Strategic Commissioning Manager (Drugs & Alcohol)

About the Borough

The London Borough of Sutton is situated less than 30 minutes by train from Central London, with direct connections to London Victoria and London Bridge. Found in zone 5 with good transport links in and out of London, Sutton boasts award winning parks and open spaces, low crime rates, affordable housing and great schools. As well as high levels of resident engagement and satisfaction, providing quality services and success in addressing our financial challenges, whilst involving residents in key issues and high street changes.

Sutton is continuously investing in the health, wellbeing and education of our residents and the future generation, as set out in the “Ambitious for Sutton” corporate plan. We are home to the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute of Cancer Research. Together with the development of the London Cancer Hub, Sutton will be the world’s leading life-science district, specialising in cancer research and treatment. Our vision will create around 13,000 jobs while contributing £1.2bn to the UK economy each year, a vibrant community of scientists, doctors and innovative companies intended to deliver real benefits for cancer patients and drive economic growth. With the regeneration of the local areas with new homes and schools, Sutton is passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living.

The Council is seen as a driving force within the South London Partnership of five outer south west London boroughs focused on strategic growth, regeneration and investment. As we strive to improve our services and spaces for our residents as set out in the ‘Ambitious for Sutton’ corporate plan, Sutton aims to shape the future of the borough and adapt to the needs of its residents to make our Borough a great place to live, work and raise a family.

About the Service and Team

As part of the newly formed Commissioning, Insights & Delivery Division, the Strategic Commissioning Service are committed to using the commissioning cycle to make evidence-based decisions about the services we provide and how we deliver them. Our ambitious plans for Sutton’s residents require us to think differently about the way we work and the ways in which we finance and commission our services and make best use of all available assets. We are a dynamic service seeking to build on the reputation we have developed for successful delivery of collaborative and innovative initiatives. Our work strives to ensure vulnerable residents are safe and can thrive by understanding their needs and making best use of resources with our partners to ensure optimum impact from delivery and funding.

Within the Strategic Commissioning Service, the Prevention & Wellbeing Team supports the delivery of services and resources that enables individuals and communities to make informed choices about their health and wellbeing.

For more information about the role and/or an informal conversation please contact, Donna Wiggins, donna.wiggins@sutton.gov.uk StrategicCommissioning Lead.

About the Role and Our Ideal Candidate

We have an exciting opportunity to join us as a Strategic Commissioning Manager in the Prevention & Wellbeing Team. Reporting to the Commissioning Lead, you will lead the strategic commissioning, development, and contract management of comprehensive drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services. Your responsibilities will include:

• To lead the commissioning of high quality substance misuse services for adults, children and their families and carers to promote prevention early intervention, and improving access to evidence-based support that promotes recovery.
• To lead the development, implementation and local delivery of the Substance Misuse Strategy and associated commissioning activity.
• To ensure that commissioned services are evidence-informed, needs-led, cost-effective, informed by the knowledge and experience of service users and carers and aligned with local and national strategies (e.g., National Drugs Strategy, Combating Drugs Partnership framework) to improve local outcomes.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key partners from the NHS, Police, Probation and community sector to ensure integrated service delivery for substance misuse.
• Promote partnership working with other agencies and authorities to contribute to joint policy and practice, ensuring value for money, improved quality, and reduced risk through integrated commissioning.
• Co-design an inclusive service offer with partners to continuously develop the current provision, promote access to treatment, and improve performance across different pathways.
• Develop and implement evidence-based strategies to reduce drug and alcohol misuse, supporting service/pathway redesign and building consensus among local partners for delivery.
• Analyse qualitative and quantitative data (e.g., NDTMS) to identify trends, evaluate impact, and inform strategic development and effective management of commissioned services.
• Lead on monitoring and service review of the substance misuse contract, ensuring high-quality service delivery that aligns with specifications and accepted good practice.
• Collaborate with Public Health colleagues to develop and gain approval for new service model configurations, designed to effectively address the local population's needs while remaining within allocated budgets.
• Communicate and influence effectively across individuals, organisations, and points of governance

Candidates will need:

• Experience in commissioning and contract management, specifically within health or social care settings.
• Good understanding of the drug and alcohol sector and related issues affecting communities.
• Experience in strategy development, market management, commissioning, procurement, service management and contract negotiation.
• Experience in leading project teams (including partnerships and joint working) to achieve strategic goals and service improvements, with evidence of success in achieving targets and managing performance.
• Excellent and proven project management skills, including the ability to successfully manage multiple tasks and priorities to a successful outcome under tight deadlines.
• Ability to manage complex relationships across a wide range of organisations.
• Excellent communication, negotiating and influencing skills (including strong presentation and report writing skills)
• Strong knowledge of procurement (including legal and policy context)
• Strong, proven ability to interpret data
• Proven ability to plan strategically and lead activity for high-quality service development, including effective provider, stakeholder, and service user involvement.
• An understanding and appreciation of innovative techniques in commissioning, such as behavioural science, an asset-based approach, and restorative practice.
• A high level of IT literacy, specifically in spreadsheet development and analysis.
• An understanding of relevant policy and market landscapes.

As the Strategic Commissioning Manager, your knowledge of strategic commissioning, market shaping and management will be integral to delivering the commissioning intentions that improve value for money and the intended outcomes for the community.

The team works closely with partners to develop joint commissioning priorities and strategies. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to make a real difference to the way we commission Public Health services.

This role is a great opportunity for an established Commissioning Manager with strong analytical, organisational, and communication skills keen to apply their expertise to make a tangible, positive impact on one of the most critical public health challenges facing our community.

Our Offer to You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 26-32 days plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade
• Enhanced Maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
• Two volunteering days per year
• Flexible Working - Smarter Working Scheme (dependent on the role)
• Adjustable and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle leasing scheme
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support

Application Process

Apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application and check your CV details have been uploaded correctly in the relevant sections.

We understand and recognise the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and are embracing AI where appropriate, to boost our productivity and streamline how we deliver our Council services efficiently; to provide the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities.
However, we reserve the right to reject applications where it is apparent that AI-generated content has been used in isolation and without personalised responses. At Sutton we value authenticity and are looking for individuals who can clearly demonstrate their own skills, experience and motivation for the role that they are applying for and embrace and demonstrate our PRIDE values.
Here at Sutton we have core values of Transparency and this is to be demonstrated during the application process and completion of the supporting statement and will be further tested at interview and selection stage for those who progress forward.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

As part of our award winning Diversity Programme we anonymise all applications received to reduce conscious and unconscious bias enabling every application to be reviewed on the knowledge, skills and experience shown in your application. We encourage our interview panels to be as diverse as possible (age, cultural, neurodiverse etc.) to reduce bias where possible. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.

Additional Information

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.

To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.

The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.