An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Placement Officer to join our Placement and Quality Team (PQT) at Hampshire County Council. Are you looking for a challenging and diverse role working as part of a friendly and supportive team, with an opportunity to make a real difference? The Role: The Senior Placement Officer plays a pivotal role in sourcing, negotiating, and managing residential care placements for children and young people looked after by Hampshire County Council. Operating within an area‑based model and aligned to designated Social Work teams, the role strengthens placement sufficiency, improves outcomes, and ensures best value for the Local Authority. This post sits within the Placements and Quality Team (PQT), working closely with operational teams, multi‑agency partners, and external providers. The role includes category lead responsibilities for residential care and complex health placements, supporting decision‑making across the full placement lifecycle. This is a hybrid role, with a minimum of one day per week in the Winchester office, alongside flexibility to attend in‑person meetings as operationally required. What you’ll do: Placement Sourcing and Package Management Act as the primary lead for residential placements within your designated area. Source and secure placements that meet assessed needs, statutory requirements, and outcome plans. Apply the Support Needs Assessment (SNA) and Placement Outcome Planning (POP) frameworks to support progression and outcomes-based commissioning. Negotiate placement packages, ensuring transparency, value for money, and alignment with care plans. Operational Oversight Maintain oversight of placement activity and associated costs using Mosaic, the Placement Finding App, and digital trackers. Provide live updates and professional advice at Children’s Area Panels. Support social work teams with placement reviews, progression plans, and cost scrutiny. Escalate and monitor any concerns regarding unregistered placements. Quality, Compliance and Market Engagement Build effective relationships with providers to influence quality and sufficiency. Ensure placements meet statutory and regulatory requirements. Collaborate with Strategic Commissioning colleagues to support sufficiency planning. Contribute to service improvement activity and inform decision making through data analysis. Collaboration and Multi Agency Working Participate in multi agency meetings for children with complex needs. Maintain excellent communication with social work teams, providers, commissioning officers, and partner agencies. What we’re looking for: You will have a strong understanding of children’s social care and the residential care market, as well as experience of sourcing and negotiating placements for children and young people. You'll also have good knowledge of the SNA and POP processes and their role in planning and progression. Your excellent communication, organisation, and prioritisation skills will help you analyse, interpret, and present data. You'll also be confident using digital tools and case management systems (e.g., Mosaic, Office 365 etc).