Senior Contracts and Commissioning Lead in Morpeth

Are you motivated by the idea of shaping high quality care services across a whole county? Do you thrive in a fast-paced environment where every day brings new challenges, new partnerships and genuine opportunities to shape how care is commissioned and delivered in Northumberland? Northumberland County Council are looking for a Senior Contracts & Commissioning Lead to join the team. Please note we have both permanent and fixed term vacancies available. The Fixed Term vacancy is contracted until 30 September 2027.

This role is a key position within the Contracts & Commissioning service in Adult Social Care. It supports the delivery of commissioning activity in line with the Council Wide Strategic Commissioning Framework, underpinned by category management. The service ensures statutory duties for commissioning, market shaping, sufficiency, diversity, contract management and quality assurance are met across children and adult social care. It also has responsibility for governance, performance, systems and finance across the adult's directorate, ensuring management is supported by accurate and timely finance and performance information and that statutory returns are reported timely and accurately.

Role

You will play a key role in data analysis, monitoring and planning for commissioned and provided health and social care services and work with the Head of Strategic Commissioning and other Senior Managers to effectively manage key contracts to ensure value for money is achieved. As a senior member of the team, you will also contribute to shaping the strategic direction of commissioning activity – helping to identify future needs, influence service development and ensure commissioning decisions are informed by robust evidence and insight. You will work closely with partners in social care, health, finance, procurement and legal services to ensure high quality services are in place to meet a range of needs.

Requirements

• Level 6 qualification or above in public administration or equivalent senior professional experience, supported by recent management training or continuing professional development in health and social care or commissioning and procurement legislation and best practice.
• In-depth understanding of professional theory, practice, procedures, and contemporary issues in health and social care, including commissioning and service delivery.
• Strong knowledge of relevant legislation, regulations, and compliance requirements such as health and safety, procurement, equalities, risk management and corporate responsibilities.
• Significant experience across the full commissioning cycle – needs assessment, planning, purchasing and monitoring.
• Valid UK driving licence.

The vacancies are full time (37 hours) and NCC Band 10 Salary – £50,269 to £54,495.

If you wish to have an informal conversation about the role, please contact Nicola Boughen, Operational Manager, on Nicola.Boughen@northumberland.gov.uk.

Why choose us?

We have outstanding benefits and perks to offer you, including:

• 26 days annual leave plus public and bank holidays, rising to 31 days after 5 years of service (pro-rata for part-time employees).
• Automatic enrolment into the Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Flexi scheme (if applicable) – up to 2 days flexible leave available per month (pro-rata for part-time employees).

To see all our excellent benefits and perks, please click here.

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Further information For guidance on completing your application and for information about our Equality and Diversity principles, please see the attached guidance notes. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. If you have a disability and would prefer to apply in a different format, please see the alternative methods below. This information will be treated as confidential and will only be used to check that you meet the essential requirements of the post.