Commissioning Officer (Children's Services)

Job summary

Bradford is big, young and diverse. We are home to more than half a million people, vibrant communities and innovative businesses in the heart of The North.As the leading employer in the district, Bradford Council cares about being a great place to work.

We are looking for an experienced strategic commissioning manager who is passionate about improving outcomes for children, young people and families to join our Childrens Commissioning and Contract Management team. This senior post holder will lead a team and manage a programme of commissioning with a specific focus on children looked after and care leavers.

Following a period of growth, this is an exciting time to join our senior management team as we lead and develop a service that has tripled in size in the last 18 months and functions as a professional, resilient and well-established commissioning service.

You will be joining a supportive and highly skilled team which champions Bradfords commissioning and contract management practice and functions as key driver for developing services for children within the wider health and care partnership.

Main duties of the job

The role will work as part of a wider children's commissioning and contract management team that commission's early help, SEND and education services as well as placements for Children in care and Specialist Services.

The work programme for this role is focused on commissioning services to meet the needs of children looked after and care leavers. you will work as part of a team to develop the children's sufficiency strategy and to develop local provider markets to meet commissioning needs for children looked after and care leavers.

Successful candidates will have experience of developing and implementing service change. They will have the ability to interpret, analyse data and to communicate information to inform commissioning decision making.

They should demonstrate a commitment to ensuring children and young people have a voice and ability to influence services they access.

Please refer to the job profile for full details of the post including key competencies.

For further information regarding the post please contact Christopher Dickinson, Head of Strategic Commissioningon christopher.dickinson@bradford.gov.uk

About us

Bradford Council is the fourth largest of 36 Metropolitan District Councils in the country, which serve the larger cities and conurbations. There are four other metropolitan authorities in the West Yorkshire area Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield.

We employ approximately 8,500 people (excluding schools) including social workers, litter pickers, library staff, lawyers and town planners. The size and scale of Bradford Council makes it one of the biggest employers in the district.

The City of Bradford has the status of a City and a Metropolitan Borough. In addition to the Traditional Bradford City, the Metropolitan District includes the following main areas of population: Addingham, Baildon, Bingley, Burley, Cullingworth, Denholme, Eastburn, Haworth, Ilkley, Keighley, Menston, Oxenhope, Queensbury, Silsden, Shipley and Steeton.

The total population of the District is approximately 531,200 and it covers 141 square miles. Bradford Council has a workforce of 18,000 (including schools).