Working within the newly formed Strategic Commissioning – Older People’s Residential and Nursing Team, as a Commissioning Support Officer, you will play a key role in supporting these work areas.
This dynamic role involves working across the full commissioning cycle, from planning and needs assessment, service design and options appraisal, through to procurement, contract and performance monitoring, and financial administration. You’ll help ensure services are well designed, efficiently delivered, and aligned with the needs of Buckinghamshire residents.
Buckinghamshire Council is a modern, ambitious unitary authority, bringing together the strengths, expertise and local knowledge of the county’s former five councils to create positive change for residents, communities and businesses. Since becoming a single council, we have focused on delivering better services, stronger local representation and improved outcomes for the people of Buckinghamshire.
As a well-established authority that successfully completed Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) several years ago, we offer the stability, clarity and long-term strategic focus that many councils are currently working towards. This strong foundation enables us to concentrate on the future—driving innovation, delivering high-quality services and making a real difference to our communities—while providing a supportive and forward-thinking environment for our employees.
With a clear vision for Buckinghamshire’s future, we are committed to serving residents better, championing the county’s interests both locally and nationally, and creating opportunities for our people, partners and communities to thrive.
This is an exciting opportunity for a Commissioning Support Officer to gain broad experience across Adult Social Care commissioning. While the permanent post sits within the Strategic Commissioning Mental Health Team, the role will initially support the newly formed Strategic Commissioning – Older People’s Residential and Nursing Team, offering exposure to a varied portfolio of work across both service areas.
Working within our new Commissioning and Procurement Hub, you will be part of a collaborative environment that brings together strategic commissioners, operational commissioning colleagues, Quality and Placements teams, and procurement specialists. Together, the Hub supports all stages of the commissioning cycle, helping to ensure high-quality, effective and value-for-money services for Buckinghamshire residents.
In this role, you will support a wide range of commissioning activity, from planning, needs assessment, service design and options appraisal through to procurement, contract and performance monitoring, and financial administration. You will help ensure that services are well designed, efficiently delivered and responsive to the needs of older people, adults with mental health needs and the wider Buckinghamshire community.
The Older People’s Residential and Nursing Team is responsible for the strategic commissioning of residential, nursing and extra care provision across the county, as well as contract management for three large contracts, alongside quality oversight from the Quality Team. The Mental Health Team commissions services and support for adults with mental health needs, working with is that the postholder will work within the Older People’s Residential and Nursing Team for approximately 18 months before returning to the Mental Health Team
We are looking for an organised, proactive and detail-oriented individual who enjoys supporting projects, building positive working relationships and helping to deliver high-quality outcomes for residents across Buckinghamshire.
You will be a confident team player with excellent administrative and organisational skills, able to manage a varied workload and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment. Comfortable working with data and financial information, you will have strong ICT skills, particularly across Microsoft Office applications including Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
You will be someone who enjoys problem-solving, can use your initiative and takes pride in delivering accurate, high-quality work. The ability to communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders, both verbally and in writing, is essential, alongside a collaborative approach and a commitment to excellent customer service.
Ideally, you will have experience in administration, project support, financial processing or contract-related activities, together with an understanding of the challenges facing local government, health services or public sector organisations. Experience of working within a commissioning, procurement, project support or business support environment would be advantageous.
Most importantly, you will share Buckinghamshire Council's values by being:
- Proud – taking ownership of your work and delivering high standards.
- Ambitious – always looking for ways to learn, improve and achieve better outcomes.
- Collaborative – working effectively with colleagues, partners and stakeholders.
- Trustworthy – acting professionally, showing initiative and being accountable for your actions.
We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.
Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.
We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.
We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.
By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:
• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events
At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.
From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.
We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.
Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.
https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/
