SEND Commissioning and Placement Officer

The roles within this service will focus on working in partnership with families, providers and other AfC services to identify outcomes and then to commission services to best meet the needs of young people with SEND to enable them to progress towards adulthood.

We will have accountability for achieving clearly specified and measurable results either personally or through the leadership of a team. We deal with the most complex problems and issues within the boundaries of technical or professional skill and knowledge and make recommendations on procedural improvements and other initiatives to enhance team performance. This team requires a level of professional expertise to work with delivery partners to ensure the effective delivery of a service.

You will contribute to the delivery of operational and strategic commissioning intentions identified as part of the SEND Commissioning Service. Operating at the officer post level, your role focuses on operational case management, supporting delivery of delegated commissioning activities, and assisting senior leads. Working closely with the SEND Commissioning Lead, you will handle delegated tasks relating to fee uplifts and negotiations, contract monitoring, provider relationship development, and policy/planning activities and quality assurance.

Your core responsibilities will include supporting the decision making process at SEND and Post-16 panels, delivering on allocated individual SEND referrals across Pre-14 and Preparation for Adulthood (PfA), and conducting joint placement casework involving cost analysis, multi-agency negotiations, and joint meetings. You will support high-cost placement reviews, tribunal cases where applicable, EOTAS provision commissioning, QA projects, and phase transfer commissioning activities, as well as managing fee increase requests to relevant panels. Through effective contract monitoring and provider engagement, you will assist in delivering jointly commissioned services across education, health, and social care to ensure value for money and efficient use of resources. You will support the Commissioning Lead in developing and implementing action plans to deliver agreed strategies and key priorities.

• Educated to a degree level or with substantial professional experience.
• Minimum Level 3 qualification with English and math to Level 2 (GCSE grades 9-4 or equivalent)
• Experience of building strong partnerships, maintaining relationships and co-producing solutions to challenges across a diverse set of stakeholders, including children, young people and their families. Advocating the voices of those we are working with.
• Experience in market shaping and management, fee negotiations, fee uplifts, SEND placement commissioning and relationship building with stakeholders.
• Proven ability to effectively use qualitative and quantitative data, intelligence and evidence to create meaningful insight and to inform own decision making.
• Significant experience of working with providers to promote cost-effective working relationships and maximize opportunities to enhance service provision, customer experience, and positive outcomes for service users and their families.
• Knowledge of statutory legislation (e.g. SEND Code of Practice, Children & Families Act 2014) and national policy drivers that affect children’s SEND services.
• Advanced knowledge of delivering commissioned services within budget, monitoring financial performance, identifying financial risks/pressures, and meeting identified savings targets.
• Experience in quality assurance, contract management, developing innovative contracting approaches, and reading and analyzing legal documents.
• Maintaining accurate records, producing clear reports and presentations for stakeholders in line with local policies.

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