Job title: Commissioning Manager

Directorate: Chief Financial Officer

Workstream: Finance

About us

HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is responsible for the administration of criminal, civil and family courts and tribunals in England and Wales. Our roles support our service users and colleagues, where people and businesses access potentially life-changing justice.  We’re looking for individuals who are committed to public service and want to make a difference in people’s lives in delivering justice. If you’re interested in developing a career with a real purpose, please apply.

About the role

The HMCTS commissioning function oversees and leads procurement of complex and/or large-scale contracts, including those of a transformative and innovative nature. The function works closely with Change, Commercial, Operations, Finance and CSD contract management teams to procure complex out-sourced services for HMCTS and the wider MOJ when appropriate.

As part of the Contracted Services Division’s commissioning function, the commissioning manager reports to the Senior Commissioning Manager and will be responsible for supporting the Senior Commissioning Manager, and the wider team by leading specific work strands with a focus on supporting discovery and procurement activity for new contracts. You will help shape and futureproof business critical services within a complex environment. There is a strong focus on innovation and delivering service improvements.

Please refer to the attached role profile for a comprehensive overview of the role.

Who are we looking for? (Person Specification)

The ideal candidate for this position should demonstrate:

• Support end-to-end commissioning and procurement activity, from discovery and pre-procurement through to contract management.

• Identify risks, issues, and inefficiencies in existing contracts, driving continuous improvement and innovation.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders across a complex delivery landscape.

• Gather and analyse data and business intelligence to inform decision-making and future service design.

• Support the design of future commissioned services and next-generation contract requirements.

• Work collaboratively with project teams and lead working groups to deliver defined outcomes.

• Provide clear reporting and insights to senior leadership on progress, risks and opportunities.

• Lead and support colleagues through change, promoting inclusive and effective ways of working.

Essential Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess complex issues, identify risks, and evaluate options to inform decision-making.

• Experience of improving services or contracts by identifying inefficiencies and implementing practical, innovative solutions.

• Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy, managing priorities and delivering outcomes with minimal direction.

• Experience of building and maintaining effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, influencing across organisational boundaries.

• Strong communication skills, with the ability to present complex information clearly and provide advice to senior stakeholders.

• Experience of supporting or contributing to procurement, commissioning, or service design activity (e.g. requirements gathering, pre-procurement, or delivery phases).

• Ability to operate in ambiguity, developing new ways of working where processes or guidance may not yet exist.

• Experience of managing or contributing to projects, working collaboratively to deliver objectives and outputs.

• Ability to assess and manage risks appropriately, including escalation and protecting organisational reputation.

The below criteria are desirable only. These will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process, but will be used in the event of tied scores between candidates 

Desirable Skills

• Experience of working within a commissioning, procurement, or contract management environment (e.g. HMCTS, MoJ, or wider public sector).

• Experience of defining or shaping future service models or next-generation contracts.

• Experience of leading working groups or matrix managing staff across projects or programmes.

• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, or support others through change, fostering an inclusive and high-performing environment.

• Knowledge of governance structures and decision-making frameworks within large organisations.

• Experience of engaging with cross-government or external stakeholders to inform service delivery or procurement activity.

• Awareness of innovation approaches, including the use of technology to improve service delivery

Application Stage

Please submit:

• An anonymised CV. Please ensure your CV is uploaded in a simple format to prevent any formatting issues when it's downloaded or reviewed. 

Your CV should: 

• Be succinct and clear.

• Be factually accurate - You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, is truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. 

• Include your qualifications, highlighting any modules or accreditation relevant to the role.

• Include your relevant experience, providing dates. 

• Provide detail - we are interested in how your knowledge, skills, and experience demonstrate the capabilities we are looking for in this role.

• Statement of suitability demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria (up to 750 words).

Your Statement of Suitability should be no more than 750 words and should give us real life examples of how your skills and experience match those needed for this role. Consider addressing particular points in the person specification requirements and key responsibilities. We recommend following the STAR format. 

You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

Interview Stage

If successful at sift, you will be invited to attend a remote interview, via Microsoft teams. During your interview, you will be assessed against the following Civil Service Success Profiles which will include:

• Behaviour Question(s) in relation to:

  • Working Together

  • Delivering at Pace

  • Communicating and Influencing

• Strengths will also be assessed however these are not shared in advance

Further details

The post is eligible for an accountancy allowance, currently £2000, for fully qualified CCAB accountants for both National and London base locations. This specialist allowance is non-contractual and subject to annual review.

Travel requirements

There will be a requirement to travel occasionally in any HMCTS site in line with business needs.

Your preferred base location within your region with your line manager at onboarding stage

About our benefits

We reward our people for their hard work and commitment. We have a number of family

friendly and flexible working polices that will help you achieve a healthy work-life balance. In addition, we offer a range of employee benefits which include generous annual leave, a highly competitive contributory pension scheme, childcare benefits, season ticket and bicycle loans.

Proud to Serve. Proud to keep justice going.