Working Hours: 35 Hours Per Week
Contract Type: Full-time, Permanent
Working style: Hybrid
Closing date: 11:59pm. 25 November 2026
Interview Method: Face to Face
You must already have a valid right to work in the UK documentation, as we cannot offer visa sponsorship for this role. 

 As a Contract & Commissioning Manager, you'll lead the commissioning and contract management of services that support the delivery of high-quality council housing across Manchester. You will ensure that services not delivered by the Council's in-house direct labour organisation are commissioned effectively, managed professionally, and provide the best possible value for money.

You'll help Housing Services deliver safe, sustainable, accessible, and well-maintained homes for residents, ensuring commissioned services meet legislative requirements, performance standards, and customer needs. Your work will contribute to the Council's wider ambition of providing high-quality social housing and improving outcomes for Manchester residents.

In this role you will:

  • Lead the development and delivery of commissioning, commercial and contract management strategies across Housing Services.
  • Oversee procurement, tendering and contract management processes to ensure high-quality and value-for-money services are secured.
  • Monitor contractor performance, budgets and key performance indicators, addressing underperformance and driving continuous improvement.
  • Work with Housing Services colleagues, corporate services, contractors, suppliers and external partners to deliver strategic priorities.
  • Support service improvement, policy development, project delivery and the achievement of regulatory and organisational objectives.
 

Pre-employment checks

If you are successful, your appointment will be subject to completing the relevant pre-employment checks. These checks will be carried out as part of our recruitment process and includes:

For more information on these checks, please visit checks page


We are looking for an experienced commissioning and contract management professional with strong commercial acumen and a proven ability to deliver high-quality services within a housing or related environment. You will be a strategic thinker with excellent communication, negotiation and relationship management skills, capable of managing complex contracts, budgets and stakeholder relationships while driving service improvement and delivering positive outcomes for residents.

We'll use the following essential criteria to decide which candidates to invite to assessment. Please ensure candidates are directed to use their personal statement to provide evidence against each criterion, supported by relevant examples:

  • Demonstrable experience of commissioning, procuring and contract managing complex services, including monitoring performance, managing providers and delivering value for money.
  • Strong commercial, financial and strategic skills, including budget management, service planning, procurement processes, risk management and the ability to respond to changing priorities and future service requirements.
  • Knowledge of housing services, regulatory requirements and procurement practices, together with excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills, and the ability to work collaboratively to improve services and achieve organisational objectives. 

For guidance on how to write your personal statement, please visit How to Apply - Manchester City Council.

If you’re invited to assessment, we’ll look at a wider range of the role requirements. For more detail, please see the role profile.

Use of AI

You may use AI to support your application, but all examples must be your own and based on real experience. Applications may be withdrawn if content is misleading or presents someone else's experience as your own. Internal candidates may also face disciplinary action.

Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

Applicants who meet the essential shortlisting criteria and are eligible under the Guaranteed Assessment Scheme will be progressed to the assessment stage.

Support and Adjustments

If you're successful in securing a role, we'll make every effort to provide the support, equipment and reasonable adjustments you need to carry out your duties. Where needed, we'll consider adapting aspects of the role. Find out more about our inclusion and wellbeing .


Working for Manchester City Council is a chance to make a real difference in a diverse city. You’ll help improve lives and support our local communities. Working together, we can create better public services for everyone.

Benefits we offer

  • Up to 26 days’ annual leave, rising to 31 days after five years’ service.
  • Buy up to two extra weeks’ leave.
  • Up to 3 days’ volunteering leave.
  • A 35-hour working week for full-time roles.
  • Annual pay reviews and recognition of three trade unions.
  • A defined benefit pension scheme.
  • Enhanced parental and carers leave.
  • Employee discounts and perks.

Learn more at Careers - Manchester City Council.

Our commitment to inclusion

At Manchester City Council, we're dedicated to creating a workplace that fully reflects the diversity of our local communities. We actively encourage applications from people of all ages and backgrounds and are particularly keen to hear from applicants from ethnic minority communities and disabled people, who remain underrepresented in parts of our workforce.

GM Elevate Programme

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the ‘Personal Statement’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.

Accessible Formats

Use ReciteMe through the "Accessibility Tools" button at the top of our Careers Page. It includes tools such as text-to-speech, language translation, and adjustable text size and colour.

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Location

, , Manchester, , United Kingdom

Job ID

8884

Supporting You Through Every Step of Your Journey

We want every candidate to feel welcomed, informed and confident when applying for a role with us.

