Short Break Commissioning Officer

Join a team that's making a real impact. Achieving for Children's Windsor and Maidenhead Children's Services have been rated Good by Ofsted, reflecting our strong leadership, commitment to children, and a culture of learning and improvement.

We're proud of our supportive environment, where passionate professionals are trusted to do their best work. If you're ready to make a difference in a team that values progress and purpose, we'd love to hear from you.

The Commissioning Officer role is based within the Children and Young People Disability Service inWindsor and Maidenhead. The service is a multi-professional service and includes special educationalneeds, social care, occupational therapy, family work and a wide range of support functions such asthe Local Offer and Short Breaks.

It works with children and young people with special educational needs and/or a disability (SEND)aged 0 -18 years. In addition, the service leads on the provision of the Local Offer, Short Breaks and a specialist holiday play scheme.

The Commissioning Officer will be highly organised and dependable who has a passion forsupporting children and young people through commissioning practices, taking responsibility forsmall to medium sized commissioning projects, usually involving stakeholders and reduced financialresources.
The Commissioning Officer will demonstrate an excellent knowledge of the SEND landscape andspecifically legislation related to disabled children and their families, along with excellentinterpersonal skills. The successful candidate will be expected to develop and maintain outstandingrelationships with colleagues, partners, agencies and most importantly young people and theirfamilies.

• Leading on identifying, sourcing, and monitoring the commissioning element of SEND respite and packages of support (also known as Short Breaks).
• Providing oversight and upkeep of the commissioning service for the Children and Young People Disability Service, ensuring effective negotiation, contracting, and contract management.
• Supporting the management and maintenance of the contracts register, work plan, and commissioning policies.
• Ensuring a well-governed commissioning process is in place to achieve better outcomes and financial efficiency across the system, while maintaining compliance with the Procurement Act 2023.

For further information about this role, please contact Suki Hayes by email for an informal discussion.

• Degree qualification in related subject or equivalent experience
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Commissioning qualification - desirable
• Experience in procurement, contract management or commissioning
• Experience of working with children and young people with SEN/Disabilities and their families.
• Experience in understanding legislation
• Experience of communicating to a range of stakeholders
• Must hold a valid UK driving licence and have access to a car