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- Tasks: Lead the commissioning strategy for Children's Services, ensuring positive outcomes for children and families.
- Company: Join North Northamptonshire Council, a forward-thinking organization dedicated to community well-being.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, generous leave, hybrid working, and opportunities for skill development.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in children's lives while working in a supportive and innovative environment.
- Qualifications: Degree-level qualification and experience in Children's Services legislation and budget management required.
- Other info: We are committed to inclusivity and sustainability, aiming for carbon neutrality by 2030.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK\’s leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.
About the role
As a Head of Commissioning and Innovation for Children\’s Services, you will play a key role in designing and delivering commissioned services that meet the needs of children and families, ensuring positive outcomes.
This role is critical in ensuring that services are effectively commissioned, managed, and aligned with the needs of children and families across North Northamptonshire.
What will you be doing?
You will be responsible for the strategic and operational management of commissioning activity and contracts.
You will ensure that services are designed and commissioned in a way that meets the needs of children and families, supports good outcomes, and aligns with the council\’s goals.
Key responsibilities include:
- Leading the commissioning strategy and plan for Children\’s Services, including co-production and service specification development.
- Ensuring services are delivered at the right time and place, promoting good outcomes for people and communities.
- Stimulating a vibrant market of micro providers by basing commissioning decisions on evidence, service reviews, and value-for-money evaluations.
- Leading the development of market position statements and overseeing market trends, risks, and opportunities within North Northamptonshire.
- Providing a comprehensive overview of commissioning requirements, contractual issues, and quality outcomes to ensure continuous improvement.
- Developing Fee Frameworks for commissioning activity and supporting negotiations around contractual terms and conditions.
- Facilitating effective partnership working across stakeholders, creating collaborative solutions to deliver desired outcomes.
- Managing commissioning and contract managers, embedding best value and fostering strong working relationships.
- Ensuring services meet statutory requirements and safeguarding standards for children.
- Deputising for the Assistant Director of Commissioning and Partnerships when required.
- Taking on additional duties as needed.
About you
To succeed in this role, you will need a degree-level qualification (or equivalent) in a relevant subject, along with a professional or management qualification.
You will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience, particularly in the legislative frameworks and statutory requirements related to Children\’s Services, including CQC regulatory frameworks, Public Contracts Regulations, and the Care Act.
- Proven experience in managing large budgets and holding budget management responsibility within a large, complex organisation.
- Knowledge of legal, commercial, political, operational, and social community aspects of a diverse environment.
- Extensive experience in partnership working, particularly with NHS bodies.
- Demonstrated success in leading change, driving improvement, and commissioning services.
- Ability to analyse complex data and produce management reports to inform strategies and plans.
- Proven problem-solving skills, with the ability to overcome barriers to success.
- Ability to lead and empower multidisciplinary teams, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and high performance.
- Strategic thinker with the ability to make informed decisions.
- Strong decision-making skills and the ability to manage diverse and conflicting interests.
Our benefits
Here at North Northamptonshire Council, we\’re transforming for the better, using all our creativity and imagination to create the best life for our local people.
You\’ll find that we have a wide range of careers that may be more surprising than you think!
Why choose us?
We offer a vibrant working environment with:
- a competitive salary
- a pension scheme, where we pay a significant contribution on top of your contribution. It provides life cover and ill-health protection.
- lots of opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and potential in a large unitary council
- generous leave entitlement (28 days, rising to 33 days) and bank holidays, plus the option to buy up to an extra 10 days
- hybrid and flexible working arrangements, where practicable for service needs to help you with a healthy work-life balance.
We provide a range of great benefits such as an Employee Assistance Programme, an Employee Benefits Scheme, wellbeing support, travel rates at HMRC rates, as well as supporting a range of active Employee Network Groups.
About us
Our Values and Behaviours
Our values define who we are and how we operate, by forming the foundation for how we interact with our customers, colleagues and provide our services. They are also at the forefront of our decision making and delivery and are:
Customer-focused
Respectful
Efficient
Supportive
Trustworthy
Our Key Commitments
Our key commitments help ensure that the priorities we make, now and in the future, maintain the necessary breadth of focus in those areas that we believe matter most.
We are proud to be a recognised Disability Confident Employer and is committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role.
North Northamptonshire Council re-signed the Armed Forces Covenant in June 2024 which highlights the Council\’s pledge to support the Armed Forces community. The council obtained the silver status award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) and we are now currently working towards achieving Gold status.
We aim to be a carbon neutral Council by 2030.
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Head of Commissioning and Innovation employer: North Northamptonshire Council
Contact Detail:
North Northamptonshire Council Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Commissioning and Innovation
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarize yourself with the specific legislative frameworks and statutory requirements related to Children's Services. Understanding the CQC regulatory frameworks and Public Contracts Regulations will give you a significant edge in discussions during the interview.
✨Tip Number 2
Highlight your experience in managing large budgets and complex organizations. Be prepared to discuss specific examples of how you've successfully navigated budget management responsibilities, as this is crucial for the role.
✨Tip Number 3
Demonstrate your ability to lead multidisciplinary teams by sharing past experiences where you empowered team members and fostered a culture of continuous improvement. This will resonate well with the council's values.
✨Tip Number 4
Research North Northamptonshire Council's current initiatives and priorities. Being knowledgeable about their goals and how your skills align with their mission will show your genuine interest in the position and the organization.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Commissioning and Innovation
Some tips for your application 🫡
Understand the Role: Take the time to thoroughly read the job description for the Head of Commissioning and Innovation position. Understand the key responsibilities and required qualifications, as this will help you tailor your application to highlight relevant experiences.
Highlight Relevant Experience: In your CV and cover letter, emphasize your experience in commissioning services, managing large budgets, and working within legislative frameworks related to Children's Services. Use specific examples to demonstrate your success in these areas.
Showcase Leadership Skills: Since the role requires leading multidisciplinary teams and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, make sure to include examples of your leadership experience. Discuss how you've empowered teams and driven change in previous roles.
Align with Company Values: North Northamptonshire Council values customer focus, respect, efficiency, support, and trustworthiness. Reflect these values in your application by providing examples of how you've embodied them in your professional life.
How to prepare for a job interview at North Northamptonshire Council
✨Understand the Commissioning Landscape
Familiarize yourself with the current commissioning strategies and frameworks relevant to Children's Services. Be prepared to discuss how you would align these with the needs of children and families in North Northamptonshire.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Experience
Highlight your experience in managing multidisciplinary teams and driving change. Provide specific examples of how you've led successful initiatives that improved service delivery and outcomes.
✨Demonstrate Financial Acumen
Be ready to discuss your experience with budget management, including how you've handled large budgets in complex organizations. Prepare to explain your approach to ensuring value-for-money in commissioning decisions.
✨Emphasize Partnership Working
Discuss your experience collaborating with various stakeholders, especially NHS bodies. Share examples of how you've facilitated effective partnerships to achieve desired outcomes in children's services.
