Commissioning Officer in Weston-super-Mare

About Us

North Somerset Council is committed to providing high-quality services to our community. We are committed to creating a fair, green, and more inclusive environment for all our residents. Join us and contribute to making a positive impact on our community.

The Role

We are seeking an experienced Commissioning Officer to join our Strategic Commissioning Service. The Strategic Commissioning Service is responsible for the commissioning activities in Children’s Services in Social Care and Education. We are looking for an enthusiastic, motivated individual to join the Children’s Services Commissioning Team in North Somerset Council. The person will be joining a small team that works strategically across all of Children and Families Services supporting operational colleagues to meet the needs of children in North Somerset.

We are looking for someone who is committed, who can demonstrate creative and innovative practices to deliver efficient and high-quality services in partnership with children and their families at a time of challenge in Social Care, Education & Health in an emerging picture of the new reforms agenda. This role will take an operational lead in commissioning overview and direction of our commissioned services for all children across Children’s Services in SEND. They will be responsible for ensuring the effective commissioning of high-quality services in collaboration with key internal and external stakeholders, including and co-produced with children, their families, and market providers.

The post holder will develop, shape and deliver an overarching programme to meet the needs of children and ensure that the Local Authority has access to sufficient and suitable high-quality services. The post holder will support the quality assurance and compliance of the SEND services through robust commissioning practices and contract monitoring. The post holder will need to work closely in partnership with all stakeholders to achieve this aim, with the support of the Team. The Service comprises a Commissioning Team and a Placement Team; these teams work closely and are interdependent. The post holder will have a diverse role and work closely with colleagues in the Children’s Services operational teams and with the procurement & strategy team, contributing, leading and supporting needs analysis of service needs and the development of new services.

North Somerset is a beautiful area and a great place to work with good transport links. The Children’s Directorate is ambitious and well led, working hard to meet the needs of children and their families. We have a good support infrastructure for staff in terms of supervision and appraisals, as well as pathways for career development opportunities. We offer excellent training and development opportunities for our staff. The post is flexible and whilst you are required to come into the office, it is a hybrid role, allowing you to work from home and the office in a flexible way. The applicant needs to have previous commissioning experience and/or related transferable skills in education & social care in Children’s Services.

Key Responsibilities

• Undertake procurement processes and monitor the resulting contracts to ensure compliance with the specifications and statutory responsibilities.
• Advise on specifications to be included in contracts to maintain standards in accordance with legislation and agreed local protocols.
• Propose and help implement service improvements within an integrated services plan to improve the outcomes for service users and the council ensuring compliance with legislation and local conventions.
• Undertake a designated specialist role/s within the team and be a lead specialist in at least one of the professional areas.
• Provide support and advice to identified stakeholders as detailed within the services work programme and address identified needs to comply with quality assurance and professional standards.
• Manage and oversee a programme of Quality assurance within the sector.

Valid driving licence and own transport, or be able to provide an alternative, suitable method of travel is an essential condition for this role. This position is exempt under the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions) Order 1975 and is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

Work Style

At North Somerset Council, we offer a hybrid working environment based on four distinct work styles. Depending on the role and personal circumstances, you will fall into one of these categories. However, please note that during the induction period, it may be necessary to spend more time in the office to support your learning and development. We are flexible and open to discussions about your preferred working style, and if you wish to be in the office more frequently, this can be negotiated. This role falls into the category of Flexible Worker which means you can expect to work in the following way: 2-3 days in the office. Works both from home and the office, depending on the task at hand. Training is provided to help balance work-life and manage time effectively, with an emphasis on communication for team touchpoints and planning in-office days for collaboration.

About You

We are looking for an individual who is passionate about Children’s Services, and who possesses the following skills and experience:

• Educated to degree level and/or with relevant equivalent professional experience in service such as commissioning or procurement management or related fields.
• Hold a thorough understanding of the legislative framework and statutory guidance which underpins the provision of education, early years and children’s services and a good understanding of emerging strategy and policy developments.
• Experience of working in a contracts and commissioning function within a local government setting or an ability to adapt approaches used in other sectors to a local government setting and be responsible for leading the commissioning process from end to end, through initial scoping to evaluation of contract performance.
• Experience of engaging a wide range of stakeholders to agree priorities, advise and agree the scope of commissioning in conjunction with the Head of Commissioning.
• Strong child-centred and outcomes driven approach to all commissioning activity.
• Strong skills in partnering and the ability to influence positive change through effective partnership.
• Ability to work effectively in a local government context (legal, financial, political).

What We Offer

At North Somerset Council, we value our employees and provide a supportive and inclusive work environment. We offer:

• Competitive salary and benefits.
• Flexible working arrangements.
• Local Government Pension.
• Opportunities for professional development.
• Inclusive Staff groups including Carers, Disabled, LGBTQ+, REACH (Race, Ethnicity, and Cultural Heritage), and Young Staff Forums.
• Opportunity to purchase up to an additional 10 days annual leave each year.
• Dedicated in-house Wellbeing Team.
• Salary sacrifice Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle schemes.

Equal Opportunities

At North Somerset Council we want all our employees to feel valued and appreciated. We aim to ensure equality of opportunity and prevent discrimination irrespective of your sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion or belief, race, age, disability, including neurodiversity, if you are married or in a civil partnership or are pregnant or currently on maternity leave. We strive to create a workplace that reflects the communities we serve and where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all our staff and volunteers to share this commitment. As a Disability Confident Leader, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job role.

Disclaimer

We reserve the right to close this advertisement early or extend the closing date depending on the number of applications received.