Commissioning Manager - Live Well

Job Introduction

About Us

Do you want to help us radically change the way we deliver social care?

Join Oxfordshire County Council on an exciting journey towards Delivering the Future Together, our ambitious transformation programme which is enabling us to be an employer, partner, and place shaper of choice.  We’re seeking the right people who can help us get there while embracing our value of ‘daring to do it differently’, as we continue to strive to do better.

In Adult Services, this means we're daring to do adult social care differently by supporting Oxfordshire’s residents to stay fit, healthy and independent in their communities for as long as possible through a strength’s-based approach.  Working with local NHS services, care providers and community and voluntary groups, we make the most of what each of our strengths are, pulling in the same direction, and united by one shared vision.

This means we keep the people we support at the heart of all that we do. And that works. By listening to people and building on the positives in their lives, we can work collaboratively to help them live the lives they want with the right support around them. 

It is something we call the Oxfordshire Way and we can’t do it alone – our proactive, positive approach to social care gives everyone the opportunity to make a bigger difference. If we’re doing a good job, we don’t stand still – we’re ambitious and we’re always striving to do better; it’s in our DNA.

About the Role

Our team empowers you to deliver bespoke solutions that supports people to achieve their desired goals and outcomes. As a member of the Health, Education and Social Care Live Well Team, the Joint Commissioning Manager will play a vital role in ensuring the wellbeing of our adults aged 18-64 (including transitions). Primarily with Mental Health including the transformation of Mental Health Services including other areas such as Learning Disabilities, Autism and Physical Disabilities.

We do this through our commitment of giving you the autonomy to do your role, to create new ideas and ways of doing things, with the support from our stable leadership team, regular group and 1:1 supervision and the opportunity to develop and progress across many different areas of Adult Social Care. Working for Oxfordshire County Council opens up a world of opportunities across varying facets of Social Care including, but not limited to leadership.

No one day is ever the same in Oxfordshire County Council. Whatever your career aspirations are in adult social care, we’re here to support and empower you to lead your growth from the front.

We continue to be a financially stable local authority and we are looking for an experienced Commissioning Manager (key areas to include but not limited to Mental Health Service and Transformation) to join us and help shape and deliver our teams joint objectives; it’s a really exciting time to join us!

You will be working alongside other Commissioning Managers within the team and also across the lifecycle of Children’s and Older People to:

• Empower people in the community to identify their strengths and desired outcomes, embracing new ideas and ways of doing things to feed into future commissioning strategies and intentions to improve and maintain their independence.
• Utilise a strength-based approach to promote people’s wellbeing to help them achieve their desired outcomes and commission appropriate services to meet the population need by leading strategic commissioning activities for Health, Education and Social Care, including developing services and new ways of working to meet the needs and deliver outcomes for people in Oxfordshire, in particularly for but not limited to Mental Health and Mental Health Transformation.
• Support people and family/carers to ensure their voice is heard through advocacy where necessary.

About you

Ideally you will have a relevant qualification or degree in Health, Education, Social Care or Commissioning (or equivalent experience). You will have previous experience of commissioning (preferable in local government or wider public sector including the NHS). You will have the ability to analyse needs, demands, and gaps in services working with the data we have available, through research and engagement with our community and stakeholders (including partners). This will require you to have good communication skills (verbal and written) and be able to work in a collaborative way, resulting in the effective design of new or existing services. You will have experience of constructing reports, such as business cases, options appraisal and other associated reports. You will have a good understanding of project management and be able to develop detailed project plans including the management of these and appropriately escalate risks. 

 We are also looking for: 

•  The ability to work with stakeholders at all levels. 
• To be able to work flexibly in a fast paced and quickly changing environment. 
• Able to negotiate with and influence others. 
• Using a range of tools to support commissioning such as data analysis, cost modelling and associated Microsoft Applications. 

You will be:

• Driven to do things differently to find creative solutions that problem solves with the person, rather than for the person.
• Willing to take responsibility, you are a self-leader with the ambition to lead your community in different areas of adult social care. 
• Kind and caring, with an understanding of and respect for individuals’ qualities, abilities and diverse backgrounds. 
• Advocating for equality and integrity in all you do, and with your strong communication skills you work collaboratively to achieve the best outcome.
• Always learning, with an excellent working knowledge of legislation and statutory guidance, you have natural entrepreneurial qualities. 

Are you a passionate Commissioner who wants to make a difference to the residents of Oxfordshire? If so, we would also like to hear from you.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact – Tillie Castle via email at tillie.castle@oxfordshire.gov.uk, who will arrange a suitable date and time for a callback from Bhavna Taank (Lead Commissioner – Live Well) or Pippa Corner (Deputy Director)

Rewards and benefits

• Culture of flexible working and technology to support agile working where role permits
• Up to 33 day’s holiday p.a. plus bank holidays - Option to ‘buy’ additional days
• Membership of the Local Government contributory pension scheme, employer’s contribution of up to 19.9%
• Employee Assistance Programme including access to health and wellbeing support
• Regular monthly formal and informal support and supervision
• Enhanced family friendly policies
• Local and national discounts for shopping and travel
• Extensive Continuous Professional Development opportunities, career progression scheme including the opportunity to train as a Practice Educator, Best Interest Assessor or Adult Mental Health Practitioner.
• Learn more here: Our benefits | Jobs (oxfordshire.gov.uk)

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.

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