Senior Commissioning Officer

We are committed to the development of our workforce. This position is only available to applicants who already work for Surrey County Council.  We thank you for your interest in our roles and would encourage you to review our vacancies which are open to all.

This permanent role has a starting salary of £48,698 per annum, based on a 36-hour working week.

We have a great opportunity to join our Children's Social Care Commissioning Service, as a Senior Commissioning Officer.

We support hybrid working with the right balance. We come together in person for 1 day per week on average (20% of the working week) and support working from home the rest of the time, although it is important to note that you will be required additionally to travel to visit service providers and attend in-person meetings to deliver the role.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents.

About The Role

Join us to lead the commissioning of short breaks services for children with disabilities in Surrey, including overnight short breaks, play and leisure schemes and inclusive community-based services. These important services support children to thrive and families to remain resilient and connected. You will also support wider commissioning of other services for children with disabilities, as well as services for looked after children and care leavers.

Sitting within our Children's Social Care Commissioning Service, you will bring a range of commissioning skills and experience within children's social care or related services to help drive ambitious transformation, improve outcomes, and ensure services are delivered sustainably and effectively.

On a day-to-day basis you will be involved in the following activity:

• Working in partnership with our short breaks providers and managing their contracts, ensuring planned services are delivered so that Surrey's children with disabilities receive high-quality, outcomes-focussed, safe and effective support.
• Engaging with a wide range of partners and stakeholders to support effective commissioning and delivery, including other commissioning teams, social work teams, third sector organisations, education providers and others.
• Working on commissioning projects from start to finish, supporting all aspects of the Commissioning cycle, including activities like needs analysis, service evaluation and review, options appraisals, business cases, tendering activities and contract mobilisation. This will include leading specific projects as agreed.
• Writing high-quality reports and proposals based on complex qualitative and quantitative data to help inform change.
• Reviewing, interpreting and advising on commissioning and contract queries in partnership with Procurement, Legal and Finance colleagues to provide pragmatic problem-solving solutions.
• Supporting co-design and co-production activities with children, young people, families and partners, to help develop and shape any future provision.

Surrey County Council is preparing for the generational change of local government reorganisation in April 2027, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027 – East Surrey and West Surrey. You will play a key role in ensuring all short breaks services are able and ready to transfer safely and legally on 1 April 2027 ("vesting day") to the new authorities, whilst also ensuring they continue to deliver what is needed for children with disabilities and their families in Surrey. As part of this, your role will transfer to East or West Surrey from 1 April, so we especially welcome applicants with a broad range of skills and experience within children's commissioning who can help the new organisations to succeed.

This is a high-impact role where your work will directly improve the lives of children with disabilities and their families. You'll be part of a forward-thinking team committed to ensuring no one is left behind, while helping to shape services for the future. If you are motivated by meaningful change, thrive in a complex environment, and want to play a key role through a period of transformation, we'd love to hear from you.

Your Application 

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours :

• Degree qualified, relevant professional qualification or significant vocational experience within commissioning and an understanding of the commissioning cycle
• Experience of working on commissioning projects in a children's social care or related context, successfully managing competing demands and priorities
• Experience of engaging and communicating with multiple stakeholders
• Demonstrable problem-solving skills with the ability to use initiative to independently devise, develop and implement beneficial changes
• Experience of data analysis and strong written report writing skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including facilitation and presentation skills that have influenced positive change
• Strong negotiation and commercial skills

To apply, we request that you submit a CV and answer the following 4 questions:

1. What motivated you to apply for this role and what skills and experience do you bring that will enable you to succeed?
2. What do you think will be the top three key challenges and/or priorities within the first six months of this role and how would you address these?
3. Please tell us about a time when you have effectively delivered a commissioning project within a children's social care or related service area. What work stages did you go through and how did you ensure your work supported improved outcomes for children and families, whilst also delivering value for money?
4. What types and sources of information, evidence, and data (both qualitative and quantitative) do you think commissioners should draw on to support effective commissioning? Please tell us about a project where you needed to do this, the skills and approaches you used to analyse the available information and how this informed your or others' decision making.

Before submitting your application, we recommend you read the job description & Our Life at Surrey handbook to get an insight into working at Surrey.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 20/09/2026 with interviews planned for the week commencing 28/09/2026.

Contact Us

Please contact us for any questions relating to the role. This could be to discuss flexible working requests, transferable skills or any barriers to employment.

Please contact Chris Tisdall and/or Conrad Benefield via email or on MS Teams.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities. 

Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents! Please see more information here: Information for applicants on Local Government Reorganisation - Surrey County Council

Our Commitment

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum shortlisting criteria, as displayed on the advert, we guarantee you an interview.

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.