Commercial Contract Manager

Staffordshire County Council spends over £500m per annum on purchasing services and supplies. A significant part of that spend is managed within the Commercial Team.

The Commercial Contract Manager is responsible for managing a portfolio of contracts, throughout their lifecycle. Working with a variety of stakeholders, providers and partners, to drive continuous improvement, whilst building collaborative relationships.

The role will ensure providers meet their obligations for contract compliance, effective performance, efficiency, service outcomes and value for money. Keeping a focus on performance and quality, you will be responsible for maximising operational and financial performance whilst minimising risk, from contract inception to exit and re-commission.

There are two permanent posts available, with flexibility for the right candidate:

Post 1 – Full time 37 Hours

Post 2 – Part time 15 Hours

Please can you state in the Supporting Statement section of your application whether you are interested in the full time role, part time role or either.

Some of your responsibilities will include to,

• Manage a portfolio of contracts for their effectiveness, outcomes, service standards and value for money, with effective contractual governance
• Design, develop, manage and monitor performance, outcomes and quality assurance frameworks
• Ensure provider contract compliance, identify and address non-compliance
• Draft, issue and manage contract documentation including variations, notices, finance schedules, specifications and performance standards
• Establish effective working relationships and engagement with stakeholders to assess contracts, services, feedback and customer insight. Investigate complaints, disputes, respond to service failures and implement contingencies
• Analyse, benchmark and report contract monitoring data to shape service improvements, monitor contract budgets and financial arrangements
• Contribute to shaping service design, specifications, tender selection, assessing the impact of commissioning decisions, decommissioning and exit planning

The role may include contract management of social care, health and education related services for children, families and adults.

We are looking for you to have,

• A degree (level 6) or equivalent relevant experience
• A good knowledge of contract management processes
• Experience of effective contract management, within a commissioning, contracting or procurement environment, aimed at improving outcomes for people
• Experience of managing relationships with external organisations
• Excellent literacy and communications skills. Including experience of producing clear, concise, high-quality reports and presenting information to different audiences
• Good IT skills and excellent numeracy and statistical skills, to gather and analyse complex data to evaluate options and translate into appropriate actions

“We’re happy to talk flexible working”

Interviews will be held on Tuesday 19th August 2025

Don’t feel you meet all the requirements? We value transferable skills and experiences. For more information about the role please contact: Deena Hughes and Cate Crawford, Commercial Team Leaders, via email: deena.hughes@staffordshire.gov.uk and cate.crawford@staffordshire.gov.uk

Our Recruitment Process: We anonymise applications during shortlisting to ensure only relevant information is considered. Please complete your application fully, especially the supporting statement, to highlight what you’ll bring to the role.

We are no ordinary county council:

Our Values:

The core of who we are as an organisation. Just like we all have personal values that shape our thoughts and behaviour, organisational values drive how we think and act collectively.

Our values were created and shaped by colleague feedback and national best practice and they sit at the heart of People Strategy:

We have a real sense of community spirit that brings our people together. This feeling of belonging means we are all connected to what we do and take pride in the difference we make every day for Staffordshire people. We are ambitious and our sights are set firmly on a better future.

We look forward and race ahead - that goes for your career too.

Our benefits:

We recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive working environment where employees can achieve their full potential and achieve a healthy work-life balance.

In addition to your salary, as a member of staff, you will have access to Our rewards and benefits - Careers at Staffordshire

Our recruitment process:

As an Authority we are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Staffordshire County Council is an equal opportunities organisation and Disability Confident employer. We encourage applications from all background and communities

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the minimum criteria for the post.