Commissioning Officer

The role of Commissioning Officer is to support the commissioning, contracts and quality assurance of secondary commissioned providers working in Hertfordshire with people with mental health needs. These contracts will be in the community across the county. The team are looking for a full time post holder. The role will be working in a small commissioning and contracts team who work alongside a team of placement advisors made up of nurses, social workers, OT's and commissioning and quality staff. The post holder will have communication with stakeholders, including internal HPFT staff, Hertfordshire County Council staff and external providers of varying managerial levels to support commissioning projects and contract compliance. The role will support with commissioning projects including research, writing papers, leading stakeholder engagement and working on tender projects. As well as holding contract meetings and visiting providers for quality audits.,

• Support the Commissioning Manager with autonomy for projects on the commissioning of social care services for Mental Health service need in Hertfordshire, this will include support for large scale procurement tendering projects.
• Use specialist knowledge across commissioning, contract and quality, underpinned by theory to use in projects within role duties.
• Maintain effective and positive links with operational staff and other organisations to develop service solutions.
• Develop and maintain strong links to the provider market.
• Analyse, interpret and present data to highlight issues, risks and support decision making.
• Conduct research and evaluation using local and national data and information to support strategic planning and the operational delivery of services to support commissioned activity.
• Deliver projects to comply with key performance indicators, and best practice guidance.
• Support the Commissioning Manager in the commissioning of projects and procurement of services to support project delivery, acting in accordance with Standing Financial Instruction.
• Carry responsibility for developing policy and procedure within commissioning, contracts and quality assurance, including briefings, commissioning, business or resources.
• To utilise local knowledge alongside national comparator data to identify opportunities to improve quality and outcomes across the portfolio of commissioned services.
• Develop strong working relationships with internal and external teams., The key purpose of this role is to support the commissioning and contract managing of health and social care secondary commissioning for the trust, working across home care, community support, supported living, residential and nursing-based services for people with mental health care and support needs.
The role will engage with stakeholders, including people with lived experience of care and support needs to ensure they are appropriately involved in commissioning activity. The role will deliver commissioning projects across service user need groups, supporting with market shaping and procurement. The post is responsible for providing specialist and professional expertise to the outcome of the business processes for the direct commissioning of secondary providers. The post holder will define current processes, facilitate discussions and advise colleagues as to how best practice might be adopted in the definition of future processes, document those processes as they are agreed and oversee their delivery. The role will lead the processes of contract officers who perform PAMMS assessments with commissioned providers, requiring strong relationship building across multiple teams within the trust. Processes will be set up to expand the quality process to community-based provision. The post holder would be responsible for overseeing and conducting the quality assurance of community social care providers and supporting and tracking identified service improvements. The post holder will Identify examples of local, national and international best practice and to ensure that the locality benefits from relevant innovations in health and social care. The post will be required to provide expertise of best practice methodologies regulatory requirements, policy imperatives, innovation and technological developments and stakeholders knowledge. Operational
• Support the Commissioning Manager with autonomy for projects on the commissioning of social care services for Mental Health service need in Hertfordshire, this will include support for large scale procurement tendering projects.
• Use specialist knowledge across commissioning, contract and quality, underpinned by theory to use in projects within role duties.
• Deliver projects, initiatives and services to time and in a cost effective way.
• Maintain effective and positive links with operational staff and other organisations to develop service solutions.
• Develop and maintain strong links to the provider market.
Information Management
• Collate as required, qualitative and quantitative information and lead appropriate interpretation and analysis to develop robust business cases and complex reporting to contribute to delivery of projects and service improvement.
• Highlight exceptions and risks ensuring mitigating action is taken.
• Analyse, interpret and present data to highlight issues, risks and support decision making.
Research and Development
• Conduct research and evaluation using local and national data and information to support strategic planning and the operational delivery of services to support commissioned activity.
• Plan, develop and evaluate methods and processes for gathering, analysing, interpreting and presenting data and information.
• Deliver projects to comply with key performance indicators, and best practice guidance.
• To support the identification and sharing of best practice in commissioning, and quality assurance to support service improvement.
Financial Responsibility
• Support the Commissioning Manager to match the available budget to the appropriate project resources and for ensuring that the budget breaks even, coordinating and monitoring expenditure.
• Support the Commissioning Manager in the commissioning of projects and procurement of services to support project delivery, acting in accordance with Standing Financial Instruction.
• Ensure projects, services and initiatives are delivered on time, to quality standards and in a cost effective manner, adjusting plans as required
Service Development and Improvement
• Carry responsibility for developing policy and procedure within commissioning, contracts and quality assurance, including briefings, commissioning, business or resources.
• Proposes changes to own project/service and make recommendations for other projects/service delivery.
Improving quality and outcomes
• To utilise local knowledge alongside national comparator data to identify opportunities to improve quality and outcomes across the portfolio of commissioned services.
• Work with the LA/ ICS to identify opportunities to transform services to improve quality and outcomes
Communications
• Use an inclusive, communicative, and proactive approach to ensure effective working with colleagues and partners at all levels.
• Develop strong working relationships with internal and external teams.
• Hold strong communication and presentation skills to communicate with a wide group of stakeholders which may include highly complex information. (verbal, written and numerical)
  
  Relevant first degree and advanced professional knowledge acquired through specialist training at diploma level or equivalent., At least 2 years' experience working within a commissioner- provider environment
• Project management experience
• Experience of commissioning and contracting of services
• Evidence of building effective relationships with commissioners and stakeholders.
• Well developed IT skills to mange and report on complex performance management information systems, Excellent communication skills, written and oral
• Ability to work successfully in a team
• Ability to work in collaboration with partner organisations
• Ability to influence and motivate staff to deliver goals and targets
• Good presentation skills to present complex information in a simple, easy to understand format., Ability to act independently with minimal guidelines
• Ability to lead complex programmes of work
• Ability to analyse complex information, develop and analyse potential options and provide recommendations for the most appropriate course of action.
• Ability to think strategically
  
  Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission.
Our family of over 4,000 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is rated by the Care Quality Commission as an Outstanding provider of mental health and learning disability services. In 2021, we won the prestigious Health Service Journal award for Mental Health Trust of the Year, with the judges saying they were "blown away" by our people's achievements and that everything they saw "sings and hums". This year, our staff rated us the 4^th best mental health and learning disability trust to work for out of all 52 trusts in the country. Our staff tell us that they are proud to be part of the HPFT team, proud of the standard of care we provide and proud that service users are our top priority. Our people tell us they feel supported though a great development, wellbeing and work-life balance offer and a highly compassionate, values-driven culture. We are equally proud of our staff, who live our values of being welcoming, kind, positive, respectful and professional