Commissioning Lead

Commissioning Lead

Fixed Term, 12-month contract

Full Time, 37 hours per week

£43,140 to £50,752 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 1st April 2025

 

Strategic Commissioning for Skills, Growth and Inward Investment is a core competency within the Devolution agenda. This is an opportunity, for the right candidate, to play a leading role in the Greater Essex devolution programme and positively impact the lives of residents.

The Role

Essex County Council (ECC) is a systems leader for Skills and Economic Growth, working with public and private sector partners to shape an inclusive and integrated approach to skills, business support and inward investment in the County.

Strategic commissioning and ensuring the effective delivery of business growth, employment and skills projects is at the heart of the success of this integrated approach. The Commissioning Lead will be responsible for the design, procurement, and operational management of a range of projects and programmes, progressing this work though the commissioning cycle to ensure they meet priorities of the service, deliver value for money, and generate meaningful impact.

This role will lead development of effective partnerships as well as being responsible for operational leadership of multi-disciplinary project teams including Subject Matter Experts from across ECC, industry experts, external partners, and the wider public sector, delivering complex and innovative activity. In totality this role plays an important part in realising Essex County Council’s ambition to become an outcome-focused and evidence-based strategic commissioning authority that secures and leverages funds with partners, to propagate economic growth for Greater Essex.

The role will include day-to-day task management and matrix support for the wider Business and Growth Skills teams, working with staff at all levels in the organisation and external suppliers.

 

Accountabilities

 

- Ensure a strategic and evidence-based approach to commissioning is developed to ensure the programme responds to identified need and delivers value for money, using data, insight and best practice to continuously monitor and review the effectiveness of activity, providing recommendations for improvements to enhance outcomes, value for money or impact to management.

- Oversee the implementation and operational management of a broad programme of employability, skills and economic growth projects, managing the entire commissioning life cycle from strategic needs analysis, producing specifications and business cases in collaboration with industry experts, partners (internal and external), Subject Matter Experts, and mobilising services within the agreed budget and required timeframes.

- Develop, implement, and maintain proportionate administrative, financial performance and risk processes to provide an audit trail of project expenditure / deliverables and ensure compliance with all relevant legal and regulatory requirements.

- Build and maintain effective relationships with key service providers, including relevant industry bodies, businesses, and public sector partners to ensure services deliver quality and value in line with plans and intended outcomes.

- Lead and maintain day to day partnerships with employers, public and third sector partners and across ECC services to identify opportunities for collaborative working in support of contracted activity and to maximise the positive impacts for ECC services users.

- Responsible for managing contracts within their own caseload and ensuring that those they supervise, or matrix manage are effectively managed to drive performance and achieve target outputs and outcomes for commissioned activities

- Lead performance reviews with suppliers including leading the design implementation and monitoring of a process to hold suppliers to account for poor performance and make recommendations to the Commissioning Manager on interventions.

- Provide day-to-day task management of a commissioning team to deliver timely administration of projects and programmes, appraising the Commissioning Manager or any relevant issues, risks or opportunities.

- Deliver ECC’s business account management approach and serve as a primary point of contact to build and maintain trusting relationships with businesses, industry representatives and partners

- Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

 

· Educated to RQF Level 6 (e.g. degree, degree apprenticeship in a relevant field related to Economic Growth) or equivalent experience.

· Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area.

· Experience of delivering government-funded programmes, particularly in employment and skills in a local government and local partnership environment.

· Extensive experience of commissioning and delivering projects and outcomes at scale and with economic and social impacts.

· Experience of task management of commissioning and operational delivery.

· Experience of relationship and contract management involving public, private and third sector organisations

· Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work with and engage a wide group of internal and external stakeholders establish strong partnerships across at senior level, which are influential and collaborative in their nature and engender delivery of joint innovative strategies

To read more about our business area, please visit People, Policy, Economy and Public Health

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex . With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles , including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

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If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk