SEND Placement Commissioning Officer

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced SEND Placement Commissioning Officer to join our SEND Placement Commissioning Team. The SEND Placement Commissioning Team are responsible for:

Managing commissioning and contractual arrangements for providing SEND placements in Alternative Learning Provision (ALP) and Independent Non-Maintained Special Schools (INMSS)
Ensuring that the educational providers we use are giving children with SEND the best experience possible and ensuring they are safe, happy, and able to learn and achieve
Understanding and forecasting SEND need in order to inform school place planning
Developing plans to make the most efficient use of our resources to meet SEND needs effectively in education

The team will be comprised of two members of staff: the SEND Placement Commissioning Manager, and the SEND Placement Commissioning Officer (this role).

This role will assist the SEND Placement Commissioning Manager with determining the right numbers of SEND school places, planning how these needs will be met, and providing support throughout the cycle of commissioning and monitoring placements from independent schools and alternative provision settings. The role is to assist the directorate in securing the highest quality provision within robust contractual arrangements and terms which represent excellent value for public money. This includes the provision of services provided by private and third sector providers as well as school placements for children whose needs cannot be met within the mainstream or local provision.

You will make use of rigorous contract monitoring regimes to assist with the management of the performance of contracts, and in particular outcomes for children and young people; promoting good commercial relationships where consistency in quality and value for money are established. You will work alongside colleagues in their and the SEND Teams and will also need to work in partnership with key agencies and stakeholders to assist with the co-produce and jointly commissioning of some services.

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.

Valid driving licence and own transport, or be able to provide alternative, suitable method of travel is an essential condition for this role.

This position is currently based at our Castlewood offices in Clevedon. Please be advised that this office will be closed by 2025. Consultation is currently underway to determine the new location for colleagues based in Castlewood. This will be at Weston-super-Mare or within North Somerset.

About You
We are looking for an individual who is passionate about ensuring children and young people with SEND receive the highest quality education possible, and who possesses the following skills and experience, 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 from initial scoping to evaluation of contract performance
Some experience of working proactively with the market within a commercially sensitive environment to understanding its capacity, appetite and capability in order to attract the highest quality suppliers
Experience of providing verbal and written reports for both lay and expert audiences to communicate progress and increase participation and ownership of commissioning activity
Ability to critically analyse data, information and in-person observations to accurately report on commissioning performance
Child-centred and outcomes driven approach to all commissioning activity
Good 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)
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
The ability to assimilate quickly across multiple data-sets and sources of intelligence and information
Ability to work as part of a strong and committed team
Ability to identify and manage risk, including financial risk
Strong organisation and administrative skills
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Programmes
A good member of the team showing cooperation and flexibility
A good problem solver developing solutions, with confidence in making decisions within guidelines and legislative framework
A good understanding of the contribution the role makes to the team, service area, the directorate and the organisation as a whole and recognises how the actions of others impact on own role

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
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A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.