Case and Contract Manager

Location: Sheffield/Hybrid working

Salary : A GBP 55,242 per year rising to A GBP 57,644 per year after successful completion of a 6:month probationary period.

Vacancy Type: Full time, Permanent

Closing date: 17/05/2026

The Role

Are you an experienced legal services or regulatory professional? Are you looking for an opportunity to play a key role in the delivery of essential fitness to practise services?

This is a brand new role at Social Work England, created to strengthen how we work with our external legal provider and how we manage complex fitness to practise cases. As our Case and Contract Manager, youll have a real opportunity to shape how this role operates, influence our approach, and make a visible impact from day one.

Working with a high level of autonomy, youll oversee our external legal provider contract and provide senior direction on complex cases, working closely with our investigations team and Head of Investigations.

Social Work England is the specialist regulator for social work in England. We focus on protecting the public, supporting positive change in social work, and maintaining confidence in the profession. Every day, social workers help millions of people improve their lives, and our role is to ensure regulation supports safe and effective practice.

About The Role

This role brings together contract oversight, performance management, and senior case leadership. Youll be responsible for ensuring our external legal provider delivers high:quality work, meets performance expectations, and progresses cases efficiently and in line with our regulatory framework.

Youll provide clear instructions and direction on complex fitness to practise cases, including case planning, investigative actions and support during hearings. Using your regulatory knowledge and judgement, youll help ensure decisions are proportionate, well:reasoned and robust.

A key part of the role is monitoring performance. Youll review data, spot themes and trends, and have confident conversations with senior external stakeholders to challenge delivery, set expectations and drive improvement. As a new role, youll also help shape how we approach contract oversight and performance reporting going forward.

What youll do

As Case And Contract Manager, You Will

Act as the main point of accountability for our external legal provider, ensuring contractual, performance and financial requirements are met. Provide direction and instructions on complex fitness to practise cases, including during hearings. Monitor KPIs, service levels and case data, identifying risks, trends and areas for improvement. Hold the external legal provider to account through clear challenge, constructive discussion and escalation where needed. Work closely with internal teams, including investigations and commercial colleagues, to support effective contract delivery. Make sound, independent decisions on complex or high:risk regulatory issues. Produce clear, concise reports for senior leaders on performance, risk and contract matters. Build strong relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders, influencing outcomes through credibility and expertise. Share learning from cases, data and emerging themes to support good practice and continuous improvement. Provide advice and guidance to colleagues on case instructions and contract compliance.

About You

At Social Work England, our values guide how we work. We are Fearless, Independent, Ambitious, act with Integrity, and are Collaborative and Transparent. Were looking for someone who reflects these values in how they work and make decisions.

For This Role, Youll Also Need

Postgraduate:level education or equivalent experience in a legal services, regulatory or statutory environment. A strong understanding of regulatory processes, including investigations, hearings and adjudication. Experience making or