Location
London Borough of Hackney

Hours
Full Time (hours not specified)

Salary
£54,360 per annum

About the Role
Fixed Term Contract / Secondment Opportunity until 31 March 2029.

Hackney is ambitious, pioneering, and proud. We are looking for dynamic and experienced individuals to join our Children’s Integrated Commissioning Service.

The Children’s Integrated Commissioning Service is the architect of a system that supports our children to thrive. We don’t just manage contracts; we design the entire network of services for children and families. We bring together health, education, social care and VCS partners to work as one, ensuring every child gets the right help, at the right time, in the right way.

We are looking for passionate, creative, and determined people to join our team and to lead wider strategic thinking across the Council and the NHS, aligning developments within children’s and education services to wider corporate plans and cementing relationships with providers both within and beyond our community.

We are recruiting one Children’s Commissioning & Contracts Officer to help us plan, buy, and manage the Early Years and Children and Family Hubs critical services that support our children and families.

In this role you will play a critical part in ensuring high-quality and effective service design and commissioning activity, bringing your strategy, commissioning and project management expertise, whilst engaging stakeholders to shape, design and review our services. You will work to clear governance frameworks and collaborate closely with programme leads and wider colleagues across the Children and Education Directorate to achieve our vision.

Key responsibilities include:
- Analyse needs and shape the market
- Review and design services to be delivered by the Council or procured from external organisations
- Manage tenders and contracts
- Work with providers to drive quality and innovation
- Ensure every pound we spend makes a difference

Hackney Council operates a Systemic, Trauma-Informed and Anti-Racist (STAR) practice model that informs everything we do. We are committed to dismantling systemic racism, discrimination and injustice, making anti-racism a foundation of our practice.

We provide wide-ranging and excellent training and development opportunities to support career advancement at your own pace. We are an innovative borough where collaboration drives change for the children and families we serve and for each other.

If you are ready to move beyond the ordinary and do work that truly matters, we want to hear from you.

Closing date for applications: 06 September 2026 (22:59)
Interviews will take place: Week commencing 21 September 2026

We reserve the right to close this role early if we receive a high volume of applications.

We are working towards a vision to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud. We seek individuals who embody our “PROUD” values: Purpose and Respect, Ownership, Unity and Diversity, fostering inclusion, kindness, accountability, collaboration, and anti-racist behaviour.

Experience
Experience in strategy, commissioning, and project management is essential. Proven ability to analyse needs, manage tenders and contracts, and work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders including providers and partners.

About you
You may be an organisational powerhouse, a data whizz, a natural relationship builder, a strategic thinker, or a creative problem-solver. Whatever your background, you are driven by a relentless desire to improve outcomes for children. You are curious, brave, and believe in the power of collaboration.

You will demonstrate commitment to anti-racist practice and inclusive working aligned with Hackney Council’s values.

You are ready to contribute to a pioneering and supportive environment focused on systemic, trauma-informed approaches.

Qualifications
Relevant qualifications in commissioning, project management, public sector or related fields are desirable but not explicitly stated. The role values skills, experience, and alignment with organisational values above formal qualifications.