Brokerage Officer

Oxfordshire County Council; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Pension scheme (LGPS)

Health and wellbeing support

Learning and development

Holiday entitlement

Job summary

Oxfordshire County Council is seeking a Brokerage Officer to lead on day-to-day brokerage activities, sourcing and contracting high-quality, cost-effective care packages for children and young people. You will work within the Start Well area, coordinating with providers and operational teams.

You will have a degree or equivalent in Health, Education or Social Care, plus experience in purchasing, contract management or financial oversight.

Qualifications

• Degree level or equivalent qualification in Health, Education, Social Care or Commissioning.
• Experience in purchasing, sourcing, contract management or financial management.
• Experience in children’s brokerage environment preferred.
• Understanding safeguarding frameworks and relevant legislation.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day brokerage activities: referrals, options, sourcing and contracting arrangements.
• Provide advice to operational teams and providers on cost-effective care solutions.
• Identify, source and establish health, education and care arrangements for children and young people.
• Work within the Start Well area to source placements such as fostering, residential, semi-independent and education placements.

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Negotiation

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder engagement

Flexibility under pressure

Education

Degree or equivalent qualification

Tools

MS Office

Job description

About Us

At Oxfordshire County Council, we are committed to delivering high quality, sustainable services that meet the needs of our communities across health, education and social care. Our work is driven by strong values, a collaborative ethos and a focus on continually improving how we support both residents and providers. As part of our Commissioning pathway, we work closely with partners, senior leaders and service providers to ensure public services are responsive, effective and financially sustainable. Our teams embrace innovation, champion equality, diversity and inclusion, and take pride in creating positive outcomes for the people of Oxfordshire.

About the Role

As a Brokerage Officer you will be responsible for providing advice, sourcing and establishing person‑centred, high‑quality and cost‑effective care and support packages for individuals. You will lead on the day‑to‑day brokerage activities, including receiving referrals, identifying options, sourcing, negotiating and contracting arrangements.

Working with operational service providers, you will identify, source and establish effective health, education and care arrangements for children and young people. You will work in the Start Well area of the Brokerage Service and as a brokerage officer in this life stage you will source a wide range of placements for children and young people, including fostering, residential, secure, semi‑independent, education and transition placements. You may also be required to source other services to complement care and support packages for children and young people.

As a Brokerage Officer you will also provide advice to our operational teams and providers, as well as having responsibility for cost effective negotiations and decisions. You will develop excellent working relationships with operational teams and providers to ensure we provide the highest standards and levels of support.

About you

Ideally with a degree level, equivalent qualification or relevant experience in Health, Education, Social Care or Commissioning. You'll have previous experience of purchasing, sourcing, contract management or financial management, from either a private or public sector background in either children or adults' services. Ideally, we are looking for candidates that have experience of working in a children's brokerage environment as well as understanding the children's health, education and social care system. You'll also understand the legislative frameworks for safeguarding vulnerable adults and children and well as knowledge of legislation, care quality practice and contract management for the Start Well age range. You will have a keen interest to specialise in our Start Well life stage (0-25).

We're also looking for:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• The ability to work in partnership with stakeholders at all levels
• Capability of working flexibly and under pressure in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to negotiate with and influence others
• Comfortable analysing data with good IT capabilities e.g. MS Office suite. Someone who can demonstrate they meet the Oxfordshire County Councils Key Value and Behaviours

Rewards and benefits

• You'll play a key role in shaping growth across a dynamic and expanding county, with flexible working options and a supportive, collaborative team.
• Culture of flexible working
• Technology to support agile working where role permits
• 30 day's holiday p.a. plus bank holidays
• Option to buy' additional holiday
• Employee Assistance Programme including access to health and wellbeing support
• Membership of the Local Government contributory pension scheme, with an employer's contribution of up to 19.9%
• Enhanced family friendly policies
• Local and national discounts for shopping and travel

Great learning and development opportunities to support your ongoing development.
Your office base may be subject to change as we are currently transitioning between temporary and permanent office locations due to the closure of County Hall. If this is applicable to you, you will be notified, but no reimbursement will apply in respect of travel.

Our commitment to: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Oxfordshire County Council we are proud of our diverse workforce. Everyone is accepted for who they are, regardless of age, disability, gender identity, marital status, race, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, or on maternity or family leave. We have a number of staff network groups which provide peer support, education and safe spaces for all.

Our commitment to: Guaranteed Interview Schemes

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job. We also guarantee interviews to care leavers who have completed further education and who meet the essential criteria for the job. For those leaving care without any further education, we guarantee an interview for our apprenticeships. We are also committed to helping and supporting those transitioning from HM Armed Forces to civilian life and guarantee an interview for those demonstrating the essential criteria for the role, within three years of leaving the service.

Our commitment to: Safeguarding

Oxfordshire County Council are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect these commitments.

Our commitment to: Flexible Working

We are open to discussions about flexible working, which can include flexi-time, part time working, job sharing, nine-day fortnights and annualised hours, depending on the requirements of the role and the service.