Lead Commissioning Officer

Please apply online via the link provided. Please note, we do not accept CVs submitted without a fully completed online application form.

At Barnsley Council you can start a career that makes a real difference to people’s lives, helping our council and residents to be the best they can be.

We’re an award-winning council and one of the biggest employers in the borough, supporting around 243,000 people. We put people at the heart of everything we do, and that includes our employees. As part of the team, we offer lots of benefits and rewards to support you to thrive and grow, like flexible working, employee discounts, support for your health and wellbeing, and opportunities for training and development to grow your career and develop your skills.

There’s so much happening in our thriving borough, and now’s the perfect time to join our excellent Education, Early Start & Prevention team as we work to make Barnsley the place of possibilities.

• We’re an award-winning team and one of the biggest employers in the borough supporting around 243,000 people.
• Working at Barnsley Council means being part of a team that makes a real difference to people’s lives, where you can develop the skills you need to make change happen.
• If you join the team you’ll receive great pay alongside an excellent pension scheme. With flexible working we’ll also support your work/life balance, helping you to adjust your hours and take time off when you need it.
• We’ll help you to develop your career and grow your skills with opportunities for training and development.
• There’s so much happening in our thriving borough and your talent and skills will help us make Barnsley the place of possibilities.
• Key to our success is working with our residents, partners, businesses and organisations and building these partnerships to bring about change in Barnsley.

About the Post:

In Barnsley we have a strong vision to make Barnsley the place of possibilities for all children, young people and families. This means that our children can start their life well, have the opportunity to learn, develop new skills and achieve their personal potential.

We’re excited to be recruiting for a Lead Commissioning Officer here in Barnsley, the place of possibilities.

Within the Children's Commissioning, team an opportunity has arisen for a talented individual to help drive the commissioning of quality services to improve outcomes for Barnsley families. With a strong focus on improving outcomes for children, young people & families, the post-holder will need to be comfortable working with vulnerable groups and should be able to operate effectively in a rapidly changing environment. Alongside a sound grasp of the commissioning cycle, experience in the planning and/or delivery of services to vulnerable groups is essential

To contribute to this vision, we are looking to recruit talented service commissioners who have the aptitude for understanding complex needs, the ability to take a whole system view and the creativity to improve services working with service users, and also the skills to encourage a strong provider market.

This post will be the lead commissioner for Children's placements and will support our placements team working with existing and developing new providers as part of our approach in managing placement sufficiency. You will be responsible for the commissioning, quality assurance and contract management of a range of services to improve outcomes for children, young people, and their families. This will include leading commissioning arrangements for children’s residential care, independent fostering and semi-independent provision for our care leavers.

To be successful, you will need to have experience of working with complex groups, service users and families, as well as a sound grasp of the commissioning cycle and be able to demonstrate your ability to work in partnership with senior managers across the system and highlight methods for measuring impact and outcomes.

This includes specific experience and knowledge in relation to children who need Local Authority Care. You will be experienced in partnership working, stakeholder engagement, and understand national policy and local need.

In Barnsley we value honesty, teamwork, excellent service and taking pride in what we do. If you believe you have the relevant skills then we would like to hear from you!

For further details of what the role involves and a breakdown on the criteria for applicants can be found in the attached. If you would like to talk to discuss your application please do get in touch – Sean Hill, Senior Commissioning Manager : e-mail seanhill@barnsley.gov.uk or Tel: 07788278519