Commissioning Contract Team Manager

Sufficiency Team Manager - Commissioning, Home Finding and Business Development

Working hours: 35 hours per week
Contract type: Full Time / Temporary (2 Year Fixed Term)
Closing Date: 19 May 2026
Closing time: 11.59pm
Interview method: In person (Face to Face)

This Role is Subject to:

Applicants must have existing rights to work in the UK, as visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

• Legal right to Work:In accordance with Home Office guidance, successful candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK before commencement of employment.

• DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) clearance - this post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (amended in 2013). Appointable candidates will be required to apply for an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. Information provided by you or the DBS will be dealt with in a confidential manner and in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice which can be viewed here. We have a policy on the Employment of Ex-Offenders, and it is available upon request.

About Manchester

Manchester is an ambitious city that is committed to doing the best for children and young people. At the heart of this is making sure children are supported to live in safe, stable and nurturing homes, and that the services around them work well together.

Children’s placements are becoming more complex. The external care market is under pressure, and the impact of instability can be significant for children. In response, Manchester is strengthening its sufficiency, commissioning and placement arrangements to improve stability, oversight and outcomes.

This role is central to that work.

About the role

We are recruiting to a new Sufficiency Team Manager post within the Contracts and Commissioning Service. This role will be the designated Sufficiency Manager for the service, with day‑to‑day responsibility for leading sufficiency activity across commissioning and placement pathways.

A major part of this role is leading the implementation of Manchester’s Provider Portal, which will become a key tool for how we work with providers across placements and commissioning.

The Provider Portal – a key part of this role

One of the Sufficiency Team Manager’s primary responsibilities will be to lead and embed the Provider Portal within commissioning and placement activity.

The portal represents Manchester’s future way of working with providers. It will support clearer communication, stronger oversight and more consistent processes by bringing placement, quality and financial information together in one place. This will reduce duplication, cut out unnecessary manual processes and improve transparency for providers and internal teams alike.

The Sufficiency Team Manager will ensure the portal is not just implemented but used well. This includes supporting staff and providers to adopt it, embedding it into everyday practice, and making sure the information it produces is actively used to support better decision‑making, quality assurance and sufficiency planning.

What you’ll do in practice

• As Sufficiency Team Manager, you will provide clear leadership across sufficiency, commissioning and placement coordination. You will oversee responses to urgent and complex situations, ensuring children are supported safely and proportionately.
• You will work closely with the Home Finding Team to support timely placement matching, stability planning and step‑across moves, reducing the need for emergency or unregistered provision wherever possible. You will also provide oversight of quality assurance and due diligence activity, including responding to provider concerns and Ofsted‑related issues.
• A key part of the role is strengthening relationships with providers. You will promote open, professional and constructive engagement, helping providers understand expectations while ensuring children’s needs remain central.
• You will also be responsible for ensuring that placement, referral and market data is collected, understood and shared with senior leaders, supporting Manchester’s Sufficiency Strategy and longer‑term planning.

Where this role sits

The Sufficiency Team Manager leads the Sufficiency Team and is responsible for sufficiency activity across commissioning and placements.

The Business Development Team already exists within the service and focuses on wider market shaping and strategic commissioning work. While you will work closely with this team, it will remain under separate management. This role brings those strands together operationally, ensuring sufficiency activity is aligned, coordinated and effective.

What we’re looking for

We are looking for a confident, thoughtful and supportive manager with experience in Children’s Services, particularly placements, commissioning or sufficiency.

You will understand the realities of placement pressure and market challenge and be comfortable working at pace while keeping children’s needs at the centre of decision‑making. You will be able to build trust with providers and colleagues, manage risk sensibly, and lead teams through change.

Strong leadership, good judgement and a practical mindset are essential, as is the ability to turn strategy into day‑to‑day delivery.

You will have:

• Experience in Children’s Services, particularly placements, sufficiency or commissioning
• Evidence of implementing and co-ordinating a project such as the provider portal.
• Strong understanding of provider markets, risk and safeguarding
• Confidence working at pace and managing complexity
• Experience leading teams and embedding new ways of working
• A child‑centred, practical approach that balances compassion with challenge

Why this role is important

This role will make a tangible difference to children, carers and providers by improving placement stability, strengthening quality assurance and creating more confident, consistent commissioning practice.

If you want to lead meaningful change, improve how we work with providers, and play a key role in shaping the future of placements and commissioning in Manchester - this is an opportunity to make a real difference.

