Senior Commissioning Officer

Senior Placements/Commissioning Officer Birmingham Children’s Trust is going from strength to strength. We are the largest provider of family support and social care services for children, young people and families in the country. Our goal is to become a centre of excellence in both social care and family support. By choosing to work for us, you will be part of a supportive, dynamic service contributing to our service improvement journey to ‘Outstanding’.We have an exciting opportunity within our Placements Commissioning Team which is expanding and taking on additional duties, to streamline the back-office functions in relation to provider relationships and the placements we commission.This post is to further develop the support that we offer the Trust and the Children’s Placements Team and all associated work in relation to this, and is a great development opportunity for the right candidate.Who are we looking for?You will work closely with the Manager as part of a small Team and together you will be responsible for all aspects of the commissioning functions within the Placement Service – this will include but not be limited to regional commissioning/placements work, procurement activity to support placement needs, contract management and negotiation, quality assurance, developing provider relationships and building relationships, working closely with other stakeholders within the Trust and our partners, such as Education, Health and the Police.  Working with Health and Education will focus on funding pathways to achieve joint funded placements.You will maintain oversight of all placements and ensure t
hey are of the highest quality, best value and meet the needs of our young people both now and in the future.As part of the Team, you will work closely with our Commissioning and Placements colleagues to ensure we meet our statutory functions and increase sufficiency, whilst demonstrating good financial control.You will contribute to the implementation and monitoring of the Service Development Plan and contribute to our regular reporting to the Trust Executive and Finance.You will preferably have a good track record in children’s placements and be inquisitive and creative in your thinking as we seek innovative ways to ensure our looked after children can achieve the best outcomes possible.You will have excellent organisational skills, and able to manage a range of competing priorities within a fast-paced environment.You will need to be flexible and responsive to quickly changing demands and evidence that you are able to work well under pressure.You will be able to evidence how you can enable us to be the ‘first choice’ for Providers through building new, positive relationships and ensure all aspects of our service are of the highest quality.The successful applicants will be expected to work as part of a Team to deliver the placement/commissioning priorities; through leading, managing and influencing key partnership arrangements and relationships.You will have a proven track record of achievement in a similarly large and very complex organisation, preferably within a social care background, have proven experience of achiving best value and savings, and will be confident in analysing and reporting on complex data alongside managing specific projects/areas of work.We are proud to be an Equal Opportunities Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees - a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit.We actively deliver services that are culturally responsive to the needs of the
children, parents and carers we work with to deliver equality, diversity and inclusivity in all we do. Closing Date:   Sunday 7th April 2024Interviews:   Monday 22nd April 2024Informal enquiries to:Louise Knowles – Placements Commissioning Team Manager – Louise.K.Knowles@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.ukOr Tracey Thomas – Head of Children’s Placements and Commissioning – Tracey.thomas@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk