Job Description

Job info	Job info details
Job title	Commissioning and Finance Support Officer
Strategic team/Directorate	Adults
Service	Adults and Community Services
Business unit	Adult Social Care Commissioning Team
Responsible to (day to day issues)	Head of Strategic Commissioning
Accountable to (line manager)	Strategic Commissioning Manager
Salary grade	F
JE ref	CMTY56

1. Key purpose of job

To provide support across the Commissioning Team programme for activities undertaken across all aspects of the commissioning and procurement cycles, including services jointly commissioned with internal and external partners.
To provide support to Commissioning Officers for issuing and managing robust contracts.
To develop and maintain systems to ensure quality in the commissioning process and ensure the maintenance of professional and ethical practice, both internally and externally.
To develop, maintain and lead quality review process for commissioned services.
To manage or provide support to the project lead on specific projects undertaken within the Commissioning Team, which will include working with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
To provide financial management of timely and accurate payments to service providers and leaseholders, Income Collection, assessment of service users' contributions, coordination of the contracting process and preparation of budget monitoring reports, including calculating finance associated with issuing contracts, grants, and procurement figures for commissioned services.

2. Anticipated outcomes of post

To provide capacity and support across all sectors, to enable Commissioning Officers to develop and implement commissioning strategies and manage contracts with greater efficiency, delivering against the agreed outcomes of specific projects, either as project lead or in a support capacity.
To provide quality assurance for the commissioning process.
To provide commissioning support in the development, implementation, and monitoring of services to ensure quality, effectiveness, efficiency, and value for money of all services.
To manage the financial development of the contract and monitoring process and meet deadlines in relation to Commissioning Team payments in line with the annual contract values, ensuring the accuracy of financial data and database system and managing invoicing as required.
To ensure professional and ethical practice standards are compliant with professional, commissioning, procurement and organisational values, as well as recognise the principles of equality and diversity.
To support services to continually improve and implement best practices.

3. List key duties and accountabilities of the post

To conduct relevant research in relation to changes in Government policy, strategic needs assessment, best practices across other Local Authorities benchmarking and the development of local policies, procedures, and protocols.
To provide commissioning support across a diverse range of client group sectors, to have an understanding and working knowledge of each area and to be prepared to manage the effective change from one area to another within conflicting priorities.
To provide support to Commissioning Officers when undertaking strategic consultation with providers, service users, other key stakeholders, and partners. Carrying out such activities as cross-authority work, planning events, carrying out consultation activities, and collating, analysing, and reporting on the feedback given.
To work with individual service providers to embed performance management and monitor and support the implementation, delivery, and achievement of service improvement plans.
To support the development and sharing of best practices across service providers through supporting collaboration between partners and individual service support and associated working groups, as appropriate.
To gather, collate, and analyse feedback from key stakeholders to inform the quality review process for individual services.
To facilitate operational delivery groups to identify highlights and exceptions in processes to inform the strategic needs and service delivery changes required.
To assist with the development of service specifications and other tender documents and the collation of evaluation panel scores and feedback. To lead on or provide support for specific projects undertaken by the Commissioning Team as required. Including project planning, engagement with key stakeholders, delivery of project outcomes and reporting to the relevant project board on key targets and milestones.
To develop Service Level Agreements to ensure financial accountability from partners and to inform budget monitoring.
To manage the payment process to providers and leaseholders, authorising on behalf of Torbay Council the transfer of funds by BACS in accordance with varying contract types. Also, to promptly recover the overpayment of monies due to the Authority.
Primary contact for providers and service users for any financial aspect of the Commissioning Team function. Undertaking various finance functions, including managing and archiving and monitoring pay advices and schedules. Maximising income due to the Authority in line with Torbay Council’s income collection process.
Liaise with Exchequer & Benefits to confirm clients are still in receipt of Housing Benefit.
Record increases and savings in preparation of budgetary control statements.
Performance Monitoring to provide benchmarking information to determine value for money and best value practices in provider costs. Assist in the assessment of unit costs information, identifying those contracts which are over-priced and high-cost schemes.
To lead on finance reconciliation for contract and specific projects undertaken by the Commissioning Team.
To process any necessary purchase orders for the Commissioning Team.
To represent Commissioning Team in multi-agency meetings as appropriate to the service area and participate in local, regional and national working groups as required.

4. Budgetary/Financial Responsibilities of the post

Second FIMS authoriser for Commissioning Team, in manager’s absence.
Responsible for transfer of funds to providers every four weeks. (The post holder does not hold a budget).

5. Supervision/Line Management Responsibilities of the post

None.

6. Working environment and conditions of the post

Normal office working location and environment.

7. Physical demands of the post

Normal physical demands.

8. Specific resources used by the post

Standard office equipment, laptop, mobile phone.

9. Key contacts and relationships

External

Torbay & Southern Devon Health & Care NHS Trust, Devon Partnership Trust, Devon & Cornwall Probation Service, service users and service user groups, service and support providers, Government Departments, community & voluntary sector organisations, Police Authority, Solicitors, (Key Partners and Stakeholders).

Internal

All staff at all levels, possibly including elected members.

10. Other duties

To undertake additional duties as required, commensurate with the level of the job.

