Senior Commissioning Manager

Gloucestershire County Council is seeking a confident and commercially minded Senior Commissioning Manager to lead our Adult Social Care Contracts Team, overseeing a diverse portfolio of contracts that underpin the delivery of care, support and wider Adult Social Care services. This is a senior, hands‑on leadership role combining strategic oversight with effective day‑to‑day management of the Contracts Team. You will ensure strong supplier and provider performance, contractual compliance and risk management in line with our Contract Management Framework, while improving data quality, systems use and performance insight.

Working across commissioning, brokerage, quality assurance, finance, legal services and operational teams, as well as with suppliers and regulated providers, you will ensure contract activity supports effective service delivery, value for money and wider strategic priorities. You will also develop robust, future‑ready processes and governance as the organisation prepares for Local Government Reorganisation. As Senior Commissioning Manager (Contracts), you will lead and develop the Contracts Team and provide strategic oversight of a diverse portfolio of complex contractual arrangements.

You will set clear expectations, strengthen accountability and ensure contract management is consistent, evidence‑led and focused on quality, value and outcomes for residents.

• Provide strong day‑to‑day leadership, line management and development for the Contracts Team, including supervision, one‑to‑one meetings, team meetings and performance management.
• Lead a significant and diverse portfolio covering regulated care and support services, together with other commissioned services and requirements that support Adult Social Care delivery.
• Maintain a strong focus on supplier and provider performance and contractual compliance in line with the Contract Management Framework.
• Ensure contract activity, decisions, risks and actions are accurately recorded and managed across key systems.
• Lead the implementation and effective use of dashboards, strengthening data quality, system alignment and performance insight.
• Triage and coordinate complex contractual, supplier or provider issues across commissioning, brokerage, quality assurance, operational, finance and legal teams.
• Lead negotiations, contract reviews, variations and commercial discussions.
• Provide strategic oversight of contractual risk, improvement activity and the sustainability of key services and markets.
• Ensure robust governance, assurance and reporting arrangements are consistently applied and support future organisational requirements.
• Support the procurement, mobilisation and implementation of new services and contractual arrangements.
• Advise senior leaders on contractual, commercial, service and market risks, identifying improvements that strengthen compliance, value for money and outcomes for residents.

You will play a pivotal role in embedding strong contract management practice and ensuring Adult Social Care services are well governed, effectively delivered and responsive to changing needs. It is a legal requirement, under the Immigration Act 2016, that anyone appointed to a 'customer facing role' must be able to demonstrate an ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in fluent English.

Hybrid working arrangements are available for the majority of our roles, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice, with a mix of both remote and office working.

Additional experience of procurement, supplier or provider relationship management, service mobilisation or transformation would be advantageous.

• Substantial leadership and…