This role has a starting salary of £40,296 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week. This is a fixed term contract/ secondment opportunity until 31st March 2026. We are excited to be hiring a new Commissioning Officer to join our fantastic Children's Corporate Parenting Commissioning Team. The role will be on a hybrid basis which means a blend of working from home and our Woking office. Rewards and Benefits 26 days' holiday (prorated for part time staff), rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave An extensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing Up to 5 days of carer's leave per year Paternity, adoption and dependents leave A generous local government salary related pension Lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, shopping and many more 2 paid volunteering days per year Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources About the Team The Corporate Parenting Commissioning Service is crucial in providing homes for Surrey children, fulfilling our statutory duties to ensure adequate accommodation and support for looked after children and care leavers in Surrey. We have a long-term ambition to enable every looked after child to have the choice to remain in Surrey. The team develops and implements innovative and effective market strategies to enhance compliance, aiming for the best outcomes for children and value for money within our available resources. The team's portfolio includes foster care, residential children's homes, supported accommodation for young people, statutory social care support services, and short breaks for children with disabilities. About the Role This role, funded by the Department for Education, focuses on commissioning and providing high-quality mentoring for care-experienced young people. This role is ideal for those with frontline experience working with young people who want to gain commissioning experience, as well as those with a commissioning background. In addition to the main project, you will have opportunities to support related projects and work across the service's commissioned portfolio. Daily activities involve engaging and collaborating with our mentoring provider, care-experienced young people, support workers, and supported accommodation providers to facilitate mentoring opportunities. You will support project reporting and management linked to the DfE-funded care leaver mentoring project, manage contracts with our mentoring provider to ensure high-quality, safe, and effective services for Surrey's care-experienced young people, and support all aspects of the commissioning cycle, including needs analysis, service evaluation, options appraisals, business cases, and tendering activities. Additionally, you will write high-quality reports based on complex data to inform change, review, interpret, and advise on commissioning and contract queries with Procurement, Legal, and Finance colleagues to provide pragmatic solutions, manage commissioning projects from start to finish, ensuring timely communication with stakeholders, and support co-design and co-production activities with children, young people, families, and charity organisations to develop and shape future provision. Shortlisting Criteria To be considered for shortlisting for this position, your application will clearly evidence the following: Degree qualified, relevant professional qualification or significant vocational experience within commissioning and an understanding of the commissioning cycle Experience of or capability in working directly with young people and partner agencies, to improve outcomes Experience of successfully working on, and delivering, different projects in parallel from start to finish, engaging with multiple stakeholders Demonstrable problem solving skills with the ability to use initiative to independently devise, develop and implement beneficial changes Experience of data analysis and strong written report writing skills Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including facilitation and presentation skills that have influenced positive change The job advert closes at 23:59 on 1st June 2025 with face to face interviews expected to take place on 11th and 13th June at our Woking offices. A basic DBS 'Disclosure and Barring Service' check for regulated activity (formerly known as CRB) will be required for this role. Local Government Reorganisation Surrey County Council is preparing for Local Government Reorganisation which will allow us to implement the Government led policy of devolution, which is all about giving more powers to local areas. Currently, Surrey has a two-tier council system, with 11 district and borough councils and a county council, all responsible for different services. All these councils will be reorganised into a smaller number of new unitary councils which will come into effect in April 2027. At this point, this role will be transferred, with all existing terms and conditions intact into one of the new unitary councils. Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents! Our Commitment Surrey County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. A guaranteed interview will be offered to all disabled applications where: The candidate has evidenced the minimum criteria for the role through their application The candidate has chosen to share that they have a disability on the application form Our application form and onboarding process will provide an opportunity to request any reasonable adjustments for the interview and/or the role. We want to be an inclusive and diverse employer reflecting the community we serve and particularly welcome applications from all underrepresented groups.. Location : Woking, Surrey, GU22 7QQ