Commissioning Lead

Deadline for applications: Sunday 27th September 2026 at 10pm

Job Role: Commissioning Lead, East Midlands Regional Care Cooperative (RCC)

Salary & Benefits: £75,000–£85,000 a year, 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, generous pension scheme, hybrid working arrangements. Secondment arrangements may differ.

Start date: November 2026

Contract type: Fixed-term contract or secondment opportunity until 31st March 2028, with continuation subject to funding and approval. Any secondment arrangement will be subject to agreement with the successful candidate's current employer.

Basis: Full time (37.5 hours)

Employment location: The role will be based in Leicester, with hybrid working and regular travel across the East Midlands.

Job category: Leadership, children's social care and commissioning, sufficiency, market shaping and improvement, programme management.

Host organisation: RCC roles will be hosted by SDSA Leicester on behalf of the East Midlands local authorities.

Help shape the future of children’s care, regional sufficiency and collaborative commissioning across the East Midlands. The East Midlands is creating one of the country’s new Regional Care Co-operatives (RCCs) – a major public sector reform programme covering all ten upper-tier local authorities, bringing together regional commissioning, sufficiency planning, fostering development, market engagement, data and improvement activity through a powerful new collaborative model.

Role Overview

The RCC Commissioning Lead will lead the development and delivery of the East Midlands Regional Care Cooperative’s commissioning and sufficiency activity.

Sitting at the heart of the RCC’s ambition to reshape regional sufficiency, the postholder will help reduce reliance on high-cost, unstable and distant placements by supporting local authorities to understand demand, influence provider markets and commission more effectively together. The role combines strategic commissioning, market understanding, data and intelligence, provider engagement and partnership leadership.

Key Responsibilities

  • Regional sufficiency and strategy: Lead the Regional Sufficiency Strategy, turn data and intelligence into clear priorities, and promote needs-led, outcomes-focused and ethical commissioning.
  • Market shaping and provider engagement: Build open, constructive relationships with fostering, residential and specialist providers, and use market intelligence to identify risks, gaps and opportunities.
  • Collaborative commissioning and procurement: Develop joint commissioning approaches across the ten East Midlands local authorities, and work with procurement, legal, finance and contract colleagues to ensure compliance and value.
  • Partnerships, delivery and improvement: Build trusted relationships with local authority commissioning and sufficiency leads, and ensure children, young people, families, carers and practitioners help shape commissioning activity.

How to Apply

For more details about the role download the application pack. Please apply by submitting the following three documents to jobs@sdsa.net:

  • CV – including an explanation of any gaps in employment.
  • Supporting statement – a maximum of two sides of A4 demonstrating how your knowledge, skills and experience meet the requirements set out in the application pack.
  • Application form – a short form which captures your contact details, references and equal opportunities information. The form is available to download above.

Closing date: Sunday 27th September 2026 at 10pm

Successful applicants contacted: By Friday 2nd October 2026

Interviews held: Week commencing 5th October 2026, at the SDSA Office in Leicester City Centre

All applications will be acknowledged via email within 48 hours of receipt. If you have not received confirmation within this time, please call 0116 299 5942.