Specialist Provision Officer (Commissioning)

- Suffolk County Council
- Address: Endeavour House, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 2BX, hybrid working
- Salary: £35,570 per annum (pro rata for part time)
- Hours: 37 hours per week, flexible working options available
- Contract: Permanent

At Suffolk County Council we’re passionate about improving the future for our customers, our communities and the environment. If you are too, join us as a Specialist Provision Officer (Commissioning) and make a huge and meaningful impact. Your innovation and drive will help us to continue improving and evolving. Our opportunities and support will enable you to make a difference and leave a positive, lasting legacy.

Reimagine the possibilities.

Your role and responsibilities

You will report to the Specialist Provision Manager and will be at the forefront in ensuring that robust contract management arrangements are embedded across independent providers. You will work directly with providers, be involved in service redesign, market development, procurement, provider relationships and contract management activity.

Alongside multi-agency and partnership working, some of the key responsibilities of this role include:

- ensuring that providers continue to comply with contractual expectations through data analysis and review meetings
- supporting the development of new provision within Suffolk to enhance our local offer and to ensure children and young people in Suffolk receive high-quality education
- supporting Service Officers to write service delivery specifications which are based on evidenced needs, demands, legislative requirements, national best practice, county council policy, resources available and the views of stakeholders
- ensuring effective co-production takes place within commissioning and procurement of services.

You will need

- a suitable qualification at level 5 or equivalent experience in a relevant area of work
- experience of commissioning and contract management
- experience of service improvement and continued quality assurance
- the ability to record information in minutes and/or reports
- experience of collaborative approaches through effective partnership working.
- to be able to assess and manage risk, set clear priorities and manage competing demands.

You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (JPP), which you can find in the ‘How to apply’ section towards the bottom of this advert.

Please take a look at our ideal worker poster.

If you believe you can succeed in this role, apply. Even if you don't meet all requirements, still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application.

The team

The Provider Services Team is seeking motivated and innovative Specialist Provision Officer's to work as part of a team who ensure that our specialist education settings are providing the quality provision that Suffolk County expect and continue to comply with contractual expectations. If you have experience in commissioning and contract management, then this may be the role for you.

The team are responsible for the development and delivery of the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Sufficiency Plan to improve the local offer and outcomes for children and young people with SEND and ensuring there is high-quality management information to inform need and service gap analysis. We are also responsible for provider development and management and quality of specialist education provision.

Shaping Careers and Learning

We want to champion talent and seek to continuously develop everyone’s professional knowledge, potential and job satisfaction. Through accessible learning opportunities and clear career pathways we aim to identify individual strengths, diversify skill sets and enable all people, to build influential and impactful careers.

Empowering Everyone

We’re big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report .

For more information

Please contact Emily Alleyne (she/her) for a casual conversation. You can contact her by emailing [email protected] .

To apply please ensure

Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (Word) .

Step 2 - Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application.

Step 3 - Upload a supporting statement answering the following questions below (no more than 400 words per question). You should use the Supporting Statement template (Word) .

1. Tell us about a time when you contributed to the commissioning, procurement or development of a service. What was your role and what did you achieve?

2. Describe an occasion when you scrutinised costs, budgets or expenditure to ensure value for money. What factors did you consider?

3. Tell us about a time when you used complex data to identify a trend, risk or service improvement. What did you do and what was the outcome?

4. Tell us about a time when you worked collaboratively with colleagues, partners or service users to shape a service or reach a shared decision. How did you ensure different views were considered?

Step 4 - Upload a CV (without name and personal details).

Please note: Without a supporting statement and CV, your interest will not be progressed. Any supporting documents must be in either PDF or MS Word format.

For guidance on completing your application, please see our How to Apply page .

Planning to use Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Please ensure your application still reflects your own skills, experience and ideas. If used inappropriately, your application may not be processed. Please read our guidance for using AI to understand what’s acceptable.

Do you need any reasonable adjustments to help you to apply? If you are disabled and/or have additional support needs, you can request reasonable adjustments. You can do this by contacting our Recruitment Team at   [email protected]   or   03456 014412 . You can find examples of possible adjustments on our Reasonable Adjustment pages .

Closing date: 11.30pm, 19 October 2026

Interview date: 26 October 2026 in person, Ipswich

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts. #LI-Hybrid