Description Suffolk County Council Address: Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road, Ipswich, IP1 2BX - Hybrid Salary: £28,598.00 per annum (pro rata if part time or under 12 months) Hours: 37 hours per week Contract: Fixed Term or Secondment for 6 months We are passionate about improving the future for children and families. If you are too, join us as a Commissioning and Contracts Support Officer. Our team works centrally to support the key elements of children’s social care, which means this opportunity will enable you to make a real difference. Your enthusiasm, innovation and drive will help us to continue making a meaningful impact and improve services for some of our most vulnerable children. Reimagine the possibilities. Your role and responsibilities You will be responsible for ensuring that administrative and project related support is provided to commissioning, contracts and home finding teams. This will include all elements of the commissioning cycle and home finding process; the service design, market development, procurement, contract management, brokerage and placement making. This post will report to and deputise for Senior Contracts and Service Development Officer. The post will be a strong operational and administrative support in ensuring services are monitored for financial viability, quality and cost. This will also include delivering savings where relevant. In addition, the post will support efficiency in the home finding services, focussing on improving processes and strengthening current support. You will need Our ideal candidate has excellent administrative skills to ensure effective and reliable support to the team. You will foster open and honest relationships with both internal and external partners, contributing to team success and driving service improvements. Good IT skills across a range of programmes / systems including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint. You will have the ability to work under pressure and willing to learn. We welcome and encourage applicants with a range of experience that can apply transferable skills, offer fresh perspectives and bring new ideas. You can view a full list of requirements in the Job and Person Profile (Word). If you believe you can succeed in this role, apply. Even if you don't meet all requirements, still apply. We would appreciate the opportunity to consider your application. The team The Strategic Commissioning and Home Finding team operate in a dynamic and pressured environment. The teams need to be agile, balancing workload between commissioning activity, finding homes for children in care and routine and methodical management of contracts, whilst being sufficiently flexible and agile to respond rapidly to opportunities and challenges presented by the local market. The Strategic Commissioning and Home Finding team effectively supports both home finding based and strategic commissioning activity and you will directly support commissioning, home finding and contract staff; support supplier relationships, work closely with social care, fostering, children’s homes and procurement colleagues. You will need to work across your portfolio area with other commissioning and contracts staff across the entire service area to support delivering the best possible outcomes for residents and the council. Empowering Everyone We’re big believers in potential, possibility and the power of different ideas. We’re always searching for ways to encourage, respect and enable everyone to be the best they can be. We want to represent the diverse communities we serve. We welcome applications from all individuals, especially those from groups that are currently underrepresented in the organisation, as shown in our Workforce Equality Report. For more information Please contact Hannah Kossowska-Peck for a casual conversation. You can reach them by calling 01473 260914 or emailing: hannah.kossowska-peck@suffolk.gov.uk. If you want to apply for a secondment, read the secondment policy first. Make sure you get permission from your current manager before submitting your application. How to apply Step 1 - Read the Job and Person Profile (JPP) (Word). Step 2 - Click ‘Apply Now’ to start your online application. Step 3 - Upload a supporting statement answering the following questions below (no more than 400 words per question). You should use the Supporting Statement template. Please describe a time when you provided administrative support to a team or project. What specific processes, tools or systems did you use to ensure your support was reliable and accurate? Tell us about a situation where you collaborated with colleagues from different teams or external partners. How did you build relationships and communicate effectively with others? What digital tools have you used to support your work? Please give an example of how you used one creatively to improve a process or solve a problem. Step 4 - Upload a CV (without name and personal details). We value authentic applications that showcase your genuine skills and experiences. Applications suspected of being generated by AI may be rejected. We ask you to present your own work and ideas throughout the application process. Please note: Without a supporting statement and CV, your interest will not be progressed. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the application process before the next selection stage, please contact our Recruitment Team by emailing: recruitment@suffolk.gov.uk or calling 03456 014412. If you are invited to the next stage of selection, you will have another opportunity to request adjustments for the next stages of the process. Please note : Without a CV, your interest will not be progressed. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the application process before the next selection stage, please contact our Recruitment Team by emailing: recruitment@suffolk.gov.uk or calling 03456 014412. If you are invited to the next stage of selection, you will have another opportunity to request adjustments for the next stages of the process. We value authentic applications that showcase your genuine skills and experiences. Applications suspected of being generated by AI may be rejected. We encourage you to present your own work and ideas throughout the application process. If you require any reasonable adjustments to the application process before the next selection stage, please contact our Recruitment Team by emailing: recruitment@suffolk.gov.uk or calling 03456 014412. If you are invited to the next stage of selection, you will have another opportunity to request adjustments for the next stages of the process. Closing date: 11.30 pm, 16 October 2025. This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.