Brokerage Officer

Job Introduction

About Us

Oxfordshire County Council’s Health Education and Social Care service supports a population of 700,000 people across the county. We are focused on delivering the best life outcomes for every age group and every area of need. We are bringing our local authority and health commissioning, education and health services together in a fresh approach to ensure even better results for our residents.

About the Role

As a Brokerage Officer you will be responsible for providing advice, sourcing and establishing person-centred, high-quality and cost-effect 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 services providers and service users, you will identify, source and establish effective care and support 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, 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, service users and their families, as well as having responsibility for cost effective negotiations and decisions. You will develop excellent working relationships with suppliers 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 having an understanding of the children’s health and social care system.

You’ll also have an understanding of 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. 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 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 is able to demonstrate they meet the Oxfordshire County Councils Key Behaviours

Rewards and benefits

It really is true that every single job role here contributes to bettering the lives of the people in our county - we want to do this for our employees too. We are proud of our strong flexible working culture, including the opportunity for flexibility on working hours and the use of technology to support agile working. We offer some of the best learning and development opportunities to support your ongoing development.

We have a generous holiday allowance which rises as you remain in employment with us up to 33 days, as well as giving you the option to buy additional holiday. You will also have access to a Local Government Pension Scheme with employer contributions of up to 19.9% of your salary; arrange of local and national retail discounts; and a host of enhanced family friendly policies including carers leave and paid time off for volunteering.

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.

Follow us on Social Media

Stay up-to-date with the latest news and featured jobs from Oxfordshire County Council by following us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

If you encounter any technical issues with the application system, please contact us at: careers@oxfordshire.gov.uk