Assistant Director Children's Commissioning & Sufficiency
London Borough of Hillingdon
About the role
At Hillingdon, we put our residents first.
As one of London's largest and most diverse boroughs, we are committed to ensuring every child and young person has the opportunity to thrive, achieve and remain safe within their community. We are ambitious for our children and families and are delivering a significant programme of transformation across Children's Social Care, Education, SEND, Early Help and Family Support.
We are now seeking an exceptional strategic leader to join our senior leadership team as Assistant Director – Children's Commissioning & Sufficiency.
This is a unique opportunity to lead and shape commissioning, sufficiency and market development across Children's Services at a time of significant national reform and local ambition.
Reporting directly to the Corporate Director of Children's Services, you will provide strategic leadership across Children's Social Care, Education, SEND and Early Help, ensuring we have sufficient high-quality provision to meet the needs of children and young people, while securing value for money and long-term sustainability.
You will lead the development and delivery of our commissioning and sufficiency strategies, influencing local, regional and national partnerships to create innovative solutions that improve outcomes for children and families. Working across health, education, care and voluntary sector partners, you will play a pivotal role in shaping services that enable more children and young people to live, learn and thrive locally.
This is a role with genuine influence, offering the opportunity to drive transformation, shape markets, develop local provision and support the delivery of our ambitious vision for children and young people.
What You'll Be Doing
- Leading commissioning and sufficiency arrangements across Children's Social Care, SEND, Education and Early Help.
- Delivering strategic commissioning and market-shaping activity that improves outcomes and secures best value.
- Ensuring the Council meets its statutory sufficiency responsibilities across children's social care and education provision.
- Developing innovative local provision and strengthening market capacity.
- Driving transformation programmes and supporting financial sustainability across Children's Services.
- Building strong partnerships with schools, health partners, providers, neighbouring authorities, regional bodies and families.
- Leading a high-performing commissioning and sufficiency service that reflects Hillingdon's values and commitment to excellence.
About You
We are looking for an ambitious, collaborative and outcomes-focused leader with a strong track record of commissioning, transformation and partnership working.
You will bring:
- Significant senior leadership experience within children's services, education, health or another complex public service environment.
- Extensive experience of commissioning, service redesign and market development.
- Strong knowledge of Children's Social Care, SEND, education and sufficiency responsibilities.
- Experience of managing substantial budgets, securing value for money and delivering sustainable improvements.
- Highly developed influencing, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
- A proven ability to work successfully across organisational boundaries and complex partnership arrangements.
- A commitment to innovation, continuous improvement and delivering outstanding outcomes for children, young people and families.
Most importantly, you will share our determination to put children and families at the centre of everything we do.
Why Hillingdon?
This is an exciting time to join Hillingdon. National reforms, increasing demand and changing service models create significant opportunities to shape the future of children's services.
In return, we offer:
- A high-profile strategic leadership role with real influence and impact.
- The opportunity to shape commissioning and sufficiency across one of London's largest boroughs.
- A supportive and ambitious senior leadership team.
- Flexible and hybrid working arrangements.
- Generous annual leave entitlement.
- Local Government Pension Scheme.
- Leadership development and career progression opportunities.
- A commitment to employee wellbeing and professional growth.
Our Values
At Hillingdon, our values underpin everything we do:
Respect. Collaborative. Efficient. Integrity. Open and Honest. We are committed to creating a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve and welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds.
Join Us
If you are a strategic and values-led leader who wants to make a lasting difference to the lives of children and young people, we'd love to hear from you.
Join Hillingdon and help shape the future of commissioning, sufficiency and opportunity for children and families across our borough.
About us
- We value our employees and are committed to ensuring that they enjoy a fulfilling and rewarding career with us. We understand that a happy and motivated workforce is essential for the success of our organisation. That is why we offer a wide range of employee benefits to enhance your work-life balance, financial wellbeing, health, and professional development.Here’s a comprehensive overview of the fantastic benefits we provide:
- Flexible Working Hours – We recognise the importance of flexibility in managing your work and personal life.
- 36 Hour Week – Enjoy a standard 36-hour workweek for all full time staff.
- Generous Holiday Entitlement – increasing with length of service (for non-casual roles).
- Hillingdon Sports & Leisure – Stay active and healthy with discounts at council owned leisure centres and swimming pools across the borough.
- Salary Sacrifice Schemes – option to join schemes for cycle purchase, electric vehicle leasing and additional voluntary pension contributions (subject to scheme rules).
- Cycle to Work – Eco-friendly commuting with our cycle purchase scheme. We also provide bicycle parking, lockers, and showers at the Civic Centre.
- Local Government Pension Scheme – access to Local Government Pension Scheme and membership to the Credit Union.
- Vivup Benefits – Access a variety of offers and discounts through our Vivup Benefits.
- Mental Health Support and Counselling Services – Our mental health first aiders are trained to identify, understand, and help employees experiencing mental health issues. Access free 24-hour confidential advice and counselling as well as a legal advice service for you and your immediate family.
- Travel Support – Make your daily commute easier with our season ticket loans and free car parking.
- Trade Union Membership – The Council recognises UNISON, Unite, AEP and GMB and supports employees’ freedom of choice in relation to trade union membership.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement
At the London Borough of Hillingdon, we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. This commitment means that all employees, job applicants and others who work for us will be treated fairly.
The aim is for our workforce to be representative of all sections of society and Hillingdon residents so we welcome applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds. We strive to ensure that our recruitment process is free from discrimination and bias, and we are dedicated to providing reasonable adjustments to applicants with disabilities.
Join us in building a workplace where everyone feels respected, able to give their best and be themselves at work, whilst contributing meaningfully to our organisation's success.
Recruitment Information
Hillingdon Council operates a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with disabilities that meet the essential criteria for the role and wish to be considered under this scheme. We believe in the option to choose, so candidates declaring a disability have the choice to opt in for consideration under this scheme, on a ‘per application’ basis.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable groups and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
Some posts are subject to The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2019 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
In addition to verifying Right to Work in the UK and a new starter health questionnaire, the post is subject to the following pre-employment screening:- Basic DBS Check
- 2 years of Referencing
Please note: Priority will be given to those at risk of redundancy within Hillingdon Council. Current employees who are part of the redeployment pool must meet the essential criteria for shortlisting to be prioritised.
It may be necessary due to a high volume of applications to close this role early. We therefore recommend you apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.