Other Information

All staff must commit to Equal Opportunities and Anti-Discriminatory Practice.
The Council operates a Smoke-Free Policy and the post-holder is prohibited from smoking in any of the Council's buildings (including Council owned and Council leased buildings, but excluding designated areas in residential schemes), enclosed spaces within the curtilage of buildings, and Council vehicles. The Council does not permit smoking breaks within work time, however, in services where the flexi-scheme is in operation, employees may take reasonable break times outside of core hours, in accordance with flexi-time arrangements. Employees should follow the flexi-scheme procedure for agreeing time away from their duties in the normal manner with their immediate colleagues and line manager, with break start and finish times being recorded, as with any other break-time arrangement.
The post-holder is expected to familiarise themselves with and adhere to all relevant Council Policies and Procedures.
The post-holder must comply with the Council’s Health and Safety requirements as outlined in the H&S policy appropriate to the role.
This post is office based at Torr Hill House, but the post holder may be required to move their base to any other location within the Council at a future date.
The post-holder must be committed to the Council’s Core Values for employees – “Torbay Council employees are committed to being forward thinking, people orientated and adaptable - always with integrity”. Evidence will be sought during the probation and appraisal processes.
If you are required to use your own vehicle on Council business or drive a council vehicle you will be asked to provide information on any driving endorsements by accessing gov.uk/view-driving-licence and providing a code to your Line Manager in order to share your driving licence information with the Council.
Torbay Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo the checks appropriate to the post applied for.
The post holder is expected to work in a way that ensures vulnerable children and adults are safeguarded and report any safeguarding concerns in accordance with established policies and procedures.
As this post meets the requirements of the Immigration Act 2017 (part 7) the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.

Person Specification

Note for Candidate

All Candidates

The supporting statement on your application form will be used to assess ability to meet the essential requirements of the role, so you should explain how you meet each of the numbered essential requirements within your supporting statement. In a competitive situation, the desirable criteria may be taken into consideration, so you are encouraged to show how you also meet each of the desirable criteria.

Candidates who consider that they have a disability

Reasonable adjustments will be made to the job, job requirements or recruitment process for candidates with a disability.

If you consider yourself to have a disability you should indicate this on your application form, providing any information you would like us to take into account with regard to your disability in order to offer a fair selection interview.

Where ever possible and reasonable we will make adjustments and offer alternatives to help you through the application and selection process.

If you have indicated that you have a disability on your application form you will be guaranteed an interview if you clearly demonstrate in your supporting evidence how you broadly meet the essential requirements of the role.

Job info	Job info details
Job Title	Commissioning and Finance Support Officer
Strategic team/Directorate	Adults
Service	Adults and Community Services
Business unit	Adult Social Care Commissioning Team

Skills and effectiveness

Essential skills and effectiveness

Interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to communicate effectively with a range of people, service users, suppliers all levels within the Authority, external agencies, and partner organisations.
Numerical and analytical skills.
Ability to meet challenging deadlines and work with competing demands across a diverse range of disciplines.
IT related proficiencies including MS Office.
Ability to organise and record meetings.
Promotion and marketing skills.
The ability to work effectively as part of a team as well as autonomously and use own initiative.
Ability to interpret complex information/data.
Ability to research, analyse and evaluate.
Ability to observe confidentiality.
Proven organisational and time management skills.
As this post meets the requirements of the Immigration Act 2016 (part 7), the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post.

Desirable skills and effectiveness

Contract preparation, tender analysis, and evaluation skills.
Training/mentoring skills.
Demonstrate a flair to build and maintain effective relationships with providers, service users, agencies etc.
Negotiation skills.
Empathy and understanding of the needs of service users.

Knowledge

Essential knowledge

Knowledge and understanding of all elements of the Commissioning Cycle.
Knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.
Knowledge and understanding of the concepts of ‘Choice and Control’ and ‘Putting People at the Centre of Delivery’.
Knowledge of quality assurance frameworks.
Experience of dealing effectively with the public and specific agencies.
Experience of financial procedures and an aptitude for dealing with figure work.

Desirable knowledge

Knowledge of the Commissioning Team Programme and key drivers.
Knowledge of local and national policy in relation to the Commissioning Team Programme.
Knowledge of the Commissioning Team Quality Assessment Framework.
Knowledge of the Social Care Financial assessment process.
Knowledge of housing and welfare benefits and an understanding of housing-related support.
Knowledge of the Authority’s charging policies that apply to Social Care.

Experience and achievements

Essential experience and achievements

Experience of undertaking client involvement activities.
Experience of working with a wide range of partners, stakeholders, and external customers.
Experience of maintaining, developing, and manipulating spreadsheet and database records.
Experience of undertaking research, analysing data, and evaluating.
Understanding and experience of interpreting complex statistical information.
Experience of performance management systems to achieve continuous service improvement.
Experience of delivering projects within set deadlines.
Experience of managing projects.
Experience of budget management.
Experience of maintaining confidentiality / data protection.
Experience of dealing with confrontational situations.

Desirable experience and achievements

PRINCE 2 methodology / project management.
Experience of carrying out consultation activities.
Contract monitoring and setting experience.
Previous budget monitoring experience.

Qualifications/professional memberships

Essential qualifications/professional memberships

Educated to ‘A’ level standard as a minimum (to prove ability to research and analyse information) or equivalent.

Desirable qualifications/professional memberships

Completion of, working towards or willingness to undertake PRINCE2 Foundation.
Completion of, working towards or willingness to undertake ILM Level 3 or equivalent.
AAT qualification or consider working towards.

Other requirements

Other requirements of the job role

Demonstrates a commitment to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.
Ability to travel efficiently around the Bay/Southwest/UK in order to carry out duties.
Ability to accommodate unsociable hours.
Ability to accommodate occasional homeworking.