Children's Commissioning Lead- Education QA (CDC)

Doncaster City Council; Doncaster; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 47,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Hybrid work

LGPS

Wellbeing support

Training opportunities

Staff discounts

Job summary

Doncaster City Council is seeking a Children’s Commissioning Lead for Education QA to lead the Placements Team, ensuring high-quality, safe placements for children in care. The role focuses on quality assurance, market stability and safeguarding across Education, SEND and Health partners.

The post requires substantial experience in Children’s services, a relevant teaching qualification and strong stakeholder engagement to improve outcomes for children and young people.

Qualifications

• A relevant Teaching qualification and demonstrable, recent experience of working within the Education Sector.
• Significant experience working within Children’s services, including Education, Safeguarding, SEND, health or related areas.
• Strong knowledge of children’s policy, practice and statutory responsibilities, particularly in relation to Education and SEND.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to work effectively with providers, partners and internal stakeholders.
• A clear commitment to keeping the voice of children and young people central to decision‑making.

Responsibilities

• Undertaking quality assurance visits to a range of commissioned and non-commissioned Special Schools
• Assessing the quality of education, support and outcomes being delivered for children and young people with SEND
• Embedding quality and safeguarding expectations throughout the commissioning and contract management cycle.
• Providing assurance that children and young people are receiving high-quality provision that meets their assessed needs and supports positive outcomes
• Working proactively with providers to strengthen the local and regional placement market, improve quality and support innovation and best practice.
• Ensuring the views and lived experiences of children, young people and families inform commissioning decisions and service improvement.
• Contributing to inspection readiness and responding effectively to regulatory and inspection frameworks, including Ofsted.

Skills

Teaching qualification

Experience in Education sector

Leadership skills

Job description

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Children's Commissioning Lead- Education QA (CDC)

Civic Office/Hybrid 27/09/2026

Salary Grade 9 £42,123 - £46,579 Contractual hours 37 Basis Full time Region Doncaster Job category/type Commissioning Date posted 18/09/2026 Job reference REQ23903

Job description

Based at: Civic Office, Waterdale, Doncaster/Hybrid

Salary details: Grade 9 £42,123 - £46,579

Contract Type: Permanent

Hours: Full Time, 37 hours per week

Flexible working arrangements: We welcome flexible working requests where possible, including job share and Term Time only contracts.

Closing date: 27 th September 2026

Enhanced DBS Disclosure is required for appointment to this post.

There’s never been a more exciting time to join City of Doncaster Council.

We are passionate about Doncaster - it’s a great place to live, do business and visit.

Do you want to work in a job which makes a difference to children and young people in the local community? Working for the City of Doncaster Council as a Children’s Commissioning Lead could be perfect for you.

The Children, Young People and Families Directorate ensures that all services are commissioned against evidenced local need in line with the priorities of the Children and Young People’s Plan. We work proactively with all our partners and stakeholders to make the very best use of available resources and continuously review services to ensure they are high quality and value for money.

We are seeking an experienced and motivated to support the leadership of the Placements Team, who are responsible for identifying and securing safe, appropriate and high‑quality homes for children and young people in care. This is a pivotal role in ensuring that commissioning activity delivers the right placements at the right time, achieves value for money, and most importantly improves outcomes for children.

Working closely with colleagues across Education, SEND, Health and other partner agencies, the postholder will lead on the quality assurance and monitoring of a range of specialist education placements with a strong focus on placement sufficiency, quality and market stability.

Key responsibilities include:

• Undertaking quality assurance visits to a range of commissioned and non-commissioned Special Schools
• Assessing the quality of education, support and outcomes being delivered for children and young people with SEND
• Embedding quality and safeguarding expectations throughout the commissioning and contract management cycle.
• Providing assurance that children and young people are receiving high-quality provision that meets their assessed needs and supports positive outcomes
• Working proactively with providers to strengthen the local and regional placement market, improve quality and support innovation and best practice.
• Ensuring the views and lived experiences of children, young people and families inform commissioning decisions and service improvement.
• Contributing to inspection readiness and responding effectively to regulatory and inspection frameworks, including Ofsted.

What you will bring to the role:

• A relevant Teaching qualification and demonstrable, recent experience of working within the Education Sector
• Significant experience working within Children’s services, including Education, Safeguarding, SEND, health or related areas.
• Strong knowledge of children’s policy, practice and statutory responsibilities, particularly in relation to Education and SEND.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to work effectively with providers, partners and internal stakeholders.
• A clear commitment to keeping the voice of children and young people central to decision‑making.

We value a range of experiences and skills. If you have transferable skills from other roles or voluntary work, we encourage you to apply

This is a great opportunity to expand your knowledge and utilise your skills in a dynamic, creative and nurturing environment, whilst truly making a difference to the communities we serve

In return for your contribution, we offer:

• Competitive leave entitlement
• Generous local government pension scheme
• Wellbeing support and staff networks
• Development and training opportunities
• Staff discounts and benefits schemes
• More information on benefits can be found in the attached benefits booklet.

Please review the job summary and profile and demonstrate in your application how you meet the required criteria.

Shortlisting will take place week commencing 28 th September 2026 with interviews anticipated from 5 th October 2026 onwards

For further details or an informal chat please contact: Kate Featherstone-Bennett by email [e-mail]

This post involves working with children and therefore if successful you will be required to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service check at the level detailed above. Further information about the Disclosure Scheme and can be found at www.gov.uk/disclosure-barring-service-check

We encourage applicants to use their own words to reflect their experience and skills and over-reliance on AI is discouraged.

The Advance Employment Team offers personalised support to help you take your next step into work. From building your CV and getting the right interview skills to accessing a wide range of free courses, the team will help you grow your skills and confidence and find a job you’ll enjoy. Get in touch by email ( [e-mail] ) or visit the Advance website ( www.advancedoncaster.co.uk ) to discover the support available.

City of Doncaster Council is committed to meeting the needs of our diverse community and improving quality of life for all. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences and are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and adults.

We are a Disability Confident employer and committed to a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. We offer interviews to disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria and make reasonable adjustments as required.

English fluency duty under the Immigration Act 2016 - As you are applying for a customer facing role, you must have the ability to converse easily with customers and provide advice/guidance in accurate spoken English.

Address
Civic Office
Waterdale
Doncaster
DN1 3BU