Children’s Residential Project Manager

Children’s Residential Project Manager (East Berkshire Complex Residential Placements Project)

2 years fixed-term contract

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in a multi-agency project working with three East Berkshire Local Authorities and Frimley Integrated Care Board partners to improve outcomes for children and young people with complex needs.

Hybrid working style with a potential requirement to be based at one of the 3 local authority sites one day a week, the successful applicant will help:

Develop a joint therapeutic residential provision as a 3-year pilot for young people aged 11-16 with complex needs which can accommodate potentially 4 to 6 complex young people across one or two children’s residential homes in East Berkshire.
Drive the project forward using Project Management, Communication, and Stakeholder management skills.
Lead proactive engagement with Children’s Residential market providers.

We are looking for a highly motivated individual to lead on the scoping and implementation of this exciting project to develop a children home(s) for children presenting with complex needs who require social care and health intervention to create stability and a supportive environment to aid their recovery and progress. You will have a specialised set of skills including project management and commissioning, having worked within the public, private and/or social care sector. This involves working with four Local Authorities and the Integrated Care Board who are committed to support you in creating the project brief and delivery through our Project Steering Group.

If you are someone with commissioning, procurement and/or social care knowledge and experience, we would love to hear from you. You may have experience of working on children looked after sufficiency planning or setting up childrens homes in the private or public sector and have led on similar projects, or you may have the transferable experience and skills to do so.

We’re always looking for better ways of doing things. How can we make the most of our resources? Get vulnerable people back on their feet more quickly? You’re going to have a big impact on what we do, so you’ll be trusted to take ownership of your work. You’ll have time to immerse yourself in the community. To deliver better today and to create a better tomorrow.

Because we’re Bracknell Forest.

What it’s like working in our team…

Bracknell Forest Council is a forward thinking and supportive organisation to work for. You can enjoy meaningful work, with friendly colleagues, who share the same values and are working towards the same goals. We are focused, committed and hard-working, ensuring we always innovate, plan-ahead and deliver exactly what is needed.

We are looking for a proactive individual who can be creative, draw together all available resources, collaborate with multi-agency partners and adapt to overcome obstacles to lead an exciting project to improve outcomes for complex young people. If you are looking for your next challenge and want to work in a supportive forward-thinking organisation Bracknell Forest’s Strategic Commissioning Team is your next opportunity.

You will be supported to carry out the following duties, responsibilities and training…

The post will be hosted by the Bracknell Forest Strategic Commissioning leadership team you will:

Develop and lead the delivery of the project plan and other project documentation, identifying risks, issues, and dependencies, and considering best practice
Lead on allocated procurement activity, working in partnership with colleagues to ensure an effective exercise that leads to the best outcomes for children and young people
Facilitate the joint development of procurement documentation including service specification, KPIs and monitoring arrangements
Operate effectively in a flexible and demanding environment and proactively engage with Health and local authority colleagues
Ensure that the voice of service users is central to the process of developing the service
Lead proactive engagement with Children’s Residental market providers

The benefits you will experience are…

An inclusive and social working environment.
Flexible working opportunities including a flexi-time scheme.
Generous annual leave entitlement
Regular opportunities for development with internal and external training courses.
A great office location next to travel links and the regenerated town centre.
Internal sports and social club opportunities.
Discounted leisure centre and gym membership.
Supermarket discount.
An interest free loan for a rail season ticket.

What we’re looking for…

We are looking for a candidate who will work collaboratively with colleagues across all levels within the three East Berkshire Local Authorities and the Frimley Integrated Care Board. You are highly organised, professional, adaptable, and innovative. You will have excellent project management, time management and organisational skills to drive the project forward and the ability to work to your own initiative.

The candidate will have experience of working on:

Setting up children’s residential homes, projects relating to Complex Placements or the Childrens Residential Market
Joint projects with Health partners
Procurements ideally relating to Children’s Services
The Ofsted children’s home registration process

Any successful internal candidate will be offered the position as a secondment and, in line with Section 8.1 of the Secondment Policy, must consult with their manager before applying.

Interview date

Interview date to be confirmed.

Want to ask us a question?

For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact:

Name: Manjit Hogston

Job title: Strategic Commissioning Manager

Phone Number: 01344 352224

Name: Helen Hunter

Job Title: Senior Commissioner for Children’s Services

Phone Number: 01344 352807

Bracknell Forest Council is recognised as a Disability Confident Employer, working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let us know if you need any adjustments at any point during the recruitment process.

As part of the Council’s ongoing commitment to redeployment, please note that we reserve the right to close the advert before the closing date if a suitable redeployee is identified.

We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK.

Any candidates that are currently residing in the UK and wishing to apply who would require sponsorship can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for the role by assessing their circumstances against the relevant criteria.

No agencies please