Cheshire West and Chester Council is a place where everyone can Thrive – through our core values of Teamwork, Honesty, Respect, Innovation, Value for Money and Empowerment. Commissioning & Contracts Officer – Special Educational Needs (SEND) Cheshire West and Chester Council is setting the pace and continuing to build a reputation for doing things differently. The Strategic Commissioning and Market Management team is responsible for commissioning a wide and varied range of high quality, best value services within the People’s Directorate across the Cheshire West Place that meet the needs of some of our most vulnerable residents. Our approach to commissioning – Enabling Great Lives! Our vision is for people to live great lives. People will live healthy, happy and independent lives, in the place they call home and with the people they love because we will commission services which are based on what people want to enable them to live a full and independent life. For children and young people this means ensuring they are enabled to have the best start in life with access to services which support a safe and healthy childhood and work seamlessly when moving to adulthood. For everyone, regardless of their age or ability, our vision means they will be able to live their lives well in their community with a range of universal and specialist services which support a healthy, independent and fulfilling life. For older people this means they will age well at home in their community with their family and friends. When more support is needed, it will start with a conversation about what makes a great life for them and there will be just enough of the right kind of support to enable them to keep living the life they want. Enabling Great Lives - Our approach to commissioning | Cheshire West and Chester Council The team has a challenging programme of recommissioning planned for the next 5 years. Our commitment to innovation, partnership and genuine child-centred practice underpins everything we do. As we continue to transform services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), we are excited to offer a fantastic opportunity to join us at a pivotal moment. Our vision is simple: every child and young person should have the best start in life. For children with SEND, this means accessing high-quality, well-matched educational placements that enable them to thrive in their local community and achieve meaningful outcomes. As a Commissioning & Contracts Officer, you will play a crucial role in making this vision a reality. Working within our Inclusion & SEN service, you will help ensure that children and young people across the borough benefit from the right support, in the right place, at the right time. About the role • Lead the commissioning and contracting process for SEN placements, securing high-quality, value-for-money educational provision for children and young people aged 0–25. • Develop and manage individual placement agreements with schools, colleges and providers. • Monitor placement quality and impact, ensuring positive and measurable outcomes. • Manage an allocated caseload, ensuring placements are sourced, reviewed and supported effectively. • Maintain robust systems and data, contributing to sufficiency planning and ongoing service development. • Build strong relationships with providers, schools, health, social care and partners. • Support the development of commissioning strategies to shape local provision. About you We are looking for someone who is confident, proactive and passionate about improving outcomes for children and young people. • Experience of working within SEND, education, commissioning or contract management. • Ability to evaluate services, negotiate effectively and influence stakeholders. • Strong communication, analytical and organisational skills. • A commitment to partnership working, problem-solving and delivering value for money. • Understanding of the SEND Code of Practice and related legislation. • Commitment to the Council’s THRIVE values. Why join us? You will join a supportive and forward-thinking service where your ideas and expertise will help shape the future of SEND provision across the borough. How to find out more For an informal conversation about the role, please contact: Angela Lewis, Senior Manager, Strategic Commissioning – Children, Families and Public Health. Email: angela.lewis@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk Annual Leave 30 March – 10 April 2026 Please note that this job is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. To find out more information about what it is like to work for Cheshire West and Chester Council including our rewards and benefits please see www.cwcrecruitment.co.uk No candidate will meet every single requirement - if your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you can bring value to the role, we'd love to learn more about you! Cheshire West and Chester Council are committed to equality and diversity in employment. Please see the Equality Policy for more information. Cheshire West and Chester Council have adopted a Local Living Wage for our employees which means that all employees will receive a minimum of £12.60 per hour for all contracted hours. For any technical enquiries please email Sourcingteam@ecwip.co.uk and quote job reference number in all correspondence.