Senior Joint Commissioning Officer

Coventry City Council; Coventry; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

Coventry City Council is seeking an experienced commissioner/programme officer to lead commissioning for children, young people and families, including SEND and related health and social care services. You will work across education, health and care to shape provision, develop contracts, and secure value for money through collaborative partnerships.

You will drive service development, engage with social care, education, and health partners, and support reforms such as Experts at Hand, with a

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading commissioning processes across health, education, and social care.
• Ability to research, manage multiple complex projects, and facilitate change/service developments.
• Strong ability to identify solutions and build strong relationships with diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead commissioning of services for children, young people and families across SEND.
• Develop and mobilise provision within communities and create sustainable contracting arrangements.
• Oversee procurement processes and drive value for money in health and social care.

Skills

Commissioning

Programme management

Stakeholder engagement

Analytical skills

Commercial discussions

Job description

The wider Commissioning and Partnership Service ensures that good‑quality, value‑for‑money services are in place for children and families, enabling support to be delivered as close to home, school, family, and community networks as possible. The service plays a central role in developing strong, effective partnership working across agencies, collaborating with the health sector and other Children’s Services and Trusts across the region to ensure coordinated, sustainable, and responsive provision.

Our Values

In line with our One Coventry Values we strive to have a workforce that reflects our local communities and welcome applicants from all sections of the community. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic backgrounds, applicants who have a disability and applicants who are from the LGBTQ+ community to apply for our senior leadership roles.

Our Values are:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

What is the job role?

This role is pivotal to achieving commissioning objectives across SEND, ensuring that children and young people in Coventry can access the right support at the right time, across Children's Services and Education.

You will lead the commissioning of services for children, young people, and their families, including the implementation and mobilisation of provision within communities and the development of sustainable contracting arrangements that secure value for money across health and social care. This includes overseeing / commissioning of services such as:

• Therapies, including Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) and Occupational Therapy (OT);
• Provision required to deliver Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) outcomes, including mental health support;
• Transformation commissioning-related changes identified within SEND and as part of the reforms, such as the Experts at Hand (EAH) model;
• Independent Specialist School Placements.

While the role has a strong commissioning focus, it also encompasses wider service development across SEND. You will work in partnership with social care, education, health, and the broader system to identify needs, shape provision, and support the development of integrated and innovative models of care. Through collaborative partnership working, you will contribute to delivering high‑quality, evidence‑based services for children and young people with SEND needs, including disabilities and/or mental health conditions, enabling them to live independent and fulfilling lives. This includes supporting the implementation of new reforms in Coventry, such as Experts at Hand.

The role offers opportunities to jointly commission serviceswith local partners and agencies, as well as to deliver on priority areas already identified within the commissioning programme.

All candidates must have the Right to Work in the UK. We are currently not offering sponsorship for this role.

This post is exempt under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Appointment is therefore subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Who are we looking for?

You will be an experienced and knowledgeable commissioner/programme officer, capable of leading commissioning processes, research, managing multiple complex projects, facilitating change/service developments, ensuring clear processes are in place, and building strong relationships with stakeholders. Your ability to identify solutions and shape a diverse range of services across health and social care will be essential. Equally important will be your capacity for innovative thinking and your commitment to developing effective, efficient provision that improves outcomes for children, young people, and their families.

You will bring excellent analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to interpret and use complex information to develop evidence that informs the design of services across social care, health, and education. Strong communication skills are essential, including a proven ability to produce clear, high‑quality reports and papers that support collaboration and secure commitment from partners to develop services collectively.

You will have a sound understanding of health and social care, alongside the ability to engage confidently in commercial discussions and oversee formal procurement processes.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process, please refer to the document titled Coventry City Council Application Process available on our jobs page.We recognise that you might use AI tools to help with your application. While these tools can be useful, please make sure that all information you provide about your experience, skills, and qualifications is accurate. What matters most to us is hearing about your experience and the achievements that truly reflect you!

Interviews will be held in the week commencing 05 October 2026.

About Coventry

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.
At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 4800 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies