safeguarding lead jobs

The Service & Team

Cornwall Council’s People Commissioning Service (within Safe & Caring Communities and Together for Families) leads strategic commissioning across the life course—Children & Young People/Education & SEND, Working Age Adults, and Older People. You will join a diverse, fast‑paced service that partners with NHS Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board and the independent, voluntary and community sectors to improve outcomes and build resilient services for Cornwall.

As one of the most senior commissioning officers in the service, you’ll work alongside Heads of Commissioning and provide clear leadership to mixed commissioning teams (Commissioning Managers, Officers and Assistant Officers), with responsibility for the sub-set area of Personalisation

The Role

You will lead the end‑to‑end strategic commissioning cycle—analysis, planning, delivery and review—for Personalisation, setting a medium‑ to long‑term programme while balancing planned transformation with responsive work ensuring the voice of those that draw on services is dominant in a changing social care landscape.

What you’ll deliver

• A clear vision and outcomes‑based framework with KPIs aligned to national and local measures.
• An evidence‑led commissioning strategy, annual intentions and delivery plans; a Market Position Statement and commercial pipeline.
• Robust contract and supplier relationship management, ensuring compliance with Council standing orders.
• Co-production and engagement with people who use services, carers, providers and wider stakeholders—embedding their voices across the cycle.
• Joint planning, purchasing and monitoring with Health, housing, public health and education, and support for pooled budgets/lead commissioning arrangements.
Proactive leadership on market sustainability and provider/business failure—maintaining continuity of care and statutory compliance.

Working Pattern

This

What you’ll need to succeed

We’re looking for a dynamic, leader with good communication skills and an engaging approach to support those that draw on services to participate in co-production activities, with a values driven commissioning background and the ability to influence and deliver in complex, political environments.

Experience & impact

• Extensive experience delivering strategic commissioning end‑to‑end in local government/public sector, with measurable impact.
• Proven transformational change record, using varied change methodologies to enable delivery across diverse services and markets.
• Commercial acumen in market‑shaping, budget management and sustainable service development; strong understanding of make/do/buy and the legal framework.
• Significant joint commissioning experience with Health and other partners; confidence advising senior decision makers.

• Demonstrable evidence of person-centred working, co-produced activities and co-designed services
  

Skills & behaviours

• Resourceful, customer‑focused and personally accountable; an engaging leader who coaches teams, delegates effectively and builds trusted relationships with providers, people who draw on services and communities.
Outstanding communication, analysis and decision‑making skills; flexible and adaptable in a changing landscape.

Qualifications

Our corporate commitments

• You will uphold Cornwall Council standards in information governance, safeguarding, equality & diversity, customer experience, and health, safety & wellbeing. Adverts include our clear safeguarding message and (where required) a DBS statement.
  

Please read the role profile for the full details of this role attached below in this advert

What you’ll get in return:

Cornwall Council’s ambition is to be an employer of choice, a high performing Council and a learning organisation. We commit to providing a reward and benefits package to attract, motivate and reward our employees. We offer a range of flexible working options to our staff. This helps provide our employees with a greater work/life balance. Whilst still ensuring that service needs are met.

Our core employee rewards and benefits include:

• a competitive salary.

• a defined benefit pension scheme, based on your career average earnings. This includes the option for extra voluntary contributions

• a generous annual leave entitlement with the potential to purchase additional leave.

• A national award-winning employee health and wellbeing programme

• Employee benefits scheme giving employees access to a wide range of discounts to local and national goods and services.
  

Additional Information:

Cornwall Council is unable to offer visa sponsorship or transfer existing sponsorship for this role.

We recommend saving a copy of this to refer to if you are invited to an interview.

For more information or an informal chat about the role please contact Karen Hooper at karen.hooper@cornwall.gov.uk

Application Process

Please attach a supporting statement to your application, you can add your Education & Qualifications details manually using the application form timeline or you can upload your CV. Remember to demonstrate why you are suitable against each of the points marked as ‘Application’ on the Role Profile using examples from your experience or transferable skills. This might be through qualifications or descriptive examples from your work / personal experience, which clearly illustrates what you did and the effect it had. Guidance on how to complete your application can be found here – The application process .

Please note that applications cannot be edited after they have been submitted, please contact careers@cornwall.gov.uk if you have any queries or require assistance with your application.

Existing employees must apply using their Cornwall Council email address through the Opportunity Marketplace on Oracle.