Vacancy Description

Achieving for Children is an award-winning social enterprise created by Kingston and Richmond Councils in 2014, expanding into the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead in 2017. We are responsible for delivering the entirety of children’s services in all three local authorities.

Achieving for Children has been up and running for four years, and in that time, we have established a reputation as one of the leading children’s services providers in the country. We are one of the Department for Education’s eight ‘Partners in Practice’, tasked with leading improvement across the sector.

The Strategic Placement Commissioning Lead will work to improve decision making and processes that influence the efficiency of placement decisions. The post-holder will ensure the efficient and effective procurement of social care and SEND education placements and will ensure that all placements and contracts are appropriately managed to ensure they deliver good value for money. They will be responsible for maintaining effective relationships with practitioners and managers involved with the identification of children’s placement needs and with placement providers.

The post-holder will also support market development strategies and the development of effective partnership arrangements with providers, including through consortia commissioning arrangements. They will report to the Director of Commissioning and manage a team of commissioning officers. The lead will also work closely and be able to access support from our education and social care senior leaders.

The post holder will be expected to have strong interpersonal and communication skills, the personal attributes required include:

• A passion for Achieving for Children’s vision, mission and values to support children and young people to live safe, happy, healthy and successful lives.
• Strong organisational abilities including time management, creative-thinking, problem-solving and multitasking.
• Able to work flexibly and independently with limited management oversight.
• Commitment to resource-sharing and collaborative working across Achieving for Children.
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills that are open, honest, persuasive and pragmatic, including excellent negotiation and influencing skills.
• Champion of continual review and improvement to achieve value for money.
• Confident to challenge the way things have always been done and influence others.
• Commitment to an organisational culture and the development of services that value equality and diversity.

As a social enterprise owned by three local authorities, we offer the freedoms of a social enterprise with the employment benefits of local government. We offer a range of excellent staff benefits, including generous annual leave entitlements, cycle to work scheme, annual season ticket loan, childcare vouchers, and discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres and much more.

The successful candidate will have access to:

• Excellent learning and development opportunities and schemes of support.
• A competitive and desirable retention package (to include a generous local government pension scheme).
• Retention of continuous service benefits, for those moving from a local government post.
• A clear progression path when key qualification milestones are reached.
• Tools and models to support practice, including Signs
  of Safety.
• Reflective supervision from an experienced
  management team.

Start dates:

Achieving for Children have Fixed Start Dates, candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.

If you would like to find out more about this exciting opportunity, please contact Jessica Thom for an informal discussion on 07933 386787.

Achieving for Children is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All successful candidates will be required to undertake a Criminal Record Check.

Closing date: 9 August 2020

Interviews: 19 August 2020

Further information on this vacancy

• AFC000332 Strategic Placement Commissioning Lead JA
• AfC Fixed Start Dates