471 – £66,044.
• Annual Leave – The holiday year runs from 1 March. Leave entitlement may be expressed in hours or days and is calculated on a pro‑rata basis.
• Bank, Public and Privilege Holidays – 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) added to annual leave allowance.
• Pension – The Civil Service offers a choice of two pension schemes.
• Work‑Life Balance – Flexible working subject to completion of a satisfactory probationary period.
• Season Ticket Advance – After two months' service, eligible to apply for advance to purchase a quarterly or longer‑term season ticket.
• Childcare Vouchers – Provision may be affected by moves across the Civil Service.
• Training – Opportunities in Equality and Diversity, Dealing with Challenging Behaviour, Suicide Prevention and Anti‑Bullying Programme, and more.

Eligibility and Selection

All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post. All external candidates are subject to 6 months probation; internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not previously served a probationary period within HMPPS. All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or organisation which the HMPPS considers to be racist.

Recruitment

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles. Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint.

Disability Confident Employer

The MoJ is committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found.

Veterans

MoJ offers a guaranteed interview scheme to eligible former members of the Armed Forces through the “Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans” initiative.

Redeployment Interview Scheme

MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.