Quality and Contracts Officer

South Buckinghamshire; Aylesbury; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible and agile working

Pension scheme

Discounts on cafés, restaurants, shops

Job summary

Buckinghamshire Council seeks a Quality and Contracts Officer for its Commissioning and Procurement team to monitor and support the performance of commissioned care services, ensuring high standards and value for money for children and families.

The role combines quality assurance, contract management, data analysis and relationship management, with the opportunity to influence care provision across Buckinghamshire. This is a 2 year fixed term, 30hrs per week, pro rata salary arrangement.

Qualifications

• Experience in commissioning, quality assurance, contract management, health or social care.
• Knowledge of the Care Act and regulatory requirements within care services.
• Experience monitoring provider performance and ensuring quality standards.
• Strong analytical and data interpretation skills; able to present information effectively.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder management abilities.
• Ability to identify, assess and manage risk; strong organisational skills.

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 and opportunities.
• Collaborate with providers and partners to address quality or performance concerns.
• Build positive relationships with suppliers and stakeholders.
• Produce reports and recommendations to support quality improvement activities.
• Engage with service users, carers and families to gather feedback.
• Support the implementation of effective commercial and contractual practices.
• Contribute to development of quality frameworks, guidance and service improvements.
• Escalate risks and support delivery of improvement plans.

Skills

Communication

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Data analysis

ICT skills

Driving licence

Education

Degree-level qualification

Tools

Microsoft Office

Data reporting tools

Job description

Location: Aylesbury

Overview

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 degree-level qualification (or equivalent experience).
• 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.

Other information

For more information about this role, please contact Jessica Hunter at [email protected]

Closing date: 5th October 2026

Interview Date: 12th October 2026

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.

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).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled 'Exceptions Order').

Our values

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

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.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/