Commissioning Officer

Job Title: Commissioning Officer(s)
Starting Salary: £42,839 progressing to £47,181 per annum (pro rata for part time) - Pay award pending
Hours: 37
Location: Countywide - Hybrid
Contract Type:

• Post 1: Fixed-term until March 2027 (with potential for extension subject to budget approval)
• Post 2: Fixed-term until September 2027

About the team

The Service Delivery Team consists of 17 commissioning and project management colleagues responsible for a range of duties including commissioning a wide range of public health services from both internal and external providers. The team also leads transformational programmes and provides project management support across the Public Health department.

About the role

As a Commissioning Officer, you will work closely with a Commissioning Manager to support the delivery of the full commissioning cycle, including service planning, procurement, contract mobilisation, performance management, service improvement and redesign.

Areas of responsibility may include primary care services, mental health provision, services for children and young people, health improvement programmes and public health information systems. You will also contribute to wider commissioning activity across other service areas in response to organisational priorities and emerging needs.

The role requires close collaboration with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including County Council services, district and borough authorities, commissioned providers, NHS organisations and voluntary and community sector partners. You will play a key role in ensuring services are effectively designed, commissioned and delivered in line with strategic public health objectives.

You will be responsible for managing your own areas of responsibility while contributing to a collaborative and supportive team environment. The role offers opportunities to influence service design, support strategic priorities and promote commissioning best practice across the organisation.

About you

We are seeking a highly skilled commissioning professional with experience in public health and/or the NHS or similar environment who can confidently manage complex commissioning activity, develop strong partnerships and deliver high-quality outcomes in a fast-paced environment.

You will be:

• Highly experienced in public health commissioning, NHS or similar environments with a strong understanding of the full commissioning lifecycle, including needs assessment, market development, procurement, contract mobilisation, performance management and service redesign.
• Able to apply procurement legislation and best practice, with strong knowledge of the Public Contracts Regulations (PCR) and the Provider Selection Regime (PSR), including appropriate routes to market, governance requirements and risk management.
• Comfortable managing multiple programmes, contracts and workstreams simultaneously, prioritising effectively and maintaining momentum across competing deadlines.
• Capable of making sound decisions and working autonomously within a complex and fast-paced environment.
• Detail-oriented, with the ability to analyse and interpret activity, quality and financial data to support effective commissioning, performance management and decision-making.
• Experienced in contract management, monitoring outcomes, managing provider performance and addressing underperformance constructively and proportionately.
• An effective negotiator, able to balance quality, value for money and outcomes while maintaining positive provider and partner relationships.
• Experienced in partnership working across local authorities, NHS organisations, voluntary and community sector providers and other system partners.
• Committed to reducing health inequalities and ensuring services are equitable, evidence-based and informed by community insight and co-production where appropriate.
• Confident in the use of Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel and Outlook, with the ability to quickly learn commissioning, finance and contract management systems.

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is Level 11. Please locate the job profile here:

Job profiles - Corporate services

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Carol Young on 01992 588512 or email Carol.Young1@hertfordshire.gov.uk.

Interview Date: 17 (am) and 21 July (pm) 2026

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Secondment
This role is open to secondments for eligible employees who work for HCC. If you wish to apply on a secondment basis, you must have your line manager’s approval before submitting your application. You will be asked to confirm this within your application form. If you are not eligible for a secondment (e.g., you are currently on a fixed‑term contract that would end before this positions ends) or you indicate that your manager cannot support a secondment, your application will be considered on a fixed‑term contract basis instead.

Additional information

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

Safeguarding
This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.