This section brings together everything you need to succeed - from guidance on writing an authentic application to understanding how to use AI responsibly.

You’ll also find information about our Greater Manchester commitments, including our inclusive employment schemes and standards, as well as tools to help you explore your potential pay, benefits and entitlements. We’re here to ensure you have the support you need at every stage.

Working for a local authority in Greater Manchester

Local authorities across Greater Manchester are proud to be part of a shared commitment to widening access to employment and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

These commitments span a number of long‑standing schemes and initiatives designed to open doors, remove barriers and ensure all applicants feel valued and respected throughout their employment journey.

Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter

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Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter

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Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

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Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

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Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment

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Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment

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Greater Manchester People Inclusion Standards

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Greater Manchester People Inclusion Standards

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Your Pay, Your Benefits, Your Future

Explore easy‑to‑use tools that help you understand your take‑home pay and how different employment situations may affect the financial support available to you and your household.

  1. Calculate Your Take‑Home Pay

    Use this salary calculator to estimate your net pay after tax, National Insurance, and pension contributions.

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  2. Check Your Benefits Entitlement

    See how changes in employment, hours or salary may affect your benefits and household income.

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Applying Authentically With AI: Our Greater Manchester Approach

Across Greater Manchester’s local authorities, we want to hear your genuine experiences, skills and motivations, expressed in your own words.

To keep our recruitment process fair and inclusive, please complete your application personally and follow the instructions carefully. AI can be used to support you - for example, to help structure your answers or as a reasonable adjustment - but your application should still reflect your authentic voice.

Applications that depend too heavily on AI‑generated content may not progress to shortlisting.

This guidance outlines acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI, along with suggestions for using it in a way that supports you while keeping your application true to you.

  1. What Is AI and How Do We Use It Across Greater Manchester?

    AI refers to technology that can create or refine content, such as text, ideas, summaries, or planning. It can help improve productivity, problem-solving, and creativity.

    We’re open to using innovative digital tools where they can help us work smarter and deliver better services for our residents. However, every use of AI is carefully considered to make sure it is ethical, responsible, and aligned with public-sector values.

    When it comes to recruitment, we take a human-centred approach.

    This means:

    • A trained hiring manager reads every application

    • Shortlisting is based on objective criteria required for the job

    • Interviews are conducted in person or via teams by the hiring manager for the role

    • All hiring decisions are made by hiring managers, not algorithms

    AI does not make decisions in our recruitment process and our managers are being upskilled to spot AI in applications, particularly when this might have been used in a way that doesn’t feel genuine. If something in an application raises a question or concern, we will test this out with assessments or at the interview stage to confirm authenticity.

    Our aim isn’t to catch anyone out but to make sure we’re getting to know the real you, giving every candidate a fair chance and finding the right person for the role.

  2. Using AI in Your Application

    When it comes to job applications, what matters most to us is you. We want to see your personality, your experience, and what excites you about joining our team. 

    We recognise that AI can be a helpful tool to support accessibility during the application process. If you choose to use AI for support, please read the instructions carefully and make sure your application is written in your own words, reflecting your genuine skills, knowledge, experience and enthusiasm.

    We’re looking forward to hearing your story.

  3. How to use AI Effectively and Responsibly

    Your application is your chance to show us:

    • Who you are

    • What you can bring

    • The values you hold

    • Why you want to make a difference

    AI can help you organise your thoughts or improve clarity but it cannot express your unique voice, experiences, or motivations.

    AI is most helpful when used to:

    • Help you structure the information you are providing to evidence the criteria

    • Give examples of how to use STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result)

    • Proof-read to highlight grammar or spelling errors

    • Provide inspiration if you're finding it difficult to find the right words to explain something

    But remember: your honesty, lived experience, and motivations are irreplaceable.

  4. Do’s and Don’ts for Using AI in the Recruitment Process

    Do:

    • Use AI as a supportive tool, not a replacement

    • Ask AI to help tidy up your writing or clarify structure

    • Use it to brainstorm examples, then rewrite them in your own voice

    • Reflect on AI suggestions and adapt them to match your experience

    • Use AI to help with research, but express your understanding yourself

    Don’t:

    • Copy and paste AI-generated content directly into your application

    • Let AI exaggerate or invent experience you do not have

    • Rely on generic statements that don’t reflect the specific role requirements

    • Remove your individuality, we want to hear your voice

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To protect yourself from recruitment scams, please only apply for roles through the official greater.jobs website and associated recruitment systems. We will never ask for your personal information outside of this process.