At Cheshire East we’re making significant, tangible investments in our foundations. This includes strengthening our commissioning function, expanding workforce development and creating clearer, more ambitious pathways. To realise these ambitions, we’re seeking exceptional Senior leaders who want to help us shape the future.
We have an exciting opportunity for a Head of Service – Commissioning, based at Delamere House, Crewe.
About the Role
You’ll provide strategic system leadership for the full breadth of children’s commissioned services, covering SEND, children’s social care, alternative provision, placements and market shaping. The role sets the strategic direction for commissioning, leads the commissioning cycle, and ensures that services for children and families are safe, high‑quality, sustainable and value for money, in line with the Council’s statutory duties and corporate priorities.
You’ll be responsible for shaping and developing local, regional and sub‑regional provider markets, ensuring that there is sufficient and appropriate provision for children and young people with increasingly complex needs.
You’ll lead commissioning strategies, sufficiency planning, joint commissioning with the Integrated Care Board (ICB), and the development of market position statements and quality assurance frameworks that secure improved outcomes and reduce inequalities.
You’ll contribute directly to the Council’s vision by championing co‑production, embedding the lived experience of children, young people and families into commissioning decisions, and ensuring that services support resilience, inclusion and positive life chances. It provides the strategic leadership required to meet the Council’s statutory obligations under the Children Act, SEND Code of Practice and inspection frameworks, ensuring commissioning activity is inspection‑ready and that learning from complaints, incidents and serious case reviews drives continuous improvement.
You’ll lead the commissioning data, performance and analytics function, ensuring that commissioning decisions are evidence‑based, that sufficiency modelling and forecasting inform financial planning, and that senior leaders, Cabinet and partnership boards receive clear, accurate insight on risks, quality and outcomes.
Responsibilities
- Market Provision – providing statements and local, regional and sub‑regional markets (including RCC/frameworks), fostering strong relationships with VCS and independent sector.
- Commissioning Data – providing a data, performance and analytics function for needs assessments, sufficiency modelling, demand forecasting and outcomes reporting to Cabinet, DLT and partnership boards.
- Safeguarding – for commissioned provision, ensuring robust escalation, oversight of provider concerns, safer commissioning practice, and compliance with statutory safeguarding requirements.
- Ofsted/CQC – relating to commissioned provision, ensuring high‑quality evidence rapid response to recommendations, and cross‑service improvement.
- Commissioning Governance – ensuring alignment with ICB and partners to the Health & Care Act, robust decision‑making and integrated outcomes frameworks.
Qualifications
- Qualified social worker registered with Social Work England.
- Senior leadership experience of children’s commissioning across SEND and Social Care including market development, contracting, quality assurance and placements or brokerage.
- Expert understanding of contract law and public procurement.
- Advanced skills in needs assessments, demand and sufficiency modelling, outcomes‑based commissioning and benefits tracking.
- Understanding of public procurement regulations, safeguarding information governance, equality and human rights and corporate decision‑making.
- Proven ability in leadership, influencing and partnership, financial and commercial acumen.
As an equal opportunities employer, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and want our workforce to reflect the diversity of our local communities so that we can all work for a brighter future – together.
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