About Us
West Sussex County Council (WSCC) is a diverse organisation that provides services to more than 850,000 residents every day. Our teams use their experience to enable and challenge the Council to deliver improved efficiency and effectiveness. The Children, Young People and Learning (CYPL) Department is committed to meeting the needs of all our children and young people with a particular focus upon our most vulnerable and disadvantaged to ensure that they fulfil their potential.
The Education & Skills Directorate sits within the broader Department of Children, Young People and Learning, and plays a crucial part in delivering the West Sussex Plan to provide our children, young people and adults with the best education and start in life. Key outcomes for us as a County are that all children are ready for school, young people are ready for work or further education, and that all adults have access to high quality education and training. Working together, we will do everything we can to make that happen.
The context within which West Sussex County Council delivers services is changing. Increasing demographic pressures, complexity of need and tighter financial constraints placed on the authority mean that the Council needs to adapt the way it works to improve outcomes for children, young people and learners. The Education Communication and Enterprise service is responsible for driving the modernisation of a number of key strands of the Education and Skills strategy. This requires strong collaboration with the wider local authority agenda, particularly with Children’s Services.
About The Job
Grade: NJC 8
Salary: NJC Grade 8 £28,371 to £31,099
Working pattern: Full time, 37.5 Hours
Contract type: Permanent
Locations: Chichester
Closing date: 3rd of May 2023
As the Contracts Officer, you will be part of a small team assisting in contract compliance, monitoring and reviewing. Reporting to the Contracts Manager, you will also be involved in the development of the SEND provider market and supporting other contract compliance within the Education Communications and Enterprise Team.
You will contribute to strategic contract management and monitoring solutions and build positive relationships with a wide range of providers and contractors.
Experience and Skills
Key Skills:
- Excellent literacy and numeracy skills in order to understand complex contracts and associated documents, related to children and young people with SEND and their families, and to check statistical financial information and other documents.
- Good analytical skills in order to interpret complex contract / financial information and the ability to organise, plan and meet set targets.
- Developed communication and interpersonal skills in order to interact effectively with a range of providers / stakeholders and create and maintain effective working relationships. Including the ability to advise and guide providers / stakeholders to understand technical information and influence them to make sound decisions.
- Developed negotiation skills in order to work with providers to achieve improvements in contract terms.
- Strong customer focus with the ability to work as a key contact and provide a professional service to meet their needs.
- Ability to present information clearly, concisely, accurately and in ways that promotes understanding, either verbally or in written or electronic form.
Qualifications and/or experience:
- Degree level qualification or equivalent experience demonstrating that level of numeracy, literacy and communication skills.
- Demonstrable experience of managing contracts for effective results ensuring best value and optimum service levels are maintained.
- Experience of working within office systems/practices and providing support to a range of stakeholders and partners.
- Knowledge of The Children and Families Act 2014 - Desirable
Key responsibilities:
Develop, maintain and improve systems to record contracts and contract monitoring information relating to services for children and young people with SEND and their families. Responsible for ensuring the accuracy of databases in relation to low value contracts.
Responsible for the use of analytical, judgemental and creative skills in order to deal with the management of a portfolio of contracts including solving problems and issues as they arise. For example, dealing with the renegotiation of contract terms or issues surrounding delivery of the contract.
Monitor low value contracts to ensure providers of services to children and young people with SEND, and their families, meet performance standards and targets. This will involve working in partnership with SEND providers to assist them to achieve contract performance standards and improve the quality of their services.
Responsible for the financial processing in the letting of contracts of low risk/low value and for managing small budgets for a number of SEND related contracts.
Contribute to the commissioning of services for children and young people with SEND, and their families, through the development of commissioning and tendering processes for both new service development and changing existing services, as well as wider services that are within the remit of the Education, Communication and Enterprise team.
Communicate with and develop good working relationships with a range of people, such as providers, key stakeholders and colleagues in order to provide specialist advice and information.
Rewards and Benefits
As an employer we recognise that it is our employees that are central to everything we do. We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.
In addition to working within a great team and a brilliant opportunity you will receive:
- A competitive salary
- A generous pension scheme
- Training and development opportunities, including coaching and mentoring
- Flexible working
- A range of discounts giving our staff access to hundreds of offers with the opportunity to save over £1,000 (Including: Argos, Samsung, Asos, B&Q and many more)
- Free access to employee assistance programmes
- Discounted membership at selected local sports and fitness centres
- A range of commuting and business travel discounts and initiatives
For a full list of the benefits offered to you as a West Sussex County Council employee you can find them on our Rewards and Benefits page.
Further Information
The reference number for this role is CAFHE04422.
For an informal conversation or for further information regarding the role, please contact Charlotte Smith at charlotte.smith@westsussex.gov.uk for issues or queries regarding your application please contact hrrecruitment@westsussex.gov.uk
To apply, upload your CV and complete the application explaining the skills and experience you can bring to the role ensuring that any gaps in employment are covered in your CV. Please ensure you have saved the job description attached to the main advert on our website as, once the job has closed, you may not have the opportunity to download again.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check, 5 years referencing and a health check.
West Sussex County Council is an equal opportunities employer committed to promoting an environment that is inclusive and free from all forms of unlawful or unfair discrimination and values the diversity of its people. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and take every possible step to ensure that no individual will be disadvantaged.
For information regarding your eligibility to apply for this role under our Disability or Veteran’s Guaranteed Interview Scheme, this can be found on our application help page.
Note for Recruitment Agencies: We prefer to hire people directly, but we do have a supplier list for when we need a helping hand. We'll be in touch directly if we need you!
Job Reference: CAFHE04422