Quality and Contracts Officer

Buckinghamshire Council; Aylesbury; Hybrid; GBP 21,000 - 30,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Pension scheme

Costco membership

Gym discounts

Travel discounts

Job summary

Buckinghamshire Council is seeking a proactive Quality and Contracts Officer to join the Commissioning and Procurement team. You will monitor quality, contract management and provider performance to ensure safe, high-quality care and value-for-money services for children and adults at risk.

You will work with care providers, health and social care professionals and Ofsted, applying quality assurance frameworks, data analysis and risk management to drive continuous improvement and positive

Qualifications

• Experience in commissioning, quality, contracts, health or social care settings.
• Knowledge of Care Act and regulatory requirements in care services.
• Experience monitoring provider performance and contract compliance.

Responsibilities

• Monitor quality, performance and value for money of commissioned care services.
• Conduct quality assurance and contract management visits with providers.
• Analyse performance data and regulatory information to identify risks and opportunities.
• Collaborate with providers to address quality or performance concerns.
• Build and maintain relationships with suppliers and stakeholders.
• Produce reports and recommendations to support quality improvement.
• Engage with service users, carers and families to gather feedback.
• Support the implementation of commercial and contractual practices.
• Contribute to quality frameworks and service improvement initiatives.
• Escalate risks and support improvement plans.

Skills

Quality assurance

Contract management

Stakeholder management

Data analysis

Risk management

Negotiation

Communication

Problem solving

Driving licence

Tools

Microsoft Office

Data reporting tools

Job description

Do you have a passion for improving services and making a real difference to the lives of people who rely on care and support? We are looking for a Quality and Contracts Officer to join our Commissioning and Procurement team, where you will play a key role in ensuring commissioned care services deliver high-quality, safe and effective support for local communities.

This is an exciting opportunity to work collaboratively with care providers, health and social care professionals, and regulatory bodies to drive quality improvement, manage provider performance and support the delivery of value-for-money services.

About us

The Children’s Social Care Commissioning Team is responsible for ensuring that Buckinghamshire has safe, high-quality, and sustainable services for children and young people through both operational and strategic commissioning. The team commissions and oversees a range of external placements, including residential children’s homes, fostering, supported accommodation, domiciliary care, secure welfare placements, parent and child assessment units, and SEND residential schools. Operational responsibilities include quality assurance and risk-based assessments, fee negotiations and governance, cost benchmarking using CareCubed, contract and provider performance management, and due diligence for new providers. Strategically, the team leads framework and regional commissioning activity to shape, strengthen, and diversify the provider market, increase local sufficiency, and ensure services meet the current and future needs of children and young people.

About the role

As a Quality and Contracts Officer, you will be responsible for monitoring, reviewing and supporting the performance of a diverse range of commissioned care and support providers. Working within agreed quality and contractual frameworks, you will help ensure that services consistently meet expected standards, comply with relevant regulations and deliver positive outcomes for service users.

This is a varied and rewarding role that combines relationship management, data analysis, quality assurance and continuous improvement. You will work closely with providers to identify strengths, address areas for development and support sustainable improvements in service delivery. The role also offers the opportunity to collaborate with commissioners, brokers, health and social care professionals, and organisations such as Ofsted, helping to shape and influence high-quality care provision across the sector.

No two days are the same. One day you may be carrying out a quality monitoring visit and reviewing provider performance data, while the next you could be leading discussions with providers to implement improvement plans, analysing risks, or gathering feedback from service users and families to help enhance services.

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor the quality, performance and value for money of commissioned care and support services.
• Conduct quality assurance and contract management visits with providers.
• Analyse performance data, intelligence and regulatory information to identify risks, trends and opportunities for improvement.
• Work collaboratively with providers and partners to address quality or performance concerns.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with suppliers and stakeholders.
• Produce accurate reports, records and recommendations to support quality improvement activity.
• Engage with service users, carers and families to gather feedback and inform service development.
• Support the implementation of effective commercial and contractual practices.
• Contribute to the development of quality frameworks, guidance and service improvement initiatives.
• Escalate risks appropriately and support the delivery of improvement plans.

Please refer to the full Job Description for further information about the role and responsibilities.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

We are looking for a proactive, analytical and relationship-focused professional who is passionate about improving outcomes for people who require care and support. You will be confident working with a wide range of stakeholders, able to influence and challenge constructively, and comfortable managing competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

You will have experience in a commissioning, quality, contracts, health, social care or related setting, alongside a strong understanding of quality assurance, performance monitoring and risk management. You'll be highly organised, detail-oriented and capable of interpreting complex information to make sound recommendations and support service improvement. Above all, you'll be committed to ensuring vulnerable people receive safe, high-quality care and support.

We are particularly interested in candidates who have:

• Experience working within commissioning, quality assurance, contract management, health or social care environments.
• Knowledge of health and social care systems and relevant legislation, such as the Care Act and regulatory requirements within care services.
• Experience of monitoring provider performance, contract compliance or quality standards.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to gather, interpret and present information effectively.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience identifying, assessing and managing risk.
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Good ICT skills, including Microsoft Office applications and data reporting tools.
• A commitment to continuous professional development.
• A full driving licence.

If you are passionate about driving quality, building strong partnerships and helping to shape high-performing care services that make a real difference, we would love to hear from you.

For full details of the essential criteria, please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

Please note; This is a 2 year fixed term role ,working 30hrs per week (salary will be pro rata)

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.
By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.
From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.
We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.