We’re the local council for one of the UK’s most vibrant and diverse cities. 

Working for Manchester isn’t just a job – it’s an opportunity to contribute to a city that leads change and transforms lives. Whether it’s strengthening communities or driving innovation in public services, you’ll play a vital role in creating opportunities and shaping a brighter future for everyone. 

Our Manchester is our vision for a fairer, greener, and healthier city – a vision shaped by the people of Manchester. It guides everything we do at the Council and is brought to life through the Our Manchester behaviours:

• We take time to listen and understand
• We work together and trust each other
• We show that we value our differences and treat each other fairly
• We ‘own it’ and we’re not afraid to try new things
• We’re proud and passionate about Manchester

Benefits we offer 

• Generous holiday allowance - Enjoy up to 26 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays. Increasing to 31 days after five years of local government service. Want more leave? You can purchase up to two additional weeks. 
• A buzzing pension - You’ll be enrolled in the UK’s largest local government pension scheme, with plenty of options to top up your benefits. Includes life cover of three-times your salary as a lump sum. 
• Enhanced parental and carers leave - Take advantage of our enhanced family leave options, designed to provide ample time for you to bond with your new born or support your family during critical life events. 
• Brilliant perks - Access a range of discounts, from saving on the weekly shop to holidays and days out with MCR+. Plus discounts on phone contracts, cycle to work scheme, free flu jabs and eye tests, and more. 
• Learn and grow - We are dedicated to nurturing talent and providing you with the tools to thrive. Take part in a diverse set of learning opportunities, from workshops and training sessions through to apprenticeships and qualifications. All this begins with our comprehensive onboarding process. 
• A Good Employment Charter member - We are committed to offering secure, flexible work and embedding fairness into everything we do. We review pay annually, recognize three trade unions, and are constantly working to offer the best possible health and wellbeing support throughout all stages of your working life. 
• Up to 3 days volunteering leave - Give back to the community with three days pro-rate of paid volunteering leave, in addition to existing benefits. 

Creating an Inclusive Team at Manchester City Council 

At Manchester City Council, we’re dedicated to creating a workplace that truly reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We actively welcome applications from people of all ages and backgrounds, particularly from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities, Disabled people and young people. 

Support During the Process

• Interview Adjustments: Let us know if you need any adjustments to demonstrate your suitability during the interview.
• Accessible Formats: Our ReciteMe tool can be accessed through the "Accessibility tools" button at the top of our careers page. This tool offers features like text-to-speech, translation into multiple languages, and adjustable text size and colour to make our site more accessible for everyone. 

Guaranteed Assessment Scheme 

We guarantee assessments for applicants who meet the minimum shortlisting requirements for the role and identify with at least one of the criteria below:

• Members of the Armed Forces members or veterans
• Current or former care leavers
• Have a disability or long-term condition

 When You Join Us 

We’re a Disability Confident Employer, offering:

• A workplace adjustment hub which provides specialist support, advice and guidance to ensure you have the adjustments needed to thrive at work.
• Disabled Staff Network, Neurodiversity Staff Network and Mental Health Staff Network that provides a safe inclusive space to share experiences and opportunities to influence council practice.
• A strong commitment to ensuring all information adheres to accessibility standards and that our workplaces are accessible and disability-friendly.

For more information about the role or any adjustments, email [email protected]. 

What we will need from you if you’re successful 

In accordance with Home Office guidance, successful candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK before commencement of employment. This is not a role we consider to be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route based on Manchester City Council policy. Candidates are therefore encouraged to consider their own right to work options without the requirement for Manchester City Council sponsorship.  

Pre-Employment Checks 

If you are successful in securing a position with us, the pre-employment checks required will depend on the role you’ve applied for. As a guide, these checks may include:

• Proof of Right to Work: You’ll need to provide documentary evidence of your right to work in the UK. Please note, visa sponsorship is not guaranteed for this role.
• References: We’ll require references from your current and previous employer(s).
• Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check: A criminal record check may be necessary, depending on the role.

These checks are an important part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our workforce and the community we serve. 

Other relevant information 

We want everyone to be able to be themselves at work and give their best. If you need additional support to undertake the duties of the role, we’ll make every effort to source any necessary aids, adaptations or equipment. If, however, any task proves to be unachievable, we will look at redesigning parts of the role. 

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