Commissioning and Contract Officer – Children & Education

The London Borough of Hackney, and our partners are at the forefront of joint working for children and young people. Together with our colleagues at Northeast London Integrated Care Board, we are creating a new Integrated Children’s Commissioning & Health Service which sits across the Children, Education and Health Directorate. These exciting new posts will lead and manage the development and delivery of the integrated commissioning service, with a contract portfolio of up to £100m, and work closely with colleagues across our Children, Education and Health system.

We are seeking three Commissioning and Contract Officers to work within our newly created Integrated Commissioning Service. The Commissioning Service works across four portfolios; (i) Education, SEND and Early Years; (ii) Children’s Social Care, Youth and Early Help; (ii) Transitions; and (iv) Health and Public Health. These critical roles will work closely with subject matter experts across social care, education, health, finance, and corporate procurement to commission and contract the best services for our population using the most innovative tools, be they pooled budgets, dynamic frameworks, or neighbourhood approaches.

Our successful candidates will work with providers to deliver added value for Hackney children, young people, and families. As well as strong negotiating skills, you will also have excellent business management skills, including understanding complex budgets and numerical work, as well as procurement processes within a public sector environment.

We are seeking team players who are skilled and passionate people to invest energy and enthusiasm into the startup and delivery of our new commissioning service.

If you are someone who values working from a solid evidence base, puts children and families’ views at the heart of service design, and wants to be part of our Hackney journey to achieve excellent outcomes for our communities, then we would like to hear from you.

We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CV’s.

To proceed with your application, you will need to create an account and submit your application.

As part of the application process, you will need to complete a number of competency based questions. These questions allow you to demonstrate your suitability for the role and provide examples of your skills, knowledge and experience outlined in the job description.

We understand the benefits of using AI in the workplace. However, if you are thinking of using this tool to submit your application, we ask you to think about what value it will add. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

Closing date for applications: 07 February 2025 (22:59)

Assessment / Interviews: 24 February 2025

We are passionate about equal opportunities and welcome applicants with a broad diversity of talent and those who are interested in flexible working arrangements.

Our vision is that Hackney is a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud; a place that celebrates diversity and where everyone can feel valued, included and involved. In order to achieve this, we look for people who are: Proud; Ambitious; Pioneering; Open; Proactive; Inclusive.

Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy and maternity, age and marital status. We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under represented in our workforce.

The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available hackneyworksjobs@hackney.gov.uk