Job Title: Commissioning and Monitoring Officer Starting Salary: £41,511 Hours: 37 hours per week Location: Farnham House, Stevenage Contract Type: 12 Month Fixed Term or Secondment Opportunity Directorate: Adult Care Services About the team The Community and People Wellbeing Team in Adult Care Services works on early intervention and prevention initiatives to keep people safe and well, minimise risks and harm and encourage independence, resilience, self-sufficiency, and wellbeing. Our work entails: Commissioning and monitoring of voluntary, community, faith, and social enterprise (VCFSE) providers delivering early intervention and prevention community-based support. Support provided covers a range of specific groups of people who might require support, such as unpaid carers, people living with dementia, people needing advocacy services etc. Analysis of adult need for community-based support, including co-production and user voice activities, and ensuring a Connected Lives approach. Supporting and co-ordinating the VCFSE that currently works with residents, and proactively encouraging growth in the VCFSE in this area as well as working to build resilience and sustainability. Ensuring that residents know how to access the range of community-based support available through providing information and advice services such as Herts Help and the Hospital and Community Navigation Service. Oversight of the Hertfordshire Carers Strategy and leading on commissioning of services for adult unpaid carers. Our work with unpaid carers includes overseeing the Hertfordshire Carers Strategy and associated Action Plan. We work closely with statutory and voluntary sector partners, as well as unpaid carers themselves to develop our work supporting carers. The team support the Carers Co-production Board and its sub-groups/task and finish groups, looking at themes such as information and advice, re-commissioning of carers services and particular topics such as planning for emergencies for carers. We work with colleagues across Adult Care Services, the wider Council and with external partners such as the NHS. We also oversee the main carers contracts commissioned by Adult Care Services, including with voluntary sector providers such as Carers in Hertfordshire and also carers breaks services provided by domiciliary care agencies. About the role This role will primarily focus on the team's work on unpaid carers, supporting delivery of the Carers Strategy, and in managing contracts for services to support carers. However, there may also be a requirement to work across other areas of the team's work, as needed. This role will: develop and maintain strong links to the provider market, and support the VCFSE and carers breaks providers in developing in this area. ensure the monitoring of services is completed in a timely manner, focussing especially on carers services including carers breaks. develop and follow up action plans for underperforming providers. involve stakeholders in service development, including people who use services, unpaid carers, operational staff and wider partners. lead on specific projects to develop and commission/re-commission services, enhance partnership working, innovation and collaboration. This will include leading specific task and finish groups to deliver projects under the Carers Strategy. work on commissioning processes including tenders and grant making processes. manage budgets and report spend to Commissioning Managers and Finance. ensure that project management and reporting tools are used and are updated. represent CPWT including attending and chairing meetings, and presenting as required. About you Essential: Skills relevant to commissioning and monitoring of services and service development in a health or social care setting. This must include experience of monitoring services, including care provision, and of contract management processes. Experience of partnership working with multiple agencies and stakeholders, and of building trusting relationships. Evidence of using multiple sources of information to analyse and respond to need, with good attention to detail. Post holder must be to be competent with using Excel. They must be able to interrogate data, including financial data and report on data monthly and as when required. Excellent communication, including strong writing and presentation skills. Experience of engaging with people who use services and/or unpaid carers to identify and drive gaps in and improvements for service provision. Able to work proactively alone (when working from home / office) and collaboratively with the team. Able to travel to locations across Hertfordshire, with access to a car, to attend meetings and complete monitoring visits with service providers. Desirable: Experience of working with unpaid carers or having lived experience. Knowledge of ACS practices, policies and procedures and experience in working with and supporting social care and healthcare colleagues who are working with people with care and support needs and unpaid carers. Project management qualification, skills and/or experience Experiences of leading procurement and/or grant making processes. The ability to retain a calm and confident approach when issues become controversial, supporting all to avoid division and to keep focused on the work at hand. An ability to work on multiple and varied projects at any one time and an ability to prioritise effectively to ensure that neither urgent issues nor longer-term sustainable solutions are forgotten. This job role is within the Corporate Services, level 11 job profile. Please locate this via: Job profiles - Corporate services To hear more about this opportunity please contact: tim.napperhertfordshire.gov.uk or Caron.Corrinhertfordshire.gov.uk for an informal discussion about the role. Interview Date: 11 and 12 February 2024 Benefits of working for us How to apply As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences. Secondment This position is open to secondments. If you work for HCC or any other Local Authority and would like to be considered as a Secondment contract, please ensure you complete the Secondment Form as part of your application. If you do not, your application will be considered as a Fixed Term Contract only. Disability Confident We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post. Safeguarding This role has been identified as requiring a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check. English Fluency The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.