Contract Manager - Cambridge - Legal Aid AgencyMinistry of Justice

22679

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

Job Title & Grade: Contract Manager, SEO

Contract Type: Permanent

Salary range (depending on location):

National - £42,914 - £46,182

Please note that unless you are currently employed by the Civil Service and are earning more than the minimum above, if successful you will be offered the minimum for the grade depending on your location.

Location: Cambridge

Minimum Working Pattern:

If you are applying for a part time role, please note that to meet business demands we need cover for a minimum of 22.2 hours and to cover 3 days of the week

To meet legal requirements, if you are between the ages 16-18 and you are a successful candidate, you will be required to complete an apprenticeship after your initial on the job training.

The Legal Aid Agency

We are an executive agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). We are responsible for operationally administering the legal aid fund to provide criminal and civil legal aid advice to people in England and Wales.

Our people are at the heart of achieving excellence. Employing around 1,200 colleagues across England and Wales, we feel proud to have some of the best People Survey results in the Civil Service.

Contract Management & Commissioning

Contract Management and Commissioning (CMC) work closely with our provider base to ensure the smooth running of our contracts and assure the delivery of legal aid.

Contract Management

Contract Management work collaboratively with other LAA departments to interpret and apply the Contract to the providers which we manage. We ensure that Providers deliver quality legal aid services in accordance with contractual requirements and relevant legislation. We interpret and analyse data to effectively manage risk and to influence providers to improve performance and effectively deliver change. We also engage with the wider Justice System to promote partnership working and influence provider behaviour.

The Cambridge Contract Management team consists of 6 x SEO Grade Contract Managers and 1 x Grade 7 Area Contract Manager.

Job Summary

This role requires the successful candidate to manage relationships with Legal Aid Providers, i.e. solicitor firms and advice agencies, and other key external stakeholders. Contract Managers (CMs) will ensure robust management of a portfolio of provider contracts in line with priorities as established by the business. Within defined geographical areas across England and Wales, they act as the main point of contact for the providers and internal Legal Aid Agency (LAA) departments on all funded work. CMs will provide insight and information on the provider base to the MoJ.

Additionally, job holders will develop and manage relationships with external stakeholders, mostly, but not exclusively, within the Justice family, to manage local political and reputational risk to the organisation and the MoJ.

Key Responsibilities:

Manage a portfolio of providers in line with the terms of their contracts with the LAA.

Using management information and other intelligence, take a risk-based approach to identify and prioritise action required across your portfolio and utilise the contract to manage performance.

Undertake specific activities with contracted providers as defined by the LAA to ensure contract compliance and value for money for the taxpayer.

Work collaboratively across all LAA departments to ensure effective and efficient provider contract management.

Aid the successful implementation of all planned and future reforms and initiatives and have a broad knowledge of all business-critical areas.

Be the face of the LAA with contracted providers and key local external stakeholders within the justice family in order to contribute to the management of financial, political and reputational risk to the LAA and MoJ.

Gather and share local external intelligence from providers and key external stakeholders to ensure it becomes part of all relevant LAA and MOJ teams’ knowledge base.

Maximise or contain media coverage by updating the Communications team and their Area Contract Manager (ACM) on local issues as they arise and taking appropriate action as directed.

Identify risk to the disruption of service delivery, considering contingency arrangements and escalating to the ACM.

Develop and manage any other external stakeholder links as required by the LAA and MoJ.

Coach and support less experienced team members; mentor new starters.

Essential Knowledge, Experience and skills

You are a highly organised self-starter, able to motivate yourself. At times you will work independently taking ownership to achieve specified outcomes.

You are driven, embrace change and are comfortable working within a fast-paced environment where no day is the same. You are not fazed by uncertainty and continue to deliver core objectives showing resilience and the ability to maintain composure when faced with challenges.

You will have a busy diary and will be responsible for managing your own time.

You can analyse information to inform your decisions to identify and prioritise key tasks.

You will enjoy working with a range of key stakeholders and build effective working relationships both inside and outside of the organisation. You can influence others and flex your style accordingly whilst maintaining integrity.

You are confident when delivering difficult messages and able to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.

Desirable Knowledge, Experience and skills

Knowledge of Office 365 applications

Assessment approach

Application Process

To apply complete an application based of the following behaviours, each behaviour should be no more than 250 words:

Making Effective Decisions

Communicating & Influencing

Working Together

Delivering at Pace

When submitting an example of a behaviour remember to include the situation, what you did and why, and what was the outcome / result.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Communicating & Influencing. Candidates who pass the initial sift will progress to a full sift, or progress straight to interview.

Please note that we only require Behaviour answers for your application. The wording on this advert may suggest that an Experience question is also required, however this is not necessary.

Interview / assessment Process

If you are successful through the application stage, you will be invited to an interview / assessment centre in person or via Microsoft Teams where you will be assessed against the following:

Strengths relevant to the role

The following Behaviours:

Making Effective Decisions

Communicating & Influencing

Working Together

Delivering at Pace

Please note: Making Effective Decisions and Communicating & Influencing will be assessed via a role play exercise, which also involves analysing information. Full details will be shared on the day of your interview.

Your Experience of implementing, promoting, or understanding diversity and inclusion policy - Diversity is the presence of difference, this can include one or more of the protected characteristics (Gender, Age, Race, Disability etc.) or it can be about working patterns, whether we like to jump into a task or reflect on it before acting. Inclusion is how we welcome, value, and celebrate diversity, giving everyone a voice, tapping into ideas, and enabling everyone to be themselves at work and achieve their potential.

For this grade/ role we would expect the candidate to demonstrate understanding of the terms Diversity and Inclusion and be able to explain why they are important in a work environment. We would also expect examples of action they have taken to embrace diversity (e.g., increasing understanding for self or others) or improve inclusion at a team or wider group level.

Shortlisting is planned for week commencing 19th October 2026

Interviews are planned for week commencing 9th November 2026

If you would like more information on this opportunity, please contact – Emma Harwood ([email protected])

Our LAA commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain, and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

As a Disability Confident organisation, we will offer a guaranteed interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for this role. Under the Equality Act 2010 a disability is defined as a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities which has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months.

If you are responding to a role within the Legal Aid Agency and would like to be considered under the guaranteed interview, please indicate this in your application and let us know of any reasonable adjustments you may require during the sift or later selection processes.

The LAA’s goal is to build an organisation that is open and inclusive and truly values and celebrates the diversity of its workforce. One that reflects and understands the needs of the diverse society we serve. This is regardless of social background, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, beliefs, disabilities or long-term illness or caring responsibilities.

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to all. If you have a disability or long-term condition (for example dyslexia, anxiety, autism, a mobility condition or hearing loss) and need us to make any reasonable adjustments to support you through the recruitment process, please let us know by adding the information to the applications system or emailing [email protected] after you have applied so that we can discuss options with you.

Complaints procedure

If you have any complaints about this recruitment activity, please share your concerns by emailing [email protected] initially. We aim to respond to any complaint within 10 working days.