At a Glance
- Tasks: Oversee legal contracts and manage complex fitness to practise cases with autonomy.
- Company: Join Social Work England, a key regulator for social work in England.
- Benefits: Enjoy hybrid working, generous leave, and an inclusive culture.
- Other info: Great career growth opportunities in a supportive environment.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on social work regulation from day one.
- Qualifications: Postgraduate education or equivalent experience in legal or regulatory fields.
The predicted salary is between 55242 - 57644 £ per year.
Are you an experienced legal services or regulatory professional? Are you looking for an opportunity to play a key role in the delivery of essential fitness to practise services? This is a brand new role at Social Work England, created to strengthen how we work with our external legal provider and how we manage complex fitness to practise cases. As our Case and Contract Manager, you’ll have a real opportunity to shape how this role operates, influence our approach, and make a visible impact from day one. Working with a high level of autonomy, you’ll oversee our external legal provider contract and provide senior direction on complex cases, working closely with our investigations team and Head of Investigations.
Social Work England is the specialist regulator for social work in England. We focus on protecting the public, supporting positive change in social work, and maintaining confidence in the profession. Every day, social workers help millions of people improve their lives, and our role is to ensure regulation supports safe and effective practice.
About The Role
This role brings together contract oversight, performance management, and senior case leadership. You’ll be responsible for ensuring our external legal provider delivers high-quality work, meets performance expectations, and progresses cases efficiently and in line with our regulatory framework. You’ll provide clear instructions and direction on complex fitness to practise cases, including case planning, investigative actions and support during hearings. Using your regulatory knowledge and judgement, you’ll help ensure decisions are proportionate, well‑reasoned and robust. A key part of the role is monitoring performance. You’ll review data, spot themes and trends, and have confident conversations with senior external stakeholders to challenge delivery, set expectations and drive improvement. As a new role, you’ll also help shape how we approach contract oversight and performance reporting going forward.
What you’ll do
- Act as the main point of accountability for our external legal provider, ensuring contractual, performance and financial requirements are met.
- Provide direction and instructions on complex fitness to practise cases, including during hearings.
- Monitor KPIs, service levels and case data, identifying risks, trends and areas for improvement.
- Hold the external legal provider to account through clear challenge, constructive discussion and escalation where needed.
- Work closely with internal teams, including investigations and commercial colleagues, to support effective contract delivery.
- Make sound, independent decisions on complex or high‑risk regulatory issues.
- Produce clear, concise reports for senior leaders on performance, risk and contract matters.
- Build strong relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders, influencing outcomes through credibility and expertise.
- Share learning from cases, data and emerging themes to support good practice and continuous improvement.
- Provide advice and guidance to colleagues on case instructions and contract compliance.
About You
At Social Work England, our values guide how we work. We are fearless, independent, ambitious, act with integrity, and are collaborative and transparent. We’re looking for someone who reflects these values in how they work and make decisions.
For This Role, You’ll Also Need
- Postgraduate‑level education or equivalent experience in a legal services, regulatory or statutory environment.
- A strong understanding of regulatory processes, including investigations, hearings and adjudication.
- Experience making or overseeing complex case or regulatory decisions that can withstand challenge.
- Experience overseeing contracts or services, including performance monitoring and KPIs.
- Confidence analysing data, identifying trends and responding to emerging risks or issues.
- The ability to have high‑level, sometimes challenging conversations with senior stakeholders.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including reporting to senior leaders.
- The ability to work independently, manage competing priorities and maintain attention to detail.
You do not need to be a qualified lawyer to apply for this role. This role may suit you if you’ve worked as a Legal Services Manager, Regulatory Case Manager, Fitness to Practise Manager, Hearings Manager, Investigations Manager, Regulatory Operations Manager, Professional Discipline Manager or Regulatory Contracts Manager, Partnerships Manager, Legal Manager, Procurement Manager.
Benefits
- Hybrid working, with a minimum of two days per week in the office.
- 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 days with service, plus bank holidays.
- The option to buy up to 5 extra days of annual leave each year.
- A TIDE award‑winning inclusive culture, with staff networks, forums and social events.
- A pension scheme, life insurance, an employee recognition scheme and a cycle to work scheme.
Details
- Job type: Permanent
- Working pattern: Full time. We offer flexible working subject to business need.
- Salary: £55,242 per year rising to £57,644 per year after successful completion of a 6‑month probationary period.
- Location: Sheffield/Hybrid Working
Case and Contract Manager in Sheffield employer: Social Work England
Contact Detail:
Social Work England Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Case and Contract Manager in Sheffield
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the legal and regulatory fields. Attend industry events or webinars, and don’t be shy about introducing yourself. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its values. Understand their approach to fitness to practise services and think about how your experience aligns with their needs. This will help you stand out and show that you’re genuinely interested in the role.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Conduct mock interviews with friends or mentors. Focus on articulating your experience with complex cases and contract management clearly. The more comfortable you are discussing your skills, the more confident you’ll feel during the real deal.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you’re proactive and serious about joining our team at Social Work England. Let’s make a difference together!
We think you need these skills to ace Case and Contract Manager in Sheffield
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter to highlight your experience in legal services or regulatory roles. We want to see how your background aligns with the responsibilities of the Case and Contract Manager position.
Showcase Your Skills: Emphasise your ability to manage complex cases and oversee contracts. Use specific examples from your past work to demonstrate your skills in performance monitoring and stakeholder management, as these are key for us.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it straightforward and to the point. We appreciate clarity, so make sure your communication reflects that, especially when discussing your achievements and experiences.
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity at Social Work England.
How to prepare for a job interview at Social Work England
✨Know Your Regulatory Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your understanding of regulatory processes, especially around investigations and hearings. Being able to discuss these confidently will show that you’re not just familiar with the theory but can apply it in practice.
✨Showcase Your Contract Management Skills
Prepare examples from your past experiences where you've successfully overseen contracts or services. Highlight how you monitored performance and addressed any issues, as this will be crucial for the Case and Contract Manager role.
✨Data is Your Friend
Get comfortable with analysing data and identifying trends. Be ready to discuss how you've used data in previous roles to make informed decisions or improve processes, as this will demonstrate your analytical skills.
✨Build Relationships Like a Pro
Think about how you’ve built strong relationships with stakeholders in the past. Be prepared to share specific examples of how you influenced outcomes through effective communication and collaboration, as this is key for the role.