Commissioning Manager – SEND & Alternative Provision

Priority Candidates will be considered in the first instance

Salary: Grade 10, £45,091 - £49,282 per annum.

37 hours per week

We're on a journey to build a workforce reflective of our Borough.

We are committed to fostering diverse teams where everybody can bring their authentic selves to work and feel that they belong. If you want to work for a Council where everybody is encouraged to meet their full potential and make a difference in our neighbourhoods, we would love to hear from you!

Your role:

As the Commissioning Manager for SEND & Alternative Provision you will work positively with all key stakeholders to manage the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of commissioned services for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those accessing Alternative Provision, ensuring that these arrangements deliver value for money and improved outcomes for Wigan’s children and young people.

You will develop and embed robust Quality Assurance Processes across all aspects of all commissioned SEND and Alternative Provision services to ensure a culture of performance management that drives continuous improvement. Identify and implement new ways of working in line with best practice and establish credible plans for future commissioning developments.

As part of this role, you will ensure that the Council is compliant with its statutory duties and work collaboratively with other services and teams across the council and its partner agencies to address the needs of children and young people.

About you:

You will be a dynamic and proactive leader and take responsibility for overseeing the procurement, contract management and quality assurance of SEND services and commissioned placements with independent education and alternative provision providers.

You will need a solid working knowledge of SEND and Alternative Provision legislation and statutory guidance, including:

• Children and Families Act 2014
• Education Act 1996
• Keeping Children Safe in Education
• Ofsted inspection frameworks

As well as a strong understanding of the needs of children and young people with SEND and those accessing Alternative Provision, and how commissioned services improve outcomes.

You will need effective skills in designing and embedding quality assurance frameworks, performance management of external providers, using measurable outcomes and service standards and evaluating services to drive continuous improvement and value for money

The role requires excellent communication, influencing and relationship building skills, confidence to challenge and support improvement, sound professional judgement, and the ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and use IT systems effectively to drive continuous improvement.

About us:

Wigan Council has been voted ‘Overall Council of the Year’ at the APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) Awards. We are signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment ensuring that your service will be continuous or 'unbroken' between the supporting organisations.

The Progress with Unity plan is a place movement for change for the next decade, bringing a new era for Wigan Borough. It draws on the strengths of our individual organisations, recognising that together we can achieve much more for our communities by delivering on our 2 place missions; create fair opportunities for all children, families, residents and businesses and make our towns and neighbourhoods flourish for those who live and work in them.

At Wigan, we are always striving to improve what we do, and pivotal to this are our amazing staff. It’s a really exciting time to be a part of Team Wigan in the education service and contribute to the transformation of our services and outcomes for children and families. Our culture supports staff to flourish, be skilled and motivated to make a positive impact on children’s lives. We want our staff to be happy, healthy and confident in helping our children and families to fulfil their aspirations

The SEND team has an obligation to meet the statutory guidelines of the Special Educational Needs (SEN&D) Code of Practice. Our main responsibly is to focus on supporting families through the Education, Health and Care (EHC) process, writing EHC plans and attending review meetings with families. We work closely with a range of key partners and stakeholders’ professionals, which results in effective multiagency working. We provide support to families, schools and colleges and other educational settings to ensure children and young people are educated appropriately in the right setting to meet their needs. We will provide you with a supportive working environment and give you the opportunity to learn and develop further within the organisation.

Here at Wigan, we are proud to support flexible working patterns, when the service can accommodate this. We also take a blended approach to where we work, depending on the work we do. This may include working from home, the office, or the community. We like to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment by giving them the opportunity to access a range of exclusive rewards and benefits click here to find out more about working for #TeamWigan.

To be appointed to this role you must be able to prove your right to work in the UK. Please visit the link below to check you qualify to apply. Please note, at present we are not a licenced sponsor. Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Prove your right to work to an employer

For an informal discussion about this role, please contact Melanie Allen - Service Manager - SEND on 01942 486136 or m.allen1@wigan.gov.uk

Priority Candidates Interview date: Thursday 21^st May 2026

Interview date: Thursday 28th May 2026

To view the details relating to this position, please click the links below: