GLPC Job Description Non-Manager

/ Job Title / Contract Officer
Department / Adult Social Care
Section / Commissioning and Quality
Grade / PO1
Reports to / Contract and Relationship Manager
Staffing Responsibility / None
Organisation / Please attach organisation structure
Job Purpose:
The Contract and Relationship Management Team holds responsibility for the overall and day to day relationship and supplier management of commissioned, contracted and funded services. Key elements of this supply chain relationship management are: delivery of good outcomes in accordance with service requirements; ensuring compliance with contract terms, service specifications or funding agreements; influencing and leveraging change, improvement, innovation and cost efficiency within contracted services; maintaining effective communication with providers and suppliers; ensuring and promoting efficiency, good practice and quality assurance; identifying, managing and mitigating against risk; ensuring business continuity and resilience planning and solutions are in place with providers and suppliers; promoting safeguarding and ensuring compliance with procedures; promoting and ensuring customer focus and responding to customer feedback on the provision of services, providers and overall quality of outcomes. The Team supports ASC DMT with the overall approach to contract management and relationship management with the external social care service marketplace.
The postholder will undertake direct liaison work with service providers and service users and their representatives to ensure compliance with contract and service specifications and outcomes. They will undertake a programme of regular audits, checks and relationship management visits with providers. They will systematically gain feedback from providers and service users on the quality of services provided and the overall experience of customer. They will undertake this either in individuals own homes, groups care settings, offices of the Council or partner organisations or any other venue that would be suitable.
Brent Adult Social Care, and all of its staff, are focused on supporting the most vulnerable people to lead full and active lives, ensuring they are as independent as they can be.
Therefore, all of our teams and staff need to contribute to our four key objectives:
·  Prevention: offering information, advice and guidance which enables people to make informed choices and take personal responsibility
·  Early intervention: providing people with intensive short-term assistance so they can regain and sustain their independence
·  Support Planning: ensuring that if people need on-going support from us that they can access practical support which is tailored to suit their individual need and is designed to maximise their independence now and in the future
·  Zero tolerance of abuse: helping people to avoid abuse and responding swiftly and effectively if abuse occurs.
We do this by working with people, their families and their communities to find solutions which work for them and are cost effective to ensure we can support the maximum number of people.
Principal Accountabilities and Responsibilities:
1.  As directed by the Contract and Relationship Manager, working alongside Contract and Relationship Officers, to undertake and agreed programme of contracted service compliance monitoring and outcomes and quality monitoring work with service providers, service users and their representatives.
2.  To plan work in accordance with the overall contract monitoring work programme and any planned themed or reactive monitoring requirements.
3.  To meet with service providers, service users and their representatives individually or in groups to check and gain feedback on the quality of the services.
4.  To develop questionnaires, audit tools, group discussion formats, meetings or other methods of gaining feedback on compliance with contract requirements, the quality of services and outcomes achieved
5.  To check outcomes and feedback against legal, regulatory requirements or good practice.
6.  To support service users, peer auditors or other lay people involved in contract monitoring activities.
7.  To report on the outcomes of regular checks, audits, feedback gained identifying key issues and areas for improvement.
8.  To work collaboratively with service providers in ensuring compliance with contract requirements, improving the quality of their services and acting on feedback from service users.
9.  To identify areas where service improvements may be made to ensure contract compliance and/or improve the user experience and outcomes.
10.  To act on any concerns identified from regular liaison and contract monitoring checks or from service users about quality of services where there may be contract non-compliance, poor practice or safeguarding concerns.
11.  To support implementation of quality assurance projects by providers and gaining service user feedback and reporting this into quality assurance systems or projects.
12.  To support the Contract and Relationship Manager in overall market relationship management locally and with partner organisations, engaging with the market place to improve service standards, influence change and development of services.
13.  To act as a point of contact for contracted suppliers in dealing with day to day contract compliance queries and to report to and liaise with the Contract Relationship Officer with lead responsibility for the supplier.
14.  Ensure that all administration, recording keeping, and information management records are maintained.
15.  Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and all employees are required to act in such a way that at all times safeguards the health and well being of children and vulnerable adults.
16.  Carry out duties with due regard to the Council’s Customer Care, Equal Opportunities, Information Governance, Data Protection and Health and Safety policies and procedures.
17.  Undertake any other duties commensurate with the general level of responsibility of this post.
DBS Status / Basic
Politically Restricted / No
Person Specification
Job Knowledge, Skills & Experience:
Specify the qualifications, experience, skills and abilities required.
All criteria are essential
Knowledge and Qualifications:
·  Relevant professional qualification where required
·  Evidence of significant relevant CPD.
·  Understanding of the commissioning and supplier management process in public services
·  Understanding of contract compliance and operating in a contracting environment
·  Understanding of the operating environment of health, social care, regulated services and the community and voluntary sectors
Experience:
·  Preparing reports relating to commissioning or procurement process for submission to senior management
·  Working effectively in a collaborative environment
·  Contributing to organisational compliance with contract management policy and procedures
·  Working with external suppliers in delivering purchased services.
·  Working with service users and customers to engage them in contract management and feedback about services
·  Work within or with care and support providers
Skills and Abilities:
·  Communicating and influencing skills.
·  communicate open honestly: listening and responding to individual situations and the ability to have difficult conversations
·  build honest, respectful and fair relationships based on dialogue and transparency
·  ability to keep things simple, learn from mistakes and challenge yourself and your colleagues to constantly improve.
·  take individual responsibility, but work as one team to manage risks and create seamless services
·  work with partners (statutory, voluntary, service users and customers) to find solutions that make a difference
·  recognise potential and actual abuse (of any kind to an adult or a child) and respond effectively.
Version 1: August 2013
Date of Job Evaluation / Page 4 of 5