Head of Commissioning (Children and Education Integrated Commissioning)

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 North East 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 a Head of Service to join and lead our newly created Integrated Commissioning Service. The Head of Service will oversee a team of four Senior Commissioning Managers and be responsible for the Commissioning Service as a whole, whilst the Senior Commissioning Managers will have one of 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 the best services for our population using the most innovative tools, be they pooled budgets, dynamic frameworks or neighbourhood approaches. 

Our successful candidates will have strong commercial acumen to work with our providers to deliver best value for Hackney children, young people and families. The new posts will contribute to the wider strategic thinking across the council and the NHS, aligning the developments within children’s services to the wider corporate plans and cementing relationships with providers both within and beyond our community. We are seeking passionate and transformative leaders and managers, to invest energy and enthusiasm into the start up and delivery of the 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’d like to hear from you.

There is no better place to work in London than Hackney; we have great pride in our borough, our communities, and our services. Hackney is one of London’s most vibrant and diverse boroughs. It’s one of the most sought after areas to live in London with good schools, parks and local amenities, as well as great transport links and vibrant and diverse communities.

If you want to work in a place where you can represent our values so we achieve the best for our residents, please click on the apply button below.

The recruitment process is anonymous. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CVs.

When applying, there will be a number of questions relating to the post on the application form. It is essential that you complete the application questions, responding to each using examples of your skills, knowledge and experience. 

We will not accept applications where Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been used to assist with completing the competency questions or any part of the application form.

This application process replaces a supporting statement.

Closing date for applications: 29 September 2024 (22:59)

Interview date: 15 October 2024

We are also working towards our vision, which is to be 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 age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. 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: hackneyworks@hackney.gov.uk