Principal Social Value Officer

Grade I scp 31 £ 41,771 to scp 35 £ 46,142

Contract: FTC, 2 Years

Hours: 37 per week

Essential qualifications: A relevant degree level qualification or equivalent experience

Interview date: TBC

For further information about this role, contact:

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Please read the detailed information at the bottom of this advert before you make an application as it may be rejected if we detect AI use.

Ask us about flexible working options to fit with your work/life balance.

£41,771 to £46,142 - pay award pending

Are you passionate about creating meaningful social and economic impact? Do you thrive in a dynamic, collaborative and supportive team environment? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for you!

The council is on a mission to maximise social value for our residents, communities and local economy. We’re driven by ambitious goals and a fresh approach to how social value is embedded across everything we do. Now, we’re looking for a dedicated Principal Social Value Officer to join us.

As a Principal Social Value Officer, you’ll lead the development and delivery of the council’s Corporate Social Value Programme, ensuring a consistent and ambitious approach across procurement, commissioning and grant making. You’ll be at the heart of embedding social value into how the council and its partners operate, helping to translate commitments into real outcomes for residents and communities.

You’ll drive forward key priorities such as developing policy and performance frameworks, supporting major procurements and capital projects to maximise impact, and strengthening how we capture, measure and report social and economic benefits. The role will also involve working closely with commissioners, suppliers, partners and the voluntary and community sector to secure high-quality social value outcomes and develop innovative approaches to delivery.

This is a strategic and collaborative role, where you’ll champion social value across the organisation and beyond, building capability, influencing decision‑making and ensuring Bolton continues to deliver meaningful and measurable impact.

For an informal conversation about the role please contact

You will have a strong understanding of social value policy, legislation and best practice, along with experience of applying this within a local government or public service context. You’ll be confident thinking strategically about how social value can deliver wider social, economic and environmental benefits, and able to translate this into practical approaches.

You’ll bring excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to work effectively with commissioners, suppliers, partners and communities to secure impactful outcomes. You should also be able to analyse complex information, develop solutions and influence across a large and complex organisation.

Strong project and programme management skills are essential, including experience of leading cross‑cutting work and delivering strategic initiatives. You’ll also have experience of developing frameworks and approaches to measuring and reporting impact.

An understanding of the wider local government context is important, along with a commitment to improving outcomes for residents and reducing inequalities.

Candidates must also possess a relevant degree level qualification or equivalent experience.

This post is a designated customer facing role under the fluency duty and requires a specified level of spoken English as per the person specification.

This organisation has signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment. That means we will recognise your continuous or ‘unbroken’ service in any Greater Manchester local authority or NHS organisation that has signed the commitment, Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service or Greater Manchester Combined Authority, giving you access to our service‑related benefits.

Within Greater Manchester, local authorities have made a commitment to improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities, care leavers, carers, and ex‑military personnel. Please see greater.jobs for further information before you apply.

As an employer we want to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment, by giving them the opportunity to access a range of exclusive rewards and benefits, including discounts and exclusive gym membership prices and salary sacrifice schemes. In addition, we offer a generous annual leave allowance, flexible work opportunities, access to a Pension Scheme, as well as a range of employee wellbeing and support services.