Commissioning Manager

Adult Social Care

Commissioning and Market Management

Commissioning Manager

Ref: 001598

Contract: Fixed Term (12 months)

Salary: £51,357 - £54,495 per annum (Grade 10)

Hours: 36.66 per week

Location: Base - Spindles Council Offices Oldham, working at remote premises and sites.

Closing Date: Tuesday 14 July 2026

Interview Date: TBC.

Role Overview:

We are looking for an experienced and forwardthinking Commissioning Manager to lead a critical programme of work focused on reducing outofarea (OOA) placements and strengthening local provision for people with complex needs, including learning disabilities, autism, and mental health conditions.

This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of our local care market, improve outcomes for residents, and deliver significant financial and operational benefits for the organisation.

Key Responsibilities:

Our Commissioning and Market Management Service is made up of two teams; commissioning, and quality and care provisioning. These service areas provide focus on strategic commissioning activity, with a robust work programme and priorities in place, and then on the oversight of the commissioned market as well as care provisioning (brokerage) services. Each led by a Head of Service, the teams will have responsibility for ensuring that residents of Oldham with care and support needs can have confidence in the local care sector to deliver services of choice, that are of good quality and sustainable, and able to provide support in a strength based, preventative way.

Our services are inclusive and recognise the diverse needs of the borough. We will work in partnership to create the conditions for our communities to stay safe, well and remain independent for as long as possible. We want our residents to experience and live the highest quality of life possible. You will be joining a fantastic team in a supportive and dynamic environment.

As our Commissioning Manager, you will take the lead on:

• Developing strategic commissioning plans for specific cohorts and commissioning activity ensuring clear actions and timeframes for meeting identified objectives.
• Engaging with the wider provider market to stimulate, shape, and secure highquality, sustainable services that meet the needs of residents with complex needs and challenging behaviours.
• Reviewing and repurposing existing provision to maximise local capacity and reduce reliance on highcost external placements.
• Analysing demand and cost pressures, including the needs of younger adults aged 1825, to inform longterm commissioning strategies.
• Driving innovation in service models, outcomesbased commissioning, and personalised support.
• Working collaboratively with operational teams, providers, partners, and people with lived experience to codesign solutions that deliver better outcomes closer to home.

Key Requirements:

• Demonstrable and recent experience of delivering commissioning priorities endtoend, with clear evidence of leading all stages of the commissioning cycle from initial concept and needs analysis, through procurement and market engagement, to contract implementation, performance monitoring, and continuous improvement.
• A proven track record of effective leadership within a complex health and adult social care environment, showing the ability to navigate organisational challenges, drive change, and deliver measurable outcomes for people with complex needs.
• Evidence of successful engagement and partnershipbuilding with a wide range of stakeholders, including housing providers, supported living and residential care providers, health partners, voluntary sector organisations, and internal operational teams demonstrating the ability to influence, negotiate, and coproduce solutions that shape the local market.

About Us:

We want Oldham to have vibrant, safe neighbourhoods where people are proud to live with opportunities for healthier, more fulfilled lives; and a sustainable, thriving economy. As we look to the future, the challenges may be significant, but so are the opportunities. We’ve identified three missions with our residents and partners, focusing on what will deliver the biggest impact:

A Great Place to Live, Healthier, Happier Lives, and Green and Growing.

We’re looking for candidates who will support us to achieve our ambitions and we encourage you to download our Corporate Plan: Ready for the Future and our Oldham Plan for further information.

Our Values and Behaviours:

By driving innovation, investing in our people, and championing our communities, we will ensure that Oldham continues to be a place where everyone can live their best life. To support this, we have three core values which define who we are and how we operate. These are ‘Proud, Ambitious, and Together’, and they shape our culture, inform our decisions, and inspire us to deliver on our commitments to the people of Oldham.

We have translated these values into five behaviours which guide our actions and are the standards we hold ourselves to, day in and day out:

• Work with a resident focus
• Support local leaders
• Committed to the borough
• Delivery high performance
• Take ownership and drive change

You can find out more about our values and behaviours on our greater.jobs Oldham page

Our Benefits Package:

At Oldham Council we offer a great benefits package for our employees, which includes the following:

• 25 days annual leave which increases after 5 and 10-years’ service
• The option to purchase additional annual leave.
• An attractive LGPS benefit pension scheme with the option to make shared cost additional voluntary contributions.
• Discounted gym membership with Oldham Active.
• Staff discount scheme for shopping, entertainment, eating-out, eating-in, travel, motoring and more.
• Salary sacrifice scheme for home and electronics and Cycle to Work.
• Wellbeing support, including a Mental Health First Aider network and an Employment Assistance Programme that provides 24 hours access to advice and support.
• Staff recognition and celebration events.
• Peer support groups

Inclusive Recruitment:

We work closely with employees to help them work at their best, including making adjustments such as flexible working, describing available working patterns, providing equipment or making changes to the workplace.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and therefore expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you have lived or worked abroad for 3 months or more in the last 5 years or 12 months or more (whether continuously or in total) in the last 10 years whilst aged 18 or over, please refer to the link below for details for how to obtain your Certificates of Good Character. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

Unfortunately, at this time we are not able to offer sponsorship.

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.

If you’re an applicant with disabilities and have previously been in or currently in care, a carer, someone who has served in the Armed Forces, or you’ve participated in the GM Elevate Programme, and you meet the essential criteria of the role, you are guaranteed to reach the first stage of assessment under our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme.

Data and Privacy:

For details of how we use your data please see our Privacy Notice

Important Information:

Please note that should a vacancy that has been released for internal or external recruitment be deemed suitable for a current employee at risk of redundancy, it can be pulled back at any point, up to the post being formally offered to a candidate who is not at risk of redundancy.

Right to Work in the UK from 1st July 2021.doc