Job Role: Commissioning Lead, East Midlands Regional Care Cooperative (RCC)
Salary & Benefits: £75,000–£85,000 a year, 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, generous pension scheme, hybrid working arrangements. Secondment arrangements may differ.
Contract type: Fixed-term contract or secondment opportunity until 31st March 2028, with continuation subject to funding and approval. Any secondment arrangement will be subject to agreement with the successful candidate's current employer.
Basis: Full time (37.5 hours)
Employment location: The role will be based in Leicester, with hybrid working and regular travel across the East Midlands.
Job category: Leadership, children's social care and commissioning, sufficiency, market shaping and improvement, programme management.
Host organisation: RCC roles will be hosted by SDSA Leicester on behalf of the East Midlands local authorities.
Help shape the future of children’s care, regional sufficiency and collaborative commissioningacross the East Midlands. The East Midlands is creating one of the country’s new Regional CareCo-operatives (RCCs) – a major public sector reform programme covering all ten upper-tier localauthorities, bringing together regional commissioning, sufficiency planning, fostering development,market engagement, data and improvement activity through a powerful new collaborative model.
Role Overview
The RCC Commissioning Lead will lead the development and delivery of the East Midlands RegionalCare Cooperative’s commissioning and sufficiency activity.
Sitting at the heart of the RCC’s ambition to reshape regional sufficiency, the postholder willhelp reduce reliance on high-cost, unstable and distant placements by supporting local authoritiesto understand demand, influence provider markets and commission more effectively together. Therole combines strategic commissioning, market understanding, data and intelligence, providerengagement and partnership leadership.
Key Responsibilities
- Regional sufficiency and strategy: Lead the Regional Sufficiency Strategy, turn data and intelligence into clear priorities, and promote needs-led, outcomes-focused and ethical commissioning.
- Market shaping and provider engagement: Build open, constructive relationships with fostering, residential and specialist providers, and use market intelligence to identify risks, gaps and opportunities.
- Collaborative commissioning and procurement: Develop joint commissioning approaches across the ten East Midlands local authorities, and work with procurement, legal, finance and contract colleagues to ensure compliance and value.
- Partnerships, delivery and improvement: Build trusted relationships with local authority commissioning and sufficiency leads, and ensure children, young people, families, carers and practitioners help shape commissioning activity.
Successful applicants contacted: By Friday 2nd October 2026
Interviews held: Week commencing 5th October 2026, at the SDSA Office in Leicester City Centre
All applications will be acknowledged via email within 48 hours of receipt. If you have not receivedconfirmation within this time, please call 0116 299 5942.
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Commissioning Lead in Leicester employer: SDSA
As a not-for-profit organisation, SDSA offers a unique opportunity to lead transformative change in children's services across the East Midlands. With a strong commitment to employee development, generous benefits including 27 days of annual leave and a robust pension scheme, and a collaborative work culture that values innovation and partnership, SDSA is an excellent employer for those looking to make a meaningful impact in their community. The hybrid working arrangements and the chance to shape the future of regional care make this role particularly rewarding.
