Job Information
Achieving for Children is a Community Interest Company that has a public sector ethos, combined with the freedom to innovate enabling us to do things differently. As a not-for-profit social enterprise owned by three local authorities (Windsor & Maidenhead, Kingston and Richmond), we offer the freedoms of a social enterprise with the employment benefits of local government. To find out more about us .
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. Find out and join us today.
The Commissioning Officer role is based within the Children and Young People Disability Service in Windsor and Maidenhead. The service is a multi-professional service and includes special educational needs, social care, occupational therapy, family work and a wide range of support functions such as the 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.
About the role
The Commissioning Officer will be highly organised and dependable who has a passion for supporting children and young people through commissioning practices, taking responsibility for small to medium sized commissioning projects, usually involving stakeholders and reduced financial resources.
The Commissioning Officer will demonstrate an excellent knowledge of the SEND landscape and specifically legislation related to disabled children and their families, along with excellent interpersonal skills. The successful candidate will be expected to develop and maintain outstanding relationships with colleagues, partners, agencies and most importantly young people and their families.
Responsibilities will include;
1. Leading on identifying, sourcing, and monitoring the commissioning element of SEND respite and packages of support (also known as Short Breaks).
2. Providing oversight and upkeep of the commissioning service for the Children and Young People Disability Service, ensuring effective negotiation, contracting, and contract management.
3. Supporting the management and maintenance of the contracts register, work plan, and commissioning policies.
4. 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.
About you
5. Degree qualification in related subject or equivalent experience
6. Evidence of continuing professional development
7. Commissioning qualification - desirable
8. Experience in procurement, contract management or commissioning
9. Experience of working with children and young people with SEN/Disabilities and their families.
10. Experience in understanding legislation
11. Experience of communicating to a range of stakeholders
About our benefits
We are focused on creating a positive supportive environment, where you will have access to a really wide range of resources, as well as a competitive salary and all the perks to enable hybrid working. In AfC you will also have access to:
12. 29 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days after 2 years and 35 days after 4 years with an additional day off in your birthday month (Or for term-time workers, your leave entitlement consists of the non-working periods in your contract)
13. Tailored induction sessions commencing on the date you start working for AfC
14. Local Government salary and pension scheme (LGPS or Teachers Pension)
15. Flexible working options - helping to keep a good work life balance
16. A comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
17. A range of staff benefits and discounts
18. An excellent learning and development offer to support your career pathway
To find out about all of the breadth of benefits of working for Achieving for Children. For our social work offer. For our Recruitment Journey,
Important Information
Start dates: Achieving for Children have meaning successful candidates join on a set date in each month. Candidates are advised to prepare for this should a job offer be accepted to ensure eligible continuous service is not affected.
Right to work: The UK has introduced a new points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the for right to work guidance.
Equality: We particularly welcome applications from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our teams. Achieving for Children are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer.
Safeguarding: We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to this post will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Therefore, it is strongly advised that you complete and return your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.