The Opportunity
Salary : NJC Grade 8£31,586 to £34,314 per annum
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern : 37 hours per week, full time
Location : Bridge House, Worthing (hybrid working available to be discussed at interview)
Please note: You will be required to travel independently throughout the county, including to locations that are not always accessible by public transport.
Interview dates : Thursday 22 May and Friday 23 May at Bridge House, Worthing
Are you passionate about achieving the best outcomes for children and young people?
Do you have experience in contract management, have an eye for detail and with the skills to build positive relationships with a range of key partners?
As a Placement and Commissioning Officer, you will deliver a customer focused and efficient service, contributing to the Directorate objectives of securing best value support services through the effective management of a portfolio of low risk/low value contracts/services, and identifying placement options for the children and young people with SEND.
Working closely with internal and external partners we are focussed on creating positive outcomes for Children, Young People and Families, and we have the optimism and enthusiasm to achieve this, where you will need confidence in holding challenging conversations.
This role will involve working across all areas of the commissioning function. We are particularly interested in people who have an understanding Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), as this is where you will be primarily based in our Commissioning Team.
Key responsibilities of the role include:
1. Quality assurance.
2. Monitoring and reviewing services and placements.
3. Commissioning, procuring, identifying, and reviewing appropriate services.
4. Analysing data, referrals, specifications, and contract documents.
5. Preparing written reports.
6. Financial processing in the letting of contracts.
7. Representing the Local Authority at conferences and meetings.
8. Keeping up to date with market conditions.
For more information on the Key Skills, Qualifications and/or Experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached. Please refer to the key skills in your application form as these will be used for shortlisting criteria.
Key Skills
9. Excellent literacy and numeracy skills to understand the referral processes, tender documents and contracts, and to check statistical financial information and other documents.
10. Ability to present information clearly, concisely, accurately and in ways that promote understanding, either verbally or in written/electronic form, and have sound and accurate IT skills.
11. Good analytical skills to interpret complex information, with the ability to organise, plan and meet set targets.
12. Good communication and interpersonal skills to interact effectively with a range of partners and create and maintain effective working relationships. This will include the ability to negotiate good outcomes and advise and guide others to make sound decisions.
13. Ability to work on your own initiative, anticipate problems, present solutions, and make frequent informed decisions
14. Ability to work flexibly as required across different areas within the Children’s Services Commissioning Team, embrace change and have the flexibility to respond to the needs of the service.
About Us
At West Sussex County Council, we are ambitious for our children and our workforce. We are committed to improving our services for the children and families in West Sussex that we support and care for.
Operating within the Children, Young People and Learning Directorate, we have a good understanding of how local, regional, and national education, health and social care markets operate and the ability to identify and manage opportunities and risk.
The West Sussex approach puts the child first. We work with children, families, communities, our partners and schools in a restorative, strength-based way. Strong relationships are at the heart of what we do.
Children, Young People & Learning are focused on delivering an outstanding service. It is our strong belief that closer working relationships with partners and a focused commissioning strategy will achieve better outcomes for our children and young people.
Benefits
As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance, and are rewarded for the work they do.