Assistant Director Commissioning and Partnerships
| Posting date: | 27 January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £77,732.00 to £86,720.00 per year |
| Additional salary information: | £77732.00 - £86720.00 a year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 10 February 2026 |
| Location: | Norwich, NR1 2DH |
| Company: | NHS Jobs |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | F0040-9760 |
Summary
Job Purpose To lead an integrated approach to the strategic commissioning of prevention and early help provision for children and families across Norfolk, working with key partners and stakeholders to develop and deliver integrated commissioning that: enables children and young people to flourish improves outcomes for children, young people and their families and reduces inequalities offers coherence for service users, providers, partner agencies and Children's Services and Health operational delivery frontline teams enables value for money and ensures best use of available resources reduces demand and prevents the need for more specialist provision. aligns to government reform around Best Start in Life, Family Hubs, Families First Partnership and Integrated Neighbourhood Working. To work with senior colleagues across the CYP system to embed commissioned prevention and early help provision for children, young people and families so that services are delivered in an integrated way that makes sense to children, young people and their families and support them to flourish. To be a member of the extended leadership team for Children's Services, located within the Safeguarding, Partnerships and Opportunities Senior Management Team, with a shared responsibility for the overall management and delivery of services, deputising for the Director of Safeguarding, Partnerships and Opportunities as required. Context The teams managed by this post holder commission services for children, young people and families requiring early help and preventative services that include: Early Childhood and Family Service - ECFS Youth Advisory Boards - YABs Youth Early Support Service - YESS Young Carers Parent Carers Preventing Domestic Abuse and Unhealthy Relationships Service - DAUR Best Start in Life services - BSiL The post holder will be expected to lead effective partnership projects, align commissioning intentions and work in an integrated way with senior colleagues from Children's Services, ICB, Public Health and partner agencies and organisations focused on prevention and early help. For example, The Healthy Child Programme (Public Health), Mental Health Support Teams in Schools (ICB) and Youth and Community Work Service (YCW). The post holder will be the strategic lead for the Prevention and Early help Board and associated strategies and ensure joined up working and positive relationships within the wider statutory and voluntary and community sectors. The post holder will be the strategic lead for the DfE Best Start Family Hubs programme and will be expected to work in partnership with the DfE and strategic and operational partners in Norfolk. A strong collaboration and relationship with the ICB is essential to ensure alignment around Best Start in Life and support the development of Neighbourhood Management in line with the NHS10 year Health Plan and Neighbourhood Health. Accountabilities To lead Children's Services approach to integrated commissioning of preventative and early help provision, working collaboratively with wider commissioners, the Director for Safeguarding, Partnerships and Opportunities, senior managers across CS and the ICB, and with Elected Members, to ensure that commissioning for children, young people and their families is underpinned by a coherent commissioning strategy and is contributing to the strategic vision and priorities of Children's Services, the Integrated Care Board, and the Children and Young People Strategic Alliance - CYPSA. To structure and lead an integrated portfolio of preventative and early help commissioning and activity in Norfolk to ensure timely and feasible proposals are developed, procured and implemented, providing high quality services and better outcomes for children, young people and their families, co-produced with service users, carers and other stakeholder groups. To lead the continuous improvement, innovation and development of integrated commissioning that secures high quality and effective prevention and early help, focuses on impact and outcomes, meets statutory/policy requirements and the needs of children, young people and families, provides value for money, and reduces demand. To lead the Children's Services Participation Strategy to ensure the effective engagement and participation of children and young people on behalf of Children's Services. This will include overseeing the youth strategy and ensuring strong strategic partnerships within the wider youth and community sector in Norfolk. To be responsible for ensuring appropriate and effective performance management of preventative and early help commissioned provision, overseeing monitoring, evaluating and reporting of provision to ensure key performance measures are met and that appropriate actions are being taken to swiftly address any performance issues. To advise and assist the Director of Safeguarding, Partnerships and Opportunities on the implications of relevant policy developments and emerging issues for prevention and early help provision focused on children, young people and their families. To lead and oversee projects contributing to Children's Services and ICB priorities and transformation, working with partners, commissioned providers and key stakeholders including service users to ensure that Norfolk is responding to and meeting the needs of children, young people and their families, and securing the impact and outcomes required. To act as the Senior Responsible Officer for Norfolk's Best Start Family Hubs programme and Norfolk's Best Start in Life local plan leading effective partnerships and working in an aligned way with senior colleagues from Children's Services, ICB, Public Health and other associated preventative and early help services. To oversee the effective engagement and participation of children, young people and families, on behalf of Children's Services and the Integrated Care Board, within Norfolk's prevention and early help arrangements. To oversee a Partnership Youth Strategy as part of Norfolk's prevention and early help response to young people that supports their access to local youth provision and projects which promote good mental health, healthy lifestyles, and positive choices, as part of Norfolk's response to the national youth strategy. To lead, manage and develop staff teams, taking the lead on actions to improve staff engagement, staff development and progression planning, and ensuring organisational structures support delivery of best working practices. To be accountable for significant budgets, directly influencing the budget setting and long-term financial planning relating to prevention and early help commissioning and demonstrating value for money in the delivery of commissioned services.