Assistant Director, Integrated Commissioning and Contracts

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please submit your application via Suffolk Jobs Direct - Assistant Director, Integrated Commissioning and Contracts.

This key role will provide strategic leadership for commissioning within Adult Social Care as well as providing organisational wide leadership to help improve and more closely aligning commissioning across Suffolk County Council with a particular focus on people related services.

The successful candidate will contribute to the strategic business planning of the Council and support creation of an aligned strategic vision for a range of preventative people services which support independence, well-being, and reduce health inequalities.

The post holder will lead in ASC and work with PH&C and CYP to better align strategic commissioning, market shaping and the development of social care services for children, young people, adults and their carers, and for public health services which enables strong partnerships, high quality services and value for money to support healthy, fulfilling and independent lives.

Acting as a professional lead on all matters within their portfolio of responsibility, the post is responsible for a range of Council services that includes, but is not limited to:

• Commissioned: Residential provision for Children and Adults, Domiciliary Care, Day Services, Early Intervention and Prevention, Hospital Discharge Services, Voluntary and Community Services.
• Market Oversight
• Market Shaping
• Procurement and Contract Management of relevant people services
• Brokerage of Care and Support Services

This role will ensure the delivery of high quality, sustainable care and support services that are essential to achieving good outcomes for people by being assured that there are effective and robust contract management processes in place that are risk based, proportionate and appropriate for the services that people use

The role will work with directorates to ensure that any programmes that the Council is delivering on behalf of partners or where the Council is acting as the accountable body are discharged effectively with positive outcomes for all residents. Ensuring the development of a local, sustainable and vibrant markets for commissioned services, with clear strategies for developing an open and transparent relationship in shaping it; along with clear plans for a strong and skilled workforce, greater community wealth building and social value within Suffolk.

To deliver on our vision the post holder would be expected to matrix work reporting directly to the Executive Director for Adult Social Care (for ASC work) as well as the Directors of Public Health and Communities and Executive Director of ASC as joint SROs for organisational wide improvement work on strategic commissioning, prevention and commercial.

Provide professional and strategic advice to Elected Members, the Corporate Leadership Team and Council Services on matters relating to delivery and service development to ensure strategic ambitions are effectively understood and implemented.

Day to day tasks may include:

• To provide inspirational leadership to a diverse, multidisciplinary workforce, ensuring the provision of high quality, personalised social care and public health commissioned services that are responsive to the diverse needs of all community members and that enable people of all ages with social care needs to have access to personalised, flexible, integrated care and support that promotes independence, quality of life, dignity and choice whilst safeguarding individuals at risk of harm.
• To collaborate closely with internal partners, in defining and understanding future models of commissioned care and support, shaped to meet specific needs.
• Ensure the development of a local, vibrant market, with clear strategies for shaping it; along with a strong and skilled workforce that meets the needs of our local population in as sustainable way as possible.
• Support the Executive Director in building and maintaining effective partnerships with and between local statutory and voluntary organisations as well as the independent and private sector seeking to embed joint approaches to meeting the needs of the people of Suffolk wherever possible.
• Effective contract management of all ASC contracts, ensuring contract compliance in terms of supplier performance against contractual requirements and in accordance with Suffolk County Council contract management guidelines
• A continuous drive to improve the quality-of-service provision through effective supplier relationship management holding them to account to ensure the delivery of services of the highest standards of care and services for all customers.
• Ensure that sustained improvements in performance as demonstrated by measurable outcomes based on reduced levels of dependency, increased levels of choice and control by service users in line with their aspirations and needs as well as those of other stakeholders, while improving value for money.
• To ensure that the voice of the people who use services, their families/carers and communities is heard at every level within the organisation and within partnership arrangements.
• Participate in emergency planning and business contingency arrangements, including being a full member of the On-Call Rota, attending any training specified by the County Council to fulfil these responsibilities.
• To ensure that effective risk management arrangements are in place to minimise the Councils exposure to risk and uncertainty.
• To ensure that all services and functions are delivered within budget and meet any identified and agreed savings targets, continually reviewing and reshaping service delivery to achieve financial efficiencies and maximise opportunities for income generation, whilst maintaining the highest standards of service delivery.
• Create a high-performance culture by providing strong and motivational leadership to drive continuous improvement, efficiency savings and higher levels of satisfaction for residents of the County.
• Ensure that the Council can specifically influence, work with and achieve collaborative benefits and investments, in partnership with the NHS, Integrated Care Board (ICB), Voluntary and Community services, together with District and Borough Councils.
• As a Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) or Sponsor of major programmes and projects of change and delivery, ensuring effective programme and project management approaches are applied, ensuring delivery to time, budget and plan, managing risks and issues dynamically and ensuring benefits planned are realised.
• Leading, managing and developing employees to sustain high levels of service delivery, recognising and developing talent.
• Establishing a strong performance culture including effective performance measures, evaluation of service quality and the improvement of service delivery to achieve the Councils objectives.
• Delivering creative and innovative solutions to improve the use of resources and achieve value for money across an organisation.
• To deputise for the Executive Director as required.

Although this list provides examples of what you will be doing its not intended to be exhaustive, and you will have personal objectives linked to our People Plans and Strategies that will be discussed and agreed with your line manager when you start.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• A relevant Postgraduate Level qualification or equivalent and/or relevant compensating experience at a senior leadership level.
• Evidence of continuous professional and leadership skill development.

Experience

Essential

• Demonstrates a passion for making a positive difference for Suffolk. 4. Shares our WE ASPIRE Values and strives to lead by example in relation to these.
• A strong commitment to fairness and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI).
• Strives to continuously improve in everything they do, taking the initiative to learn and develop.
• Brings creativity into their work through innovation and openness to change.
• Collaborates well with others and offers assistance and support to colleagues.
• Significant experience of working at a senior level within a large and complex organisation with comparable scope, responsibilities, budget, and resources.
• Providing balanced strategic advice and guidance in a political setting.
• Demonstrable experience of leading the commissioning and delivery of public services with competing priorities and demands often outside of the Councils direct control.
• Experience of leading major change and reform of services through commissioning, market shaping and creating innovative service models, particularly in response to the demands of an organisation that is undergoing rapid modernisation.
• Delivering complex projects on time and within budget and outcomes.
• Ability to lead and contribute to strategic decision making, resource allocation and to policy formulation and delivery, adopting a problem-solving culture.
• Experience of working in partnership across organisational boundaries including between the health system and social care and of delivering services through joint working.
• Ability to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the current issues and challenges facing local government as well as the statutory framework governing the sector
• Deep and specialised knowledge of Social Care markets for all ages with relevant experience gained within a similar role.
• Thorough understanding of the principal responsibilities and key challenges facing Local Government in the effective commissioning and delivery of people focussed services.
• Thorough understanding of the role of communities in local democracy, and of the tools and powers available to provide the right opportunities for communities to actively participate in society.
• Strong understanding of CQC and Ofsted regulatory Frameworks.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to communicate complex information both orally and in writing in a clear articulate and balanced way to a variety of audiences that enables the development of positive and constructive working relationships with a wide range of customers, stakeholders and partners, maintaining a positive personal and organisational profile.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

Suffolk County Council

Address

8 Russell Road

Ipswich

Suffolk

IP1 2BX

Employer's website

https://careers.suffolk.gov.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)