This is a key senior leadership role within the Commissioning function for Children and Families, reporting directly to the Head of Commissioning. The postholder will provide strategic leadership for services supporting children in care and care leavers, shaping and delivering a clear and ambitious vision to ensure every child and young person experiences stability, belonging and the opportunity to thrive.
Central to the role is the delivery of Cornwall Council’s Better Homes sufficiency strategy, ensuring that children and young people can live in high-quality, nurturing homes close to their communities.
The postholder will lead the development and implementation of commissioning strategies and frameworks that secure a sufficient, diverse and sustainable range of local provision. This includes:
Commissioning activity will be intelligence-led, translating data, insight and lived experience into market development, service design and forward planning that improves outcomes for children and young people.
The role holder will champion relationship-based commissioning approaches, embedding co-production and meaningful engagement with children, young people and carers. Their voices will directly inform service models, pathways and outcomes, supporting improved stability, transitions to independence and long-term life chances.
The postholder will also build strong partnerships across:
They will lead work to strengthen the local provider market, build capacity and create opportunities for high-quality, community-based provision, while proactively managing market sustainability and provider relationships.
The role provides leadership across the full commissioning cycle—analysis, planning, delivery and review—overseeing complex programmes that balance long-term transformation with immediate placement pressures. Responsibilities include:
Contract and provider relationship management
Quality assurance and performance oversight
Governance, compliance and financial management
Ensuring value for money while prioritising outcomes for children
As a senior leader within Children’s Services, the postholder will bring ambition, innovation and system leadership, representing the Council in strategic partnerships, influencing regional and national agendas, and contributing to the wider transformation of services.
Full-time hours (exact working pattern to be confirmed).
Flexible and hybrid working arrangements may be available in line with service needs.
We are looking for an experienced and strategic leader with:
Significant experience in commissioning, ideally within children’s services
Strong understanding of placement sufficiency and the children in care system
Experience of developing and implementing commissioning strategies and frameworks
Knowledge of procurement, contracting and provider market management
You will also demonstrate:
Strong leadership and system-thinking capability
The ability to translate data, insight and lived experience into strategic planning
Excellent partnership working skills across multiple sectors
A commitment to co-production and relationship-based practice
Financial and commercial awareness, with a focus on value for money
The ability to lead complex programmes and deliver change in a challenging environment
Cornwall Council deliver services to more than half a million local people and over five million visitors a year. Working here - Cornwall Council
We are happy to talk about flexible working options such as part-time or compressed hours. More examples of our flexible working opportunities can be found here - flexible working options
Fairness and inclusion are at the heart of our vision for Cornwall. In order to best serve our communities, we are striving to achieve a diverse workforce that is inclusive of all backgrounds, cultures and identities; e.g., race, disability, sex, gender reassignment status, age, religion and sexual orientation. We are an equal opportunities and Disability Confident employer, and we will assess applicants on their merits.
Cornwall Council is committed to safeguarding and following safer recruitment principles to help make sure our staff and volunteers are suitable to work with children, young people and adults at risk. It’s a vital part of creating a safe and positive environment and making a commitment to keeping all service users safe from harm.
A unique Council that has secured the UK's first devolution deal for a rural County! We deliver services to more than half a million local people and to over five million visitors a year.
*Cornwall - The Place: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/jobs-and-careers/work-and-volunteer-for-us/cornwall-the-place/
With its beautiful beaches, stunning countryside and superb community spirit, Cornwall is a great place to live.
*Cornwall - Our Offer: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/jobs-and-careers/work-and-volunteer-for-us/our-offer/
With a competitive employee reward package that attracts, retains and motivates our employees; open plan working environments in most offices, good business systems and a can do culture where talented people thrive, Cornwall Council is a great place to work.
*Cornwall - Our Job of the Week: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/joboftheweek
*Cornwall - What we do and how we work: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/jobs-and-careers/work-and-volunteer-for-us/what-we-do-and-how-we-work/
Services: Care for the elderly, children’s safeguarding, libraries, road maintenance, fire and rescue service, recycling, parks, street cleaning, countryside management, social housing, town planning, tourism support and trading standards.
We deliver these services through our employees who work directly for the Council and through our many other Council owned companies and organisations; CORMAC, Cornwall Housing, Tempus Leisure, Newquay Airport and Cornwall Development Company.
We also have close links with Cornwall’s health organisations, colleges and universities and work closely with the police, town and parish councils and the voluntary sector.
*Cornwall - Council and Democracy: http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/
We have 123 elected councillors and as Cornwall is such a large rural area, our councillors and the towns and parishes they represent are grouped into 19 community networks, which are the focus of our local community